Yes, Virginia, there is such a thing as a free lunch. Philip Leung, an owner at Hong Kong Cafe,2 South Mills Street, sent us an e-mail to tell us that, “Every year on Labor Day we do a free lunch customer appreciation special. This year is our 19th anniversary special “Lunch On the House” It will be served on Monday, September 6th from noon until 2 p.m.”
What’s for lunch? Leung says, “This is a pretty fast in and out type of FULL Chinese lunch service including egg roll. It’s delicious and we open an outdoor area to serve as many as possible during this promotion. It’s a great thing for us, we only hope to get our menu in the hands of as many Madisonians as will show up!”
Here’s a basic summary of the “rules” for this special Labor Day Event:
Doors open at 12 noon.
Free Lunch served until 2 p. m.
Lunches will be carry-out only.
No Purchase necessary.
One entrée per person.
No need to place order in advance.
On your behalf, we asked a couple of follow-up questions and learned that there will be several entrée choices, including a vegetarian option.
Please remember, this free carry-out lunch event is only at the Downtown Hong King Cafe location, 2 South Mills Street. And please remember to say “Thank you” to Leung and his staff when you pick up your lunch on Monday.
Early Times Distillery wants to give men an opportunity to declare a “Man Day,” during which a guy “shall be exempt from engaging in any and all unmanly activities.”
To assist males in this endeavor, they’re offering them an opportunity to download and print some Man Day Passes and a FREE Early Times Man Day T-shirt (while supplies last). If you or the man in your life wants one of these shirts, here’s how to claim one: Fill out an online form with your name, address, email address, gender, and date of birth (you must be over 21); then click on “Continue” to tell Early Times your reason for declaring a Man Day.
Your t-shirt will be mailed to you in 2-3 weeks. Don’t worry about size, there’s only one available: XL.
Thanks to Deb Nies (who has blogged about “Fifty Dangerous Things You Should Let Your Children Do”) for forwarding us an email about this offer.
Amazon.com is currently offering Kindle users a free download of “The Bake Sale Murders,” the 13th Lucy Stone mystery by author Leslie Meier. The digital list price is normally $5.59 and a paperback edition sells for $6.99. There is no information about when this offer expires; but it won’t last forever, so download now if you want a copy.
Thanks to Jenn at Cities On the Cheap for this tip (via Twitter).
Bruegger’s would like you to enjoy some music with your bagel, so they’re offering six free MP3 downloads: “Don’t You Know You’re Beautiful” by Seabird; “Hands” by The Almost; “Avalanche by Rachael Lampa; “Fine: by Jaymes Reunion; “Hanging On By a Thread” by The Letter Black; and “Put Up a Fight” by The Wellspring.
To download any or all of these songs, visit the Brueggers Facebook page and click on the Music Showcase tab.
There’s no direct statement about when this offer ends, but the page does allude to “this month’s featured artists,” so we suspect you’d best download these tunes before the end of August.
Octagon House Museum in Watertown (photograph by Iulus Ascanius)
Smithsonian Magazine is sponsoring the 6th annual Museum Day on Saturday, September 26th, 2010 – but you’ll need to request and print your tickets in advance.
Scores of museums across the country are participating, but only 10 of them are in Wisconsin: Betty Brinn Children’s Museum (Milwaukee); Chippewa Valley Museum (Eau Claire); Haggerty Museum of Art (Milwaukee); Hearthstone Historic House Museum (Appleton); New Richmond Heritage Center (New Richmond), Olbrich Botanical Gardens (Madison): Racine Art Museum (Racine); Rassbach Heritage Museum (Menomonie); The Octagon House and America’s First Kindergarten (Watertown); and Wisconsin Maritime Museum (Manitowoc).
You may, however, request tickets for any participating museum.
There is a limit of one Museum Day ticket (which admits two) per household. To receive yours, fill in an online form and indicate which museum you wish to visit. Your ticket will be sent to you via email.
Cupcakes-A-Go-Go is launching a newsletter on August 15th and they’re offering some tasty inducements to attract subscribers: You’ll be entered in contests every month to win free cupcakes — and, if we’re reading the recent post of their Facebook page correctly, subscribers will also receive a free cupcake on their birthday.
If all this sounds tempting, you should use their online form to sign up for the free e-mail newsletter.
The Library of Congress (LOC) has just released its first official app for iPhone and iPad users — and if you use one of these devices, you may download the app for FREE.
According to LOC blogger Matt Raymond, “The app includes highlights of exhibitions and architectural features, with photos, audio by curators and other experts, links to more detailed online exhibitions, and even a video about the history of Thomas Jefferson’s Library, which in 1815 reconstituted the Library of Congress after the British burned the Capitol in the War of 1812.”
Not planning to visit our nation’s capital any time soon? You may still want to download the app because “It’s an ideal companion to an on-site tour, as much of its content tracks with the Library of Congress Experience in the Jefferson Building. But if you can’t make it to Washington, the app is the best substitute that’s small enough to fit in the palm of your hand.”
According to the museum. “Between A.D. 700 and 1100 Native Americans built more effigy mounds in Wisconsin than anywhere else in North America. These huge earthworks, sculpted in the shape of birds, mammals and other figures, have aroused curiosity for generations and together comprise a vast effigy mound ceremonial landscape. Farming and industrialization destroyed most of these mounds, leaving who built them and why they were made a mystery. The remaining mounds are protected today, and many can be visited.”
This event is part of “History Sandwiched In,” an informal brown bag lunch and lecture series held the first and third Tuesdays of the month. There is a suggested donation of $2 per person.
If you are interested in effigy mounds in Madison and Dane County, but are unable to attend this event, you may wish to download a FREE copy of a pamphlet (2MG PDF) on the subject co-authored by Robinson and Kitty Rankin.
A free box of HOT TAMALES® Brand candies is your prize for participating in a promotion to “Celebrate 60 Years of SIZZLE with HOT TAMALES®.”
According to the manufacturer, “The flavor-charged taste of HOT TAMALES® Brand candies was introduced in 1950, and they remain America’s favorite cinnamon flavored candies today.”
Amazon.com is offering a FREE MP3 download of “Africa Land”by Ziggy Marley.
According to his website, “Marley’s career began as a family affair 30 years ago. At his father’s urging, Ziggy, brother Stephen and sisters Cedella and Sharon formed a vocal group, the Melody Makers. The group was embraced by fellow Jamaicans and, over the next two decades, built an international following.”
As usual, there is no indication of how long this download will be available. Sometimes you can take your time about responding to these offers; other times they’re gone in a flash. If you want to take advantage of this freebie, your best bet is to download it sooner rather than later.
Born in Andalucia, Sapin, Segovia’s legacy lies in the emotional, expressive way in which he performed works.
There’s no indication of how long this download will be available. Sometimes you can take your time about responding to these offers; other times they’re gone in a flash. If you want to take advantage of this freebie, your best bet is to download it sooner rather than later.
Lifeline is a government-supported program provided by Einstein Wireless that offers free monthly wireless service and a free cell phone for eligible low-income customers
You may be eligible for for Einstein Wireless’s Lifeline Program if you participate in any of the following programs: Wisconsin Homestead Tax Credit; Wisconsin Works of W2; Supplemental Security Income (SSI); National School Free Lunch Program; Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP); Badger Care; Food Stamps; Medical Assistance; Medicaid; Public Housing Assistance; or if your household income is at or below poverty level.
The Lifeline service includes the following:
• 100 Minutes of talk time every month
• Voicemail
• Call Waiting and Caller ID
• Free calls to and from Einstein’s local Customer Care
• Incoming text messages
• Free wireless phone
• No overages or unexpected charges
• No activation fees
In order to apply for this program, you must complete an application and provide proof of eligibility. For additional information about Lifeline, including coverage area, visit the Einstein Wireless website or call 888-687-1130.
Fifty-nine years ago, John Patrick Hunter, a reporter for The Capital Times, was looking for a Fourth of July story for the Madison newspaper. He took the preamble to the Declaration of Independence, six of the ten amendments that make up the Bill of Rights, plus the 15th amendment, typed them up in the form of a petition and went to Vilas Park to see who would sign this document. Of the 112 people he talked to that day, only one would sign.
They undoubtedly didn’t recognize the words from these historic documents.
If you’ve forgotten what’s written in The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, perhaps this weekend is a good time for a review. While you can certainly find both documents on the Internet, we’d like to offer you some more interesting alternatives.
Fill out an online form and The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, will send you one FREE pocket-sized copy of the Declaration of Independence and Constitution.
Or you can download a FREE PDF copy of the original documents from the National Archives. Both the Declaration of Independence and The Constitution of the United States are available for download as high resolution images, but since they’re handwritten, you may find reading them in this form a bit of a challenge. Click on the “read the transcript” button for each document and you’ll have access to a print friendly copy, too.
Little Red Wolf’s first album is still a work in progress, but while you’re waiting you can download a FREE copy of the band’s first single, “Let It Go” in your choice of 320k mp3, FLAC, or just about any other format you could possibly desire.
This is one of Izzy the Interns favorite local bands, but rather than let him blather on about it, we’ve decided to just grab a description of their music from the Little Red Wolf website: “Combining elements of rock, bluegrass, alt-country, and the harmony-heavy vocals of swing-era ensembles, Little Red Wolf offers something entirely new and unique without forgetting their roots.”
If you’ve never heard of Superchunk, an indie band from North Carolina, you may watch to check out the group’s website for a free video sample of their music.
There’s no indication of how long this download will be available. Sometimes you can take your time about responding to these offers; other times they’re gone in a flash.
Become a Facebook fan of Atlanta Bread and they’ll give you a coupon for a free cookie. Alas, if you live in the Madison area, you won’t be able to redeem it unless you take a road trip. Atlanta Bread closed its Madison locations some time ago.
There are currently only two Atlanta Bread locations in Wisconsin: 2747 Milwaukee Road in Beloit and 650 North Casaloma Drive in Appleton.
Deb e-mailed us this tip and maybe she knows about a “hidden” Atlanta Bread location in the Madison area: She’s writing a lot about “Hidden Madison” (and points father afield) lately.
Mr. Food is offering a free 30-page eCookbook of dessert recipes — including such tasty treats as Black Forest Cake and Whoopie Pies. The “Decadent Desserts” book is in PDF format and you may download it from the Mr. Food website.
In case you’re not familiar with Mr. Food, here is a brief description from his website: “Art Ginsburg, a.k.a Mr. Food, was the first TV chef to promote practical, ‘anybody can do it’ cooking and food preparation solutions.”
Join the “Pancake Revolution” by signing up on Facebook to receive e-mail from IHOP. In return, IHOP will e-mail you a coupon for a free “Rooty Tooty Fresh and Fruity” (or menu item of equal or lesser value). It should arrive with 24 hours of the time you sign up for this offer. Like the one we received, it will probably be good for 14 days; so plan accordingly.
In addition, you will receive a free meal on your birthday and another free meal on your 1-year anniversary of joining the Pancake revolution.
Having trouble sleeping at night? Perhaps a pair of HEAROS ear plugs will help drown out the sound of your noisy neighbors. HEAROS is offering to mail you a free pair of earplugs if you’ll fill out an online form with usual personal information, including e-mail address, mailing address, age, and gender.
If you don’t like good in pink, you can opt for Xtreme HEROS or Original HEAROS instead. Please note, this offer is for one pair, not one package.
The HEAROS brand of ear plugs was launched in 1992, “to help customers reduce noise, protect hearing and defend against water damage to the ear.”
Walmart regularly offers free samples of such things as personal care products, over-the-counter medicines, and household cleaners.
They tend to go quickly, so we haven’t posted individual Walmart freebies on Madison on the Cheap because it’s difficult to keep these posts up-to-date. Fortunately, we’ve found a solution: a landing page on the Walmart website that features the current free sample and music download offers.
For each free sample, you’ll need to fill out a form with the usual personal information, plus answer a few questions related to the products.
In order to make it easy for you to access the Walmart free sample offers on a regular basis, we’ve also put a link to the landing page in the “Hey! Check out these deals!” section on the right hand sidebar.
Remember the candy you used to buy growing up? Buy them now from Candy.com
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DISCLAIMER
We post deals as we find them, but schedules sometimes change and everything has an expiration date. Prices and promotions are always subject to change without notice. It's always wise to call ahead and make certain a bargain is still available or an event has not been canceled.
from 12:15 p.m. until 1 p.m. on Tuesday, August 3rd, at the Wisconsin Historical Museum, 
by Ziggy Marley.
by Andrés Segovia from the album “Heroes of Spanish Guitar.”
from Superchunk’s 
album.
