Cheap Beverly Hills

Dine cheaply in Beverly Hills, as long as you keep your stub from the Getty Museum. Ingrid's Cafe on Robertson is offering their special Ingrid's Plate for 50% off (a $21 value) when you show up with your Getty receipt.

Venice on the Cheap

If you really want to get into the spirit of Southern California, you have to visit Venice. This crazy, small beach side community just south of Santa Monica is home to the wealthy and the unwashed, the well-dressed and the undressed, the muscular and the must-sees. A great place to start a tour of Venice is on Abbot Kinney Blvd., which runs through the heart of town. Stores and restaurants on the boulevard have a tradition of First Friday. On the first Friday of each month there are usually specials and discounts available. After having dinner at an Abbot Kinney cafe, head down to Zingara, the local headquarters for bohemian clothing and gifts, and try the smores in their back garden.

Cheap Scenery

One area that doesn't get visited very often is the Palos Verdes Peninsula, the "pig snout" edge of land at the lower end of Santa Monica Bay. It's primarily residential, filled with palatial homes of the well to do, but there are a couple of ways the cheap can take advantage of it. Palos Verdes has some of the most stunning views on the West Coast, which is why it's worth a jaunt. You can take a picnic to Abalone Cove, which has tidepools, beaches and incredible vistas of the ocean and Catalina Island ($5 entry fee per car). And when you're in the area, head down to the Wayfarer's Chapel, a historic, all-glass structure built by Frank Lloyd Wright's son. Before going back to the hotel, stop in at the Original Red Onion, a landmark Mexican restaurant in PV for nearly 50 years.

Cheap Movies

Movie prices are in the $10 to $13 range if you're interested in going on a weekend evening. But if you have dinner at one of the McCormick & Schmick's outlets in L.A., Beverly Hills, Burbank, El Segundo or Pasadena, you can get a movie ticket for $5 for each entree you buy.

Foodie Alert!

If you've always wanted to sample some of L.A.'s best cuisine but high menu prices have put you off, get ready to call for reservations. Over at Dine L.A., more than 150 of the best eateries in Southern California are listed (including spots like 3 on Fourth and Gordon Ramsey's new London restaurant in West Hollywood) that are offering prix fixe menus that range from $16 to $28 for lunch and $26 to $44 for dinner. This offer is good January 25-30 and February 1-6. Go here and click on the restaurants you want for details about what their menu offers. h/t to L.A. Observed.

90210 on $90

Yes you can get a Beverly Hills experience for under $100. Here's how:

Park in the Rexford Drive Public Structure (450 N. Rexford Drive), two hours free, $1.50 per hour after.

Roam up and down Beverly and Rodeo, on Sundays you can head up to the Farmer's Market from 9:00 to 1:00, which has music as well as pony rides and a petting zoo for kids.

A must-see that not many visitors or residents experience is the Greystone Mansion tour. Built by the Doheny family in 1927 and now owned by the city, the mansion (905 Loma Vista Drive) has tours the first Saturday of each month for $10 that take you through the countless rooms and incredible gardens.

Hungry? 90210 has lots of dining options but how often can you say you've eaten at Neiman Marcus? The Bar on 4 at the store (9700 Wilshire Blvd.) is an elliptical bar that sits in the middle of the store's Italian-designed mens' suits section, with a view of the city from huge South-facing windows. You can order the $150 caviar and toast points, but the best deals are the Lobster Club Sandwich ($24) or the Egg Salad Sandwich that has just a touch of good caviar ($16).

If you're doing BH midweek, check out the Luxe Hotel on Rodeo Drive between 4:30 and 7:30. Their Bar 360 features a signature martini for $3.60. And on Wednesdays, a jazz band plays from 6:00 to 9:00.

Cheap Eats

Just because we're in a recession doesn't mean you're stuck with Sizzler coupons when you want to dine out. Los Angeles Magazine lists six gourmet restaurants where you can get an appetizer, main course and dessert for $35 or under. Personal favorite: Local in Silverlake's grilled artichoke halves with roasted maitake mushrooms and aioli for dipping; then Osso buco-style pork shank on brioche and finished up with house-made cream cheese tart with poached pears and fleur de sel caramel sauce--all for $28.