I almost never wear makeup. I’m a bit on the low-maintenance side. But when I do feel like gussying up, I do like to use the magic of mascara. Why not? Especially when you can get a free tube, like this free Deluxe Sample of Too Faced Lash Injection Pinpoint mascara from any Sephora in a JC Penney. In New Hampshire, that means you’ll be trucking it over to Nashua or Salem. Sorry! You can’t use it online.

If you were looking for a different way to lash out, consider taking tomorrow’s women’s-only seminar on self-defense at the Langer Mill in Manchester (third floor, 55 South Commercial Street). The cost is $10 in advance or $20 at the door for this 90-minute seminar by Savvy Workshop.

After some amazing former co-workers of mine at my old paper were either laid off this week or are now ramping up their job search as a result of said layoffs, I’ve decided to devote another post to business. Entertainment stuff will resume soon enough.

Network for Work is a volunteer organization that supports professional networking and career development through networking forums — online and off. The group has scheduled a free seminar at the Greater Nashua Chamber of Commerce at 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 19, titled “From Employee to Entrepreneur.”

The session will basically help participants determine if they should try to start their own business and then give them the resources they need to do so successfully, including discussing format options, selecting business options and financing.

Maybe you’ve been considering breaking out on your own but you don’t know where to start. Or maybe your job circumstances, like so many people in this current economy, have suddenly changed. This could be an opportunity to go after your dream of being your own boss.

Sound good? Did I mention it’s free? Sound better?

I thought so. Check out the details here.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, so the song goes. But it can also be a stressful time, particularly if you’re on a budget.

I know how easy it is to get off track and start adding names to your list, but don’t get carried away. Make like an after-school special and resist the peer pressure.

That’s not to say you can’t have fun this holiday season. Free fun happens to be coming out the wazoo this time of year.

And first up is one of my favorite events: The Nashua Holiday Stroll.

It’s held every year on the Saturday after Thanksgiving in downtown Nashua, and it’s free. First you take a candlelit stroll down to Railroad Square where the city lights its holiday tree. Then the evening gives way to a bevy of free musical and theatrical performances in venues downtown. It’s a wonderful community event that marks its 16th year.

My favorite aspect of the Stroll is its focus on charity. You can bring canned goods, disposable diapers, and new, unwrapped toys for local charitable organizations, and drop them off in front of Citizens Bank.

It is impossible to leave the Stroll without feeling touched by the true spirit of the holiday season. And if this warm weather keeps up, you won’t even have to bundle up to enjoy it.

Oof. We turned the clocks back this weekend, so now it is getting dark ridiculously early. I have had to add an extra blanket to my bed. And I’ve already scraped frost off my car windshield in the morning.

But here’s a little something to warm you up: On Saturday, Nov. 7, Bikram Yoga Nashua is hosting an open house, with free classes all day. Additionally, they are adding two extra classes that day only at noon and 2 p.m.

Just think of how warm and loosey goosey you will feel. It will be like stepping back into summer. Or something like it. Whatever. It will be a great workout!

I don’t know about you, but I hate to have my picture taken. I always seem to have my eyes half closed and my mouth open. I end up thinking, “Oh no! Is that what I really look like?”

But there is a photographer in Nashua who I firmly believe is incapable of taking a bad picture. His name is Sid Ceaser and he owns Ceaser Photography.

Sid is an all-around cool guy. In his studio in Nashua’s Picker Building, he keeps action figures and a Kermit puppet and some of the most amazing portraits he’s shot. No smile looks forced and he has this way of capturing the essence of who a person really is.

You’re probably thinking, “I bet that costs a pretty penny.” Well, Sid is such an amazing guy that if you stop by his studio during Nashua’s ArtWalk on Oct. 3 and 4, he will take a headshot of you suitable for MySpace or Facebook use. And it costs you NOTHING.

So, say cheese, baby.

Summer isn’t summer without ice cream. (And lately, let’s face it. It has been a weird summer weather-wise with all this rain.)

So, if you’ve been feeling under the weather, consider the latest offer from the American Red Cross. Blood supplies tend to dip in the summer, so in July and August they are offering donors a coupon for a free carton of ice cream, redeemable at participating Friendly’s restaurants.

The Upper Valley this week is host to three days of drives, beginning Wednesday, July 29. Donors also have a chance to win a gift certificate from local merchants, such as lunch for two at the Norwich Inn in Vermont and coffee from the Dirt Cowboy Cafe. Organizers do ask that you bring a nonperishable food item for the Upper Valley Haven when you come to make your donation.

If you’re closer to Keene, consider participating in the Monadnock Radio Group’s latest drive at the Best Western on Thursday, July 30. Participants in the Summer Chill ‘09 Blood Drive will receive a special T-shirt in addition to their coupon for a free carton of Friendly’s ice cream. Other giveaways Dunkin Donuts coffee, Wendy’s gift card, discount New Hampshire State Inspection coupon and more. Donors will also be treated to sundae cups from Friendly’s.

You can also make donations at St. John Neumann Church on Milford Road in Merrimack on the second and fourth Tuesday of every month (that’s today!); at the Elks Lodge on D.W. Highway in Nashua on the first and third Thursday; at Nashua Harley Davidson on Route 101A in Merrimack on the first Tuesday of the month; and at the Casey Function Center on Lafayette Road in Portsmouth on the third Tuesday of every month. And don’t forget about the Manchester center, which always has hours to drop by and give.

Mmm… Ice cream makes the donation process just a little bit sweeter, doesn’t it? Not that doing good isn’t its own reward. Getting ice cream for doing good is sort of the proverbial cherry on top of the satisfaction of helping out.

What are you waiting for? For more information on making a donation, call 1-800-GIVE-LIFE.

So, I like to use this blog, in part, to announce when there is free food to be had at national chains, but only if they have a location in the Granite State.

Usually, all you need to do is show up to collect. Sometimes there is a coupon involved.

But Chik-fil-A just had to be different.

Tomorrow (Friday, July 10) is their annual Cow Appreciation Day. If you come to a Chik-fil-A dressed as a cow, you get a free meal.

Don’t happen to have a cow costume just lying around somewhere? They even provide a costume starter kit, complete with an “Eat Mor Chikin” sign.

The only Chik-fil-A in the state is at the Pheasant Lane Mall in Nashua. You might want to moooove it over there pretty early to avoid the rush of other cattle.

Unless you don’t plan to dress up. What — are you too chicken?

I have a geeky confession to make. I really dug the Gap khakis commercial of the late 1990s. You know, the one where the dancers jumped, jived and wailed in their perfectly press pants, leaping over each other? The one where they made like a tissue, and put a little boogie in it.

Since then, I’ve been a ridiculous sucker for jazzy, swing music, so for me, this Thursday brings a real treat. Rocco and the Stompers is an eight-piece conglomeration of area musicians that plays swing tunes from the 1930s, and they will be doing so at the Nashua library, beginning at 7 p.m. on the plaza. You supply your own blanket or lawn chair. If it rains (and you know that’s a distinct possibility), the music moves inside to the music, art and media wing.

And it’s my favorite price! Free!

That leaves you plenty of money to take dance lessons, rent Swingers or buy a couple pairs of khakis

This Boston-based all-star octet merges traditional 1930s Swing Era sound with contemporary arrangements and compositions. Bring a blanket or chair and kick back to enjoy the tunes. Concerts will be held downstairs in the Music/Art/Media Wing if it rains.

One of Nashua’s culinay treasures, the Black Orchid Grille, has teamed with The Wine Society to offer a complimentary wine tasting on the first Tuesday of every month.

Stop by the Temple Street restaurant from 6-8 p.m. to partake in the tastings, which feature a quintet of wine varieties. Patrons will also receive half off a bottle of one of the restaurant’s featured wines that evening with the purchase of two or more entrées.

As an added bonus, Black Orchid fans can now receive half off a bottle of one of the five wines featured on the first Tuesday wine sampling on any Tuesday during the month with the purchase of two or more entrées.

I just wanted to give y’all a head’s up. The first Tuesday of the month is next Tuesday, so plan accordingly. You don’t want to forget in the hoopla this weekend over the Fourth of July.

There was a brief period of my life in which I shuddered at the thought of using coupons at a restaurant. But I promise you, it was very brief. If you’re going out anyway, why not save a little money on the trip?

Even though I definitely prefer eating at local restaurants, the national chains in the area do have occasional good deals that a girl on a budget can hardly pass by.

Right now, Longhorn Steakhouse has this printable coupon for $5 off a purchase of $25 or more.

The offer is good until July 12. There are Longhorn locations in Amherst, Concord, Keene, Manchester, Nashua and Newington.

Thanks to @wickedcooldeals for the head’s up on this one.