If you are a lunatic who goes shopping on Black Friday...

Find all of your favorite stores' ads in one place: BFAds.net. I am about to get in the car for a 14 hour drive to visit family for Thanksgiving, so I have downloaded PDFs of the ads for Walmart, Target, Old Navy, Best Buy, and more stores to read during the long drive. If you are crazy enough to go out at midnight after you stuff yourself with turkey, you might find some good info on the sales at this site! If you are sane, then enjoy watching football and taking a tryptophan-induced nap.

If you don't have the time or energy to clip coupons...

Download them onto your smartphone (or print them if you have a dumbphone like I do) at Dime 4 Dollar! This new Athens-area coupon website has discounts at almost 30 local restaurants and at a variety of stores, salons, car washes, and other businesses around the area. After I created my account (standard email & password login) and discovered that they had the extremely coveted "2 sandwiches, 2 drinks, and 2 chips for $9.99"coupon at Momma Goldberg's Deli, I was sold. A huge thanks to my good friend Lindsay (check her out on Twitter) for telling me about Dime 4 Dollar. 

When a weekend in Athens left you with only $2 in your wallet…

          Take it to Buffalo’s tomorrow for $2 Taco Tuesdays.  Clever culinary creations like the Missy Piggy (BBQ pork and slaw) and the Vote for Pedro (fajita steak with grilled pineapple) are just $2 each, every Tuesday from 11:00 am until close. And it gets better… all Terrapin beers are $2 off, too!

Someone's picture of the menu. I haven't been to Taco Tuesday yet, but I'm dying to check it out!

If you're tired of your usual exercise routine...

then try free rock climbing at Ramsey this Thursday November 1st from 8:00 to 10:00 pm. On four Thursdays during the fall semester, Ramsey is offering two free hours at their climbing wall with no certification required. Rock on!

If last week's post wasn't spooky enough for you...

then this week's suggestion should surely meet your Halloween needs. The Student Alumni Council is hosting A Nightmare on Broad Street, a ghost tour of North Campus... and it is FREE! However, a donation of a canned good is suggested for your admission. 

Meet at The Arch either tomorrow night (Tuesday October 23) or Wednesday night (October 24) around 8:00 pm to get into a tour group and to learn some creepy historical stories about your Alma Mater.

If you're in the Halloween spirit, or if you need some help getting into it...

Then check out the Fright Fest Movie Marathon this weekend at the Tate Theater!

Paranormal Activity 4 will be previewed FOR FREE at 8:00 pm on Thursday October 18

The Orphanage will be $1.00 ($2.00 for non-students) at 3:00, 6:00, and 9:00 pm on Friday October 19

The Exorcist will be $1.00 ($2.00 for non-students) at 3:00, 6:00, and 9:00 pm on Saturday October 20

AND

Shaun of the Dead will be $1.00 ($2.00 for non-students) at 3:00, 6:00, and 9:00 pm on Friday October 19

So bring a buck, your student ID, and a friend to grab hold of and scream with during the scary parts.

Visual proof of this awesome deal, photography credit goes to the mediocre camera on my non-smart phone.

If you need a reason to celebrate a completely absurd holiday…

Then celebrate National Fluffernutter Day today! I know today is Columbus Day, too, but that holiday does not involve eating, so I choose the former. As far as food-related holidays go, National Fluffernutter Day is quite an economical one to observe. 

Bread + marshmallow fluff + peanut butter = a fluffernutter feast.

These brands are just suggestions. You know that my fluffernutter will be made with store brand  peanut butter and store brand fluff.
And my slices of bread will not have faces.

My 50th post!

Today is Bulldog on a Budget’s fiftieth post! In celebration, I have created...

50 Things to Do in Athens…for FREE!

(A huge thanks to the sisters of Sigma Alpha Iota for some of these great ideas)

1) Take a stroll through the student art galleries in Lamar Dodd.

2) Stargaze on the top of a parking deck.

3) Go people watching downtown. Thursday nights are best time to stake out.

4) Have a picnic lunch in the peaceful and lovely Founder’s Memorial Garden.

5) Two snacks came out of the vending machine? Squeezed your way onto an Orbit bus? Celebrate your small victory by ringing the chapel bell.

6) Play some good ol’ Ultimate Frisbee on Myers Quad.

7) Attend a recital or a concert at the Hugh Hodgson School of Music. You will make a music student very happy to have an audience.

8) See how much free swag you can get from apartment complexes. T-shirts, coozies, pens, magnets, water bottles… the possibilities are endless.

9) Attend a campus religious service at a place of worship, either similar to or different from your own faith.

10) Try on clothes you could never afford at some boutiques downtown.

11) Go to game day… without going to the game. Dawg Walk, school spirit, Southern hospitality, and delicious tailgating smells are all free.

12) Revisit your favorite books from childhood at the Curriculum Materials Library on the second floor of Aderhold Hall.

13) Lectures, guest speakers, and seminars are often free to attend and often feature free food!

14) Ride an Athens Transit bus to a new and exciting place.

15) Go for a run at the Intramural Fields or at Spec Towns Track.

16) Get a free hug from Miss Sandra at Snelling Dining Commons.

17) Play at the epic World of Wonder Community Playground on 4440 Lexington Road.

18) Join CCF (Christian Campus Fellowship) at Memorial Hall Ballroom on Mondays at 12:00 PM for a free lunch and a short message.

19) Get some friends together with their laptops and hold a Sporcle tournament. Race each other on the same quizzes to see who knows the most trivial information. 

20) Tour the Terrapin Brewery! Enjoy the laidback atmosphere, and taste the beer for free if you’re 21. 

21) Enjoy the view out of the windows on the seventh floor of the main library.

22) Tour the Butts-Mehre Heritage Hall Sports Museum. See Herschel Walker’s Heisman trophy and a variety of memorabilia from throughout Georgia’s athletic history.

23) Stop and smell the roses (or whatever is in bloom) at the State Botanical Garden of Georgia.

24) Go to a performance at UGA Dance Department.

25) Take a dip at Ramsey’s aquatic center.  Check this open swim schedule for more information. 

26) Volunteer! Visit Common Ground Athens for opportunities in the area. 

27) Drive to Greene County to see the famous Iron Horse statue.

28) Go puddle stomping on a rainy day.

29) Bike the trails at the North Oconee River Greenway.

30) Peruse the goodies out at J&J Flea Market on 11661 Commerce Road.

31) Take your picture with as many bulldogs as you can in the We Let the Dawgs Out exhibit, located at various establishments around the Athens area.

32) Go see the Tree that Owns Itself.

33) Listen to a street musician playing downtown.

34) See all sorts of cute critters at Bear Hollow Trail Zoo in Memorial Park. 

35) Attend a free sporting event. Anything but football, basketball, or Gym Dogs is typically free to watch.

36) Participate in a free karate class on Tuesdays at 5:30 in Tate 311.  

37) Take your picture with the Double Barreled Cannon outside of City Hall.

38) Read a book or relax in the Latin American Ethnobotanical Garden.  

39) Find out the date for the next Dawgs After Dark. Use your student ID to get tons of great free stuff.

40) Strike up a conversation with Michael Davenport, the artist without arms who draws arches and bulldogs with a marker in his mouth.

41) Go on a mission for your dream man. Take a picture of him and upload it to TapThatUGAGuy.

42) Take a nap in the basement of Snelling.

43) Visit the Athens Farmers Market, either at Bishop Park on Saturdays from 8 to noon or at City Hall on Wednesdays from 4 to 7.

44) During the first week of each semester, all classes at the Ramsey Center are free! Try Zumba, a spin class, or another fun new form of exercise.

45) See the sloth skeleton in the Georgia Museum of Natural History.

46) Clean out the pantry. Put your random ingredients into Super Cook and make whatever recipes sounds the best.

47) Browse the Red & Black calendar for free concerts, exhibitions, and events around town. 

48) Hold a golf ball collecting contest with friends at the UGA Golf Course.

49) See a free preview of a movie at the Tate Theatre.

50) Walk under The Arch… if you dare.

After publishing 50 posts, I have decided that in order to bring UGA students the best content and creativity possible, I am going to reduce my daily posts to weekly posts. From now on, you can look out for Bulldog on a Budget every Monday!

When it’s your birthday…

     eat for free all day long! (Click the links within this post to find out how to get your birthday freebies). Start out your birthday at IHOP with a free breakfast. Then just show your driver’s license at Firehouse Subs for a free medium sub at lunch. Enjoy a free afternoon cup of coffee at Starbucks.  Then have a free burrito for dinner at Moe’s. Finish off your day of birthday gluttony at Dairy Queen with a free blizzard. Tomorrow, you should probably go to the gym.

If you like getting ten things for the price of one...

Head to Wendy's and buy a "Give Chills, Get Thrills" coupon book for $1.00. You will get 10 coupons that each get you one kid's size (6 ounce) Frosty. The best part is that 90 cents from every coupon book purchased is donated to the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. Philanthropy and a Frosty for 10 cents? Count me in.

One of these is delicious.
Ten of these are ten times as delicious.

When you need to spruce up a boring salad…

buy a loaf of day old bread from Jimmy John’s for around 50 cents (price varies with daily supply). Cube it up, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and bake on a cookie sheet until golden brown. Voila! You’ve made a batch of Fancy Schmancy Homemade Croutons for less than $1.00.

If you want to get in on the new[ly popularized] craze of thrift store shopping…

I will make sure your are prepared! I have combined my own thrift store experience with tips from this article and this article to bring you...

BULLDOG ON A BUDGET’S 
TOP SEVEN THRIFT STORE TIPS:

1) To get started, visit The Thrift Shopper to find locations in your area and information about various thrift stores. Some of my favorites in Athens are Goodwill, St. Mary’s, and Project Safe.

2) My ideal outfit to wear while thrifting is a tank top and a long skirt. In the likely situation that a dressing room is unavailable, I can try on shirts over my tank top and pants or skirts on under my skirt. Guys, I would just go with a t-shirt and shorts for a similar approach.

3) As mentioned above, you should always try it on before buying it, even if it only costs $1.00. If an item fits you perfectly and it seems too good to be true, check it for holes, stains, missing buttons, broken zippers, and general wear and tear. If it fits and there are no imperfections, BUY IT.

4) Some of the best items to buy are jeans, sweaters, dresses, coats, t-shirts, jewelry, dishware, and home décor. And my personal favorite: books. Paperback children’s chapter books (aka the basis of my future teacher book collection) are just 75 cents at Goodwill, and as cheap as 25 at other thrift stores.

5) You should probably refrain from buying used backpacks, bike helmets, underwear, boots, or tennis shoes. Some of these are for obvious reasons, but read more about the dangers of used bike helmets here and backpacks here.

6) Be patient. Sift through piles of clothes and spend a few hours of your time and you will be justly rewarded.

7) Hand sanitizer. Keep it in your purse, pocket, or car. Apply liberally at the end of your thrift store journey.

Happy thrifting!

When you are studying hard and it’s a pizza kind of night...

take advantage of Papa John’s Tuesday Special. Use the code “TUE499” on any large one-topping pizza. This discount is only good for carry-out orders, so a walk from the SLC up to the Baxter Street Papa John’s location might be a good study break AND an excuse to eat an extra slice of pizza after your mini cardio workout.

If you need to dance the Rainy Day Blues away…

then you should try out UGA’s Swing Dance Club! Every Monday night from 7:00 to 8:00 pm, the Swing Dance Club offers $1.00 lessons in Memorial Hall Ballroom. No experience is necessary, and there is no need to BYOP (bring your own partner). Until then, swing your way through some puddles and enjoy “Singin’ in the Rain” today. 

When you go crazy for anything and everything pumpkin flavored…

you must check out Aldi’s sale paper for the week of Sunday September 30. Pumpkin spice cream cheese, pumpkin ravioli, pumpkin spice marshmallows, pumpkin swirl cheesecake, pumpkin sugar cookies, pumpkin spiced iced coffee, pumpkin pie ice cream, pumpkin spice pancakes, and pumpkin bagels. 

I kid you not. And all of this autumn goodness is marked at prices that are insultingly low. You’d better make it to Aldi early this week before I buy ALL OF THE PUMPKIN THINGS.

Probably what I am the most excited for:
Pumpkin Spice Ready-to-Drink Iced Coffee for 99 cents.

When you need a snack before kickoff...

Make sure you get the best deal possible before going into the stadium. Tate Cafe (the one with the Chick-fil-A) hikes up their prices on Saturdays, so Cokes that are usually $1.25 cost $2.50 and all of the fruit, chips, and snacks are increased in price, too. Your best bet is to visit the vending machines on the first floor of Tate where the prices are unchanged on game days. The most expensive thing you could get from the vending machines will be $1.25, but the most expensive thing at Tate Cafe on a Saturday could cost the rest of the money in your wallet.

If you have a stack of Red & Blacks in your room…

put those old newspapers to good use. Newspapers make great: 

1) window cleaners, 

2) wrapping paper, 

3) drop cloths for painting or crafts,

 4) packing insulation, 

and 

5) fruit ripening agents 

(wrap fruit in newspaper for a day to ripen it). 

The Red & Black: it’s not just for crossword puzzles anymore. 

When you want a Starbucks drink for an Aldi price...

Try this copycat recipe for Starbucks’ Caramel Apple Spice (proceed with yummy sounds and warm fuzzy feelings). This signature fall drink, according to my sister who you may remember from a previous BOAB post, tastes just like “liquid waffles.” I have adapted this recipe from Budget Savvy Diva and computed the prices of each ingredient à la Budget Bytes. (See a theme here with the topics and titles of the blogs I read?) Also, my favorite part of this post is that all of my ingredients came from Aldi!

Caramel Apple Spice

Total cost for ingredients used to make 4 drinks: $1.54

Total cost for one serving: $0.39

·         Combine 1/2 cup Baker’s Corner brown sugar [$0.14], 1/2 cup water [free], and 1 teaspoon Stonemill Essentials cinnamon [$0.05] in a small pot. Stir, simmer, and reduce in half. After 5 minutes, it should have the consistency of syrup.

·         Heat 4 cups of Nature’s Nectar apple juice [$0.75].

·         Add 2 tablespoons of your cinnamon syrup to a mug and stir in 1 cup of warmed apple juice.

·         Add a 2-tablespoon dollop of Friendly Farm’s whipped cream [$0.05 each or $0.20 total] and drizzle a tablespoon of Berryhill creamy caramel dip [$0.10 each or $0.40 total] on each mug.

·         Enjoy your autumn culinary masterpiece!

Before...

...After.

If you buy mostly store brands when you’re at the grocery store…

then you need to shop at Aldi! This European-style grocery is my absolute favorite grocery store. And possibly my favorite store. And quite possibly my favorite PLACE on earth. 

Mmmmmm... savings.

Things to know before your first Aldi adventure: 

1) Bring your own shopping bags. If forget them or you don't have any, you can always buy paper or plastic ones at checkout. You can also pick up empty boxes from the shelves and use those to pack up your groceries. Boxes are my personal favorite method.

2) Have a quarter handy because you will need it to get a shopping cart. Don’t worry, you’ll get it back when you return the cart. 

3) Prepare to have your mind BLOWN. 

I’m amazed that this is my first post about Aldi here on Bulldog on a Budget. I’m going to make up for it by posting about Aldi again tomorrow when teach you how to make a copycat of a beloved Starbucks drink recipe out of all Aldi brand ingredients.

If your loaf of bread is at the end of its life...

Make French toast! Just mix milk, eggs, vanilla, and cinnamon in a bowl, soak a piece of stale bread in it, and cook it in a large pan. No bread will end up in the trash, and you will have a tasty and cheap meal.

When you notice that the numbers in your bank account are shrinking…

Pick a day to not buy anything. BUY NOTHING FOR ONE DAY. It sounds simple and trivial, but it will show you how much you normally spend without discretion. Seriously, brown bag your lunch, cook dinner instead of going out, walk or ride a bus instead of paying to park in a metered spot, and just say “no” to an afternoon latte or an evening bowl of frozen yogurt. It will raise your awareness of how often you buy something that you might not need.

Put some meat back on your piggy bank's bones.

When you need a Sunday study break…

head to Buffalo’s Cafe on Alps Road. To encourage meal plan students to eat at Buffalo's on Sunday evenings, they'll give you 10% off your meal if you show them your student ID. Also, they offer trivia on Sunday nights. Sign in is at 6:30 and the first trivia question is read at 7:00. Buffalo's offers other great deals and promotions during the week, so stay tuned for future posts!

If you want an easy way to reduce your power bill…

consider hanging up some of your clean laundry instead of drying it in the dryer. This source states that the clothes dryer accounts for 12% of electricity use in a typical household. And the extreme heat and constant tumbling of fabrics in the dryer can often contribute to wear and tear. So consider hanging up a handful of your garments to dry. Kill two birds with one stone: save on your electricity bill and cut down on the need to replace worn-out clothes. 

If you are headed to Atlanta on Hwy 316 after classes...

stop by a QuikTrip location to grab a snack for your boring and traffic-filled drive. All of their fresh pastries are 59 cents after 3:00 pm, even the massive muffins and huge hole bunches. Pair with a giant fountain drink and hope that you don’t hit all of the red lights on your way home!

In case you needed photographic evidence.

If you are going to buy in bulk…

Consider these questions before you buy anything in mass quantity: 

Will I need to use this many items? (20 tubes of toothpaste is not a logical choice for one person). 

Will I use this entire product before its expiration date? (A gigantic carton of strawberries can only stay fresh for so long). 

Will my roommates be willing to split the product and the cost? (Sure a gallon of milk can be consumed by 3 roommates before it sours, but not if 2 of those roommates are lactose-intolerant). 

Will there be a place to store this before I use it? (Buying 50 rolls of toilet paper, no matter how good the price, is not practical if you share a tiny bathroom). 

If you can answer all of these questions in the affirmative, then buy in bulk and enjoy!

When donuts “arrrgh” on your mind and there’s no booty in your treasure chest…

Celebrate Talk Like a Pirate Day with free donuts at Krispy Kreme on Atlanta Highway. I couldn’t explain it better than this article in the Huffington Post: 

“Krispy Kreme is celebrating by giving away a free glazed doughnut if you talk like a pirate or wear an eye patch. If you dress up in full pirate regalia, you get a whole dozen.” 

So enjoy one or twelve free donuts, depending on your piratey abilities. Use this translator to help with your pirate speech!

When you need a cheap dinner date...

eat at Your Pie on any Tuesday! $6.49 gets you a personal pizza with one premium topping and a drink. The Five Points location even has a Coke Freestyle machine! (not sure about the Beechwood or Downtown locations). Those things fascinate me, and I feel like its worth it to get a soda instead of water if I get to make  my own fun flavor concoctions. 

For you hopeless romantics: my boyfriend and I had our first date at Your Pie on a Tuesday night, and we've been together for coming up on 2 years... Who knows? Maybe it's something about the pizza crust at Your Pie.

My latest Tuesday special - chicken with pesto sauce, mozzarella, spinach, mushrooms,tomatoes, green peppers, and carrots. Is it obvious that I made the most out of my free veggie toppings?

When you want a cost-free scavenger hunt...

try to track down every painted bulldog in the "We Let the Dawgs Out" collection. My friends and I had a blast doing this one weekend and we ended up with lots of fun pictures from our thorough exploration of Athens. There are 36 bulldogs total, some more stealthily hidden than others. Use this map to help in your search.

Find this blossoming bulldog behind the Five Points Jittery Joe's.

If you liked my post about 10 for $10 sales...

then you will appreciate that all of the following items, and many more, are 10 for $10 (or really 1 for $1) at Kroger this week:

1. Barilla pasta, 12 to 16 oz. packages
2. Extra gum (15 piece packs)
3. Green Giant frozen vegetables, 7 to 10 oz. packages
4. Hunt's 4-count Pudding Snack Packs
5. Kroger brand 16 oz. cottage cheese and sour cream
6. Pepsi 2 liters
7. Sobe Lifewater (20 oz.)
8. Speed Stick deodorant
9. Tony's frozen pizzas
10. Zucchini or yellow squash

Kroger's weekly sale ad for Atlanta area stores (including Athens) can be found here.

If you have extra coffee in the morning...

pour it into ice cube trays and freeze it. Then you can drink iced coffee in the afternoon. Put the frozen coffee cubes in your drink so that as they melt, your iced coffee does not become watered down. Brilliant!

My ice cube trays are shaped like little flowers, so it is even cuter.

When you are even too cheap for Netflix...

Go to the main library and find tons of TV shows on DVD.

Dexter

Friday Night Lights

The Office

And literally hundreds more. Just turn them in on time and your DVD "rentals" will be free! 

When you just can’t get enough Chick-fil-A…

go to Barnett Shoals Chick-fil-A on Thursdays for college night! With a valid student ID, entrées are BOGO from 5:00-9:00 pm every Thursday. So eat Chick-fil-A on Thursday night, AND you can save your free entrée for lunch on Friday.

When you cringe at the price of ink cartridges…

print your assignments on the “fast draft” or “ink saver” setting. I know this seems like a no-brainer, but the times when you are in hurry to print out a huge paper are the times you often forget to press these extra buttons. If you remind yourself with a sticky-note that says “ink saver setting!” on your printer, you will make your expensive cartridges last as long as possible.

When you need to get your kicks…

UGA’s Traditional Karate Club offers free classes every Tuesday at 5:30 pm (and Thursdays at 1:00 pm, too). These free classes are offered in Tate 311 to anyone who is interested, no experience is necessary. Visit Athens Yoshukai Karate’s website for more information.

Karate Pug was the closest I could get to Karate Bulldog.

When you have a breakfast date on Monday morning...

meet your friend at Bulldog Grille in Tate (older part of Tate, closest to the bookstore, the one with Chick-fil-A). Their Monday breakfast special consists of 3 chocolate chip pancakes topped with whipped cream and served with your choice of sausage or bacon. For just $3.29, it’s one of the cheapest breakfast options at a UGA campus eatery. 

Proof that this is real.

When you are studying for a big test...

Cut your flashcards in half. You will use half as many index cards as you would have (duh). I usually do this because I hate to waste paper almost as much as I hate to waste money. You only need a few words on each side of a flashcard anyway, so spend some time cutting them in half before you waste packs and packs full of index cards.

When you need to bring a snack to a tailgate...

Try one of these three recipes that each costs less than $1.00 per serving:

1) Cheese & Guinness Spread - 48 cents a serving 

2) Trail Mix - 60 cents a serving

3) White Chocolate Cherry Cookies - 52 cents a serving

For more budget-friendly tailgating recipes, go here.

When you eat at Inoko Sushi Express...

pay with cash and save 10% of your meal. One of my favorites at Inoko Sushi Express is the Yasai Itame entrée: a heaping mound of seasonal veggies cooked in ginger sauce, an equally heaping mound of fried (or steamed) rice, 2 sauces, a side salad, and miso (or onion) soup. This Japanese feast only costs me $4.49 plus tax. ARIGATOU! 

When your class reading list is mostly novels...

look no further than Better World Books. I am a dedicated customer to this online retailer that offers a wide variety of used and new books, with most used paperbacks for $3.98. This price includes your shipping, and BWB donates a book to someone in need for every book you buy. As if I needed another reason to buy more books than I have time to read...

Thanks to BWB (and Goodwill),  I'm running out of book storage.  And my bookshelf is reminiscent of that of 13 year old girl.

When you think “healthy” is code for “expensive”…

Visit EWG’s Good Food on a TightBudget. This helpful guide, developed by the Environmental Working Group, includes nutrition and price information on each the major food groups, shopping and cooking tips, printable menu planners and shopping lists, and a PDF full of simple and healthy recipes. While this site doesn’t contain any specific dollar amounts, it is quite informative about the actual value, both nutritionally and economically speaking, of the foods we buy and eat.

When your playlists are overplayed…

remember that the iTunes Store has two or three free Discovery Downloads that are updated every Tuesday. Sometimes the songs are so-so, but “Fireflies” by Owl City and “Animal” by Neon Trees both started out as freebies before they topped the charts. Think of these as free $1.29 iTunes gift cards.

When there’s a little bit of extra mustard left in the jar...

use it to make your own vinaigrette dressing! This tip comes from everyone’s favorite domestic dictator Martha Stewart. She suggests adding a crushed garlic clove, some herbs of your choice, vinegar, and olive oil to the mustard-coated jar then shaking it up. Presto! You’ve got homemade dressing to impress your friends at a fraction of the cost of bottled dressing.

Think before you throw away that almost empty jar of mustard.

When Zoo Atlanta is too far of a drive…

get your animal observing fix at Bear Hollow Wildlife Trail. Located in Memorial Park on Gran Ellen Drive, right off of Milledge, the small zoo is open daily from 9 to 5 and features deer, turtles, owls, snakes, and, of course, bears. The best part of Bear Hollow is the price – free. 

When you love Chick-fil-A but you also love saving money…

Order a kid’s meal, and maximize the food that you get with Chick-fil-A’s best kept secret: trade in your toy (usually a book or something educational) for a small Icedream! Instead of paying $5.59 for 8 nuggets, medium fries, and a medium drink, I only pay $3.85 for 6 nuggets, a smaller portion of fries, a small drink (which comes with unlimited refills, people), and a cute little dish of the tastiest soft serve that fast food has to offer. Not only do I save around $2, but I also eat a more realistic portion size of chicken and fries. And the only thing that makes me happier than saving a few dollars is eating Icedream.  

This angelic swirl points to heaven.

When you missed a movie (or you want to see it again)…

Go to the Georgia Square Value Cinema, located behind Georgia Square Mall on Atlanta Highway. Tickets are always just $1.99. I think that paying just $1 more than the price of a Redbox rental makes it worth it to see a movie on the big screen. And of course, like a true tightwad, I always sneak in my own snacks.

When you shop at a store like Cillie’s or Plato’s Closet...

Don’t assume that an item is a good price just because it is at a consignment store. A secondhand sundress from one of these stores could cost you $25, while a brand new sundress from TJ Maxx, Marshall’s, or even Target could cost you as little as $10. Just think before you buy an expensive dress that someone else has already worn.

When you’re trying to eat more fruits and vegetables...

Go seasonal! The best part about seasonal produce is that when it is at its most delicious peak, it is also at its most affordable price. In Georgia, September yields some of the best and cheapest apples, grapes, pears, peanuts, pecans, sweet potatoes, squash, and tomatoes. Click on this link to read more about Georgia’s seasonal produce.

When you hate your glasses...

get a great new pair from Warby Parker. My trendy and thrifty sister (a winning combination) told me about this website that offers a variety of prescription or cosmetic frames for just $95. If that wasn’t enough to convince you, they also have free shipping and a free 5-pairs for 5-days home try-on program. AND Warby Parker donates a pair of glasses to someone in need for every pair of glasses you buy. Mine came in the mail yesterday… How do I look? 

This frame is called Nedwin and the color is Cedar Tortoise. I think I look a lot smarter with these puppies on.

When you have an awkward time gap between classes...

Find a spot on campus and do some homework. You will save gas, you won’t waste time sitting in traffic with everyone else that’s leaving campus, You might even be more productive in a library or a quiet study space than you would be at home.

When you're shopping for sale items at the grocery store...

Read the fine print on promotions and sales to make sure that you do not buy anything you don’t need. At Publix, you only need to buy ONE item marked "Buy One Get One Free" and it will be 50% off. Similarly, and more obviously, Kroger's "10 items for $10" sale is really just a "1 item for $1" sale. 

When you want to cook something besides Ramen noodles this weekend...

Embrace the beauty that is Budget Bytes. Each ingredient is priced down to the penny for recipes that are simple, (mostly) healthy, and delicious. Some of my personal favorites and repeat dinner table offenders are Taco Chicken Bowls and Spicy Sausage & Broccoli Pasta (pictured below).

When you’d love some extra cash but you don’t have a job...

Check out this informative chart. Some of these ideas are of interest to me; others are either overdone or too good to be true. But it is worth a read! Who knew plasma went for $260 a month? 

Click on the hyperlink above to view this image  in its originally massive size.

When you need to get your Diet Coke fix…

You could pay 75 cents for a can from the vending machine, $1.25 for a bottle from the vending machine, OR you could get ANY size fountain drink from one of the campus eateries for $1.00.  I like lots of ice in my drink, and I’m actually more of a Coke Zero girl, so this fountain drink deal is my favorite (and sometimes too frequent) option. 

When you just watch Saved by the Bell reruns anyway...

Swap your cable subscription for a Netflix account. At just $7.99 per month, you can instantly stream hundreds of TV shows and watch them at your own pace without commercials. Even the barebones basic cable option at Charter is $24.99 per month, and a good portion of those 70 channels are FREE if you just plug your TV into a cable jack.  So Netflix is my entertainment of choice. Who wouldn’t like an extra $17 each month? 

Jessie's Song doubles as my all-time favorite episode AND the reason that I will never take a caffeine pill in my life.

When you love those bottled smoothies as much as I do...

Rest assured that Kroger almost always has a BOGO sale some form of healthy smoothies. This week I stocked up on Bolthouse Farms smoothies and got them for $1.49 each rather than the usual $2.99 each. I’m pretty sure that next week I can get some Odwalla or Naked smoothies for a great price.

My absolute favorite is Green Goodness. (It's the green one.)

When you need to park somewhere on campus…

Make sure that you check the UGA Parking Enforcement Hours map! I received not one, but two big fat parking tickets my freshman year because I parked during a lot’s enforcement hours.  At $40 a pop, paying two parking tickets was like pouring two full tanks of gasoline down the drain.

When your professor allows laptops...

Instead of Facebook stalking or browsing boards on Pinterest during your boring lecture class, spend 10 or 15 minutes on your grocery store’s website to make a smarter shopping list. You will be surprised to find the sale papers in PDF, money saving recipes, and online coupons that you can load straight onto your rewards card.