2012 Milwaukee/NARI Home Improvement Show Discounts & Ticket Giveaway
The 50th Annual Milwaukee/NARI Home Improvement Show will be held February 9-12 at the Wisconsin Exposition Center at State Fair Park. With more than 300 exhibitors, the Milwaukee/NARI Home Improvement Show is the largest home improvement and remodeling show in the state. The Exposition Center will be filled with providers of home improvement products and services and contractors specializing in kitchens, bathrooms, decks, roofing, and much more.
The theme of this year’s show is Celebrating 50 Years of Ideas for your Home. Educational demonstrations by home improvement experts, media celebrities, area chefs, and national cooking celebrities will be held, including presentations by:
- Doug Wilson of America’s Ugliest, Moving Up, and Trading Spaces on TLC
- Melinda Myers, “The Plant Doctor”
- Tom Feiza, Milwaukee’s “Mr. Fix It”
- Lis Friemoth, “The Garden Hoe”
- Gus Gnorski
- Mad Dog & Merril, grilling extraordinaires
- Jyll Everman, Food Network Star contestant
Ticket prices for adults are $8. Seniors ages 60 and up are $6 ($2 discount on Thursday, February 9), and children ages 12 and younger are free. A coupon for $2 off admission is available on the Milwaukee/NARI Home Improvement Show website. Discount tickets can also be purchased in advance for $6 at several Milwaukee/NARI member locations throughout the Milwaukee area.
Full information on the Milwaukee/NARI Home Improvement Show, including a schedule of events and hours can be found on their website.
Ticket Giveaway
The organizers of the 2012 Milwaukee/NARI Home Improvement Show have provided 6 – four-packs of tickets to the show to be given away to Milwaukee Consumer readers. To enter the drawing to win tickets, please fill out the form below.
Contest fine print: The drawing for six winners of four tickets each to the Milwaukee/NARI Home Improvement Show will be held on Tuesday, February 7 at 5:00 p.m. One entry per person, please. By entering the giveaway, you will also be added to the Milwaukee Consumer email list to be kept in the loop of all of the great deals in our area (don’t worry…we don’t share email addresses with anyone, and you can unsubscribe at any time).
45,000 Free Summerfest 2012 Tickets Starting at Noon
Starting at noon today, Summerfest will be giving away 45,000 free tickets to Opening Day of the 2012 festival. The 45,000 free tickets are to celebrate Summerfest’s 45th year. (Can you believe Summerfest has been around for 45 years??)
Here is how to get your free Summerfest tickets: Visit Summerfest.com/tickets starting at noon today. Tickets will be available for 45 hours (until 9 a.m on Friday), or until 45,000 tickets have been claimed. There is a limit of one ticket per email address. There are no fees to claim your free tickets.
Good luck!
3 Articles to Help You Save Money on Your Cable Bill
While out to dinner with a few friends last week, the topic of cable bills came up. In our group of four, there were two of us that didn’t have cable and two that did. The two who did have cable were lamenting about how expensive their bills are. I was proud to share that I haven’t had cable for over ten years and probably saved at least $4,800 in the process. Our family doesn’t watch much television and when we do it seems like we can always find something on network television or Netflix.
The concerns my friends had with the cost of their cable service made me think of some posts that I have seen on the Internet about ways to negotiate a cable bill and save a bundle of money. I went back and searched for what I thought were the most helpful articles on how to negotiate with a cable/satellite company in order to save money or get more services. Here are three articles that I thought could help you save some of your hard earned money:
How to Negotiate Your Phone and Cable Bill and Save Thousands of Dollars by Erica Douglass (Erica.biz).
How I Cut My Comcast Cable Bill by 33% (Without Losing Any Service) by G.E. Miller (Get Rich Slowly).
Tips for Cutting Your Cable Bill by Jennifer Saranow Schultz (New York Times).
One last tip – if you need some convincing about this negotiation strategy, browse through the comments in the above articles. There are a lot of inspiring success stories that people have shared. Good luck!
Marcus Theatres Kids Dream Winter Film Series Starts February 4
Marcus Theatres is presenting another film series for kids this winter. This year the name of the series has changed from “Frosty Flicks” to “Kids Dream”. The weekly series will feature G or PG rated family films at select theaters. Showtimes are 10 a.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m. on Sunday. Admission is only $2 per person! Even better, free movie vouchers are available at participating American Family Insurance agent offices. Tickets can be purchased online and at the box office of Marcus Theatres.
The titles for the Kids Dream Winter Film Series in 2012 are:
- February 4 & 5 – The Smurfs
- February 11 & 12 – Zookeeper
- February 18 & 19 – Spy Kids: All the Time in the World
- February 25 & 26 – Winnie the Pooh
- March 3 & 4 – TBA in February
- March 10 & 11 – TBA in February
- March 17 & 18 – TBA in February
- Hillside Cinema, Delafield
- Majestic Cinema, Brookfield
- Menomonee Falls Cinema, Menomonee Falls
- North Shore Cinema, Mequon
- Ridge Cinema, New Berlin
- South Shore Cinema, Oak Creek
Seven Affordable Things To Do in Milwaukee on New Year’s Eve
If you haven’t done so already, it’s time to finalize your plans for New Year’s Eve! Here are some options and advice we’ve compiled for affordable New Year’s Eve events in Milwaukee.
Dining Out – A number of restaurants have special menus and require reservations for New Year’s Eve. If you’re looking to dine out, we suggest you call the restaurant of your choice and inquire about their menu and reservation options. If you’re looking to use a coupon, be aware that the Entertainment Book coupon policy states the coupons aren’t valid on major holidays such as New Year’s Eve. However, if you have a coupon you’d like to use, we suggest contacting the restaurant to see if they will accept the coupon. Chances are some businesses will still accept the coupons on a holiday as they won’t want to turn away business.
New Year’s Eve Family Celebration at the Mitchell Park Domes – The popular annual New Year’s Eve celebration is loaded with entertainment including children’s entertainers, crafts, balloons, and live music. Admission is $12 for adults and $5 for kids (children 5 and under are free). The event takes place from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. For more information and to make reservations, visit the Friends of the Domes website.
Winter Fest Family Fun New Year’s Eve Celebration – A new celebration this year, Winter Fest offers many different family friendly activities. Starting at 6:30 p.m., there will be live entertainment, games and activities from Radio Disney, and Winter Fest activities including free ice skating and skate rental. At 8:30 p.m. and midnight, there will be a New Year’s countdown and ball drop. Admission is $15 at the door or $12 in advance from Ticketmaster. Children under three are free.
Free Ice Skating – Due to the warmer weather so far this winter, skating will not be available at any Milwaukee County ponds. The skating rink at Red Arrow Park is open, and free ice skating is available until 1:00 a.m. on New Years Eve/Day. Skate rentals are available.
As an alternative, the Pettit National Ice Center has open skate from noon to 9:00 p.m. on New Year’s Eve. Admission is $7 for adults and $5 for kids. In Waukesha County, Eble Ice Arena is open from 6:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. A buy one, get one free admission coupon for Eble is available in the Entertainment Book.
Watch a movie at home – Watching movies is a popular choice with people who like to stay at home on New Year’s Eve. If you reserve a movie in advance on Redbox.com, you’ll pay only $1 (if you rent directly at a Redbox machine, the price is $1.20). Reserving in advance online is a good idea since the selection on New Year’s Eve may be limited.
Harlem Globetrotters at the Bradley Center – The Globetrotters are back for their annual New Year’s Eve appearance. Games are at 1:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. at the Bradley Center, and tickets start at $19 plus fees. Tickets can be purchased on Ticketmaster and the Bradley Center box office. We recommend visiting the box office to avoid Ticketmaster fees.
The Polar Express at the IMAX – See the popular holiday movie, The Polar Express, at the Humphrey IMAX Dome Theater located at Milwaukee Public Museum. Show times are 4:15 p.m. and 6:15 p.m. Tickets are $9 for adults ($8 for seniors/students/teens and $7 for children), and can be purchased online at the Milwaukee Public Museum website.
Do you know of any other fun and affordable options for New Year’s? If so, please leave a comment! Also, if you’re willing to spend a little more cash out on the town and are looking for a party, this list of from Between the Bars Milwaukee is a great resource.