Capital City Cheapo

As is true in most amazing towns, life ain’t cheap. When you fly by the financial seat of your pants, the non-stop live-work-play runs like a constant cha-ching soundtrack in your already crazed head.

I hate to be a grinch, but I dread the December day when every radio station begins simultaneous play of White Christmas remakes. The crazed, foaming-at-the-mouth feel of holiday shopping makes me a tad nauseous, and office parties and yuletide get-togethers make me cringe. Now in my mid-20s, I’ve found that the only foolproof way to make it to January 2nd is to drink.

There’s nothing glamorous about packing up your life, labeling your mementos with duct tape, and hauling hernia-inducing furniture across town. Any way you look at it, moving’s a bitch.

Shelling out money for a pricey necessity like gas sucks. At least with food, there’s always a dirt-cheap alternative. But when the needle of your fuel gauge begins its inevitable descent to the big red E, there’s only so low you can go.

Whether you’re a student, staffer, or stalker at the University of Texas, breaking away from the 40 acres can be expensive and time consuming. Sarah Murray offers tips for finding low-cost distractions closer to campus.

Here’s the situation: Aunt Betty and Uncle Steve are coming to town for four blissful days of sightseeing and overeating…

Bread stuffed with… well, stuff… is one of the cheapest and most fulfilling forms of grub money can buy.

Sometimes being frugal can get you down. It’s a great habit, but counting your cash all the time can be frustrating, depressing, and, hell, sometimes even embarrassing.

Although it is mispronounced with a vigor that hasn’t been matched since Dan Quayle passionately insisted that potato was spelled with an “e,” Burnet Road is as integral to Austin as Tex-Mex, Pecan Street, and strange people.

If you’re going to live in Austin, your love affair with Mexican food (alright fine, quasi-Mexican food) is going to have to start sooner, rather than later.

If you’re looking to enjoy what Austin has to offer but don’t have much to spend, no problem.