Sunday, September 30, 2012

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.

Saturday, September 29, 2012

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.

Friday, September 28, 2012

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. 

Thursday, September 27, 2012

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.

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

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.

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

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.

Monday, September 24, 2012

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.

Sunday, September 23, 2012

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!

Saturday, September 22, 2012

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. 

Friday, September 21, 2012

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.

Thursday, September 20, 2012

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!

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

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!

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

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?

Monday, September 17, 2012

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.

Sunday, September 16, 2012

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.

Saturday, September 15, 2012

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.

Friday, September 14, 2012

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! 

Thursday, September 13, 2012

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.

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

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.

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

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.


Monday, September 10, 2012

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.

Sunday, September 9, 2012

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.

Saturday, September 8, 2012

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.

Friday, September 7, 2012

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! 

Thursday, September 6, 2012

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.

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

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.

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

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.

Monday, September 3, 2012

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.


Sunday, September 2, 2012

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. 

Saturday, September 1, 2012

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.