Why end the cheesiness with Valentine's Day? Fun things to do on the cheap, or for free.

I'm not offended if you feel that the humor I dish out is at times a bit Velveeta-esque. What do you expect from a free blog entitled The Vigilant Consumer - money and time saving tips encapsulated in a barrel of laughs? Although I've done my best to spark a smirk or two, all my previous postings are a mere curd in comparison to theooey, gooey, pungent, crispy and delicious cheesy mess that I am about to melt down right now.

That's right, The 2nd Annual NorCal Grilled Cheese Invitational is hitting San Francisco this weekend. Do you know how excited I am? I'm too excited to sleep (see the video above)! [Here is a Vigilant Consumer tip within a tip - Disneyland is offering everyone free admission on your birthday, throughout 2009 - see terms and conditions. I guess this is somewhat related since mice eat cheese.] I've never been to the Grilled Cheese Invitational (GCI), but after reading the rules for the event, I know it will be a blast. The sandwiches are judged by the public, making it even tastier. Perhaps I'll enter next year with a delectable treat - a crunchy outer layer of fried cheese and an inner layer of metliness nuzzled up against some crispy Doritos. Mmmm mmmm good.

Best of all, the event is free! Although I dream of one day growing up to be Anthony Bourdain (or at least possessing a teaspoon of his culinary eloquence), I actually chose to write about the GCI because it represents one of the hundreds of free or cheap events taking place in your city each week. Some may be as innocuous as sampling a tasty sandwich while others may be more risque like coed naked two hand touch football on a muddy field - in San Francisco the activities run the gamut.

Here we are blessed with several websites that aggregate the activities for us such as funcheapSF.com and mybart.org. Since The Vigilant Consumer is a one man operation that boasts readers from 394 cities in 22 countries, I simply don't have time to uncover the gems in each of your cities. Help out your fellow readers by posting a comment (or emailing me - thevigilantconsumer@gmail.com) with your favorite websites that feature the naked grilled cheese contests in your city, and I'll be sure to share them with the masses.

Out of touch. One reason the newspaper industry is dying.

"In my life, I've been to Naples three times times just to eat pizza."

No, The Vigilant Consumer does not lead such a life of decadence. That's actually a direct quote from a recent San Francisco Chronicle article entitled "Cook Joanne Weir's local picks for food, wine". If that's not chi chi enough for you, Ms. Weir first recommends a spa in this alleged food and wine article. As though she needs to establish her credibility as a modern day bon vivant, she pontificates, "When I get home after a long flight, one of my favorite retreats is to visit Beate Comment for a facial." She proceeds by suggesting an upscale boutique that appears to sell several hundred dollar blouses. "Yes, it's kind of pricey but if you want something glam, glam, glam, this is the place to do a little damage."

To Weir's credit, she does give a shout out to one of my favorite restaurants serving up $3 sandwiches in one of San Francisco's grittiest neighborhoods (I don't imagine she wears that $400 blouse when going there). However, it's just too little, too late. Don't get me wrong, I lean heavily toward the foodie extreme of the spectrum and certainly know how to appreciate the finer things. However, does this type of article really belong in a newspaper full ofheadlines about Bernie Madoff, corporate layoffs, bankruptcies, foreclosures and disappearing 401Ks? Seems to me, a publication such as Food and Wine or Travel + Leisure may be a bit more appropriate.

Apparently, I am not alone. After reading this article online, I noticed that it managed to receive 34 mostly negative comments. "Pretentious" seemed to be a recurring theme in the feedback. Obviously newspapers need to include some positive, upbeat, escapist stories to balance out the doom and gloom. However, with this economy, "glam, glam, glam" may not be the way to go.

Hopefully I didn't stress you out by the seriousness of this posting. In order to lighten the mood a bit, allow me to say "GO SAN DIEGO SUPER CHARGERS" and offer a video tribute to my hometown!