What’s that you hear—a rumbling tummy perchance? Well, my friend, let us try to amend that problem frugally. Prom is around the corner, and we all know how expensive that whole shebang is: dresses, tickets, tuxedo rentals, you name it! Curbing your diet inexpensively is a way to save money here and there, and the little amounts saved can really pay off in the end.
As a Californian, an In-N-Out craving is most likely deeply ingrained in your system, and most would probably order a milkshake, a burger and some fries—that’s about $7 right there! Stave off that trip to the fast-food burger joint and save some cash. Judging by the lack of cars in the parking lot at lunch, it’s safe to say that many of us eat out at least once a week, if not more.
Let’s take a look at other Palo Alto favorites such as the oh-so-popular Sprinkles Cupcakes and those scrumptious Verde PMTs (Pearl Milk Tea). If you time your trip right to the Stanford Shopping Mall, you might be lucky enough to score a free cupcake, but even then it costs about $1.44 gas-wise to get there and back. If you’re not so lucky, you’ll end up shelling out $3.50 for a very expensive little cupcake with a little too much frosting. Going the opposite direction in search for a drink? That’s going to cost you about $1.60 for the trip there as well as about $6 for the Tea Time Special between 2:30p.m. and 5:30p.m.
How about trying to make some yummy nomnoms at home instead and cultivate your culinary skills while using materials you already have? Hint: guys who know how to work the kitchen are in high demand—girls fall for that kind of thing. Seriously though, a lot of us don’t really think about these kinds of things, but since we’re in a hard economic climate, we’ve got to start being resourceful, and healthier.
—Tran, a senior, is a Business/Circulation Manager.