Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with affordable

Affordable parking in Washington, D.C.

billtron — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 09:47:54 -0800

Parking my car at the Renaissance Hotel on Mt. Vernon Square during a conference in Washington DC in November will cost $25 a day. Is there something else I should do with my car for the 4 days I will be in town?

Help me choose an affordable, modern TV

fx3000 — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 07:33:17 -0800

Good modern flat screen TV around 27" and in the $300-400 range? I'm looking to buy a TV for the first time in 10 years. Because I'm not a huge TV watcher and haven't been in the market for one for so long, I'm not very up on what to consider. I don't want/need something massive, expensive or having every bell and whistle. My main TV is currently a huge 27" tank and I would like to finally upgrade to something flat panel around the same dimensions. A little smaller or bigger is ok. My price range is $300-400 although I'd be happy to spend even less than that. It should have modern inputs/outputs and be reasonably compatible with other things coming down the pike. I've always had decent luck with RCA TVs, but I'm not tied to that brand at all. My primary uses for the TV currently are Comcast Digital cable TV, a dvd player, and I just ordered a Roku to watch Netflix streaming. After this it would be nice to not buy a TV again for another 10 years.

Antiquing means so many different things

The Whelk — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 10:32:06 -0800

I need an antique (or sufficiently vintage-y-antiqu-y styled) trunk for my living room. Problem: every piece I've seen to has been too big, too worn, too ugly, or too expensive. Where would I find stores/markets/fairs/dealers in the NYC metro area that might carry such trunks? I got a zipcar, so I can tool around the tri-state area. Insanely detailed requirements follow. Ideally, I'm looking for something about 15 inches high, under 40 inches long and under 26 inches wide. No curved tops, as it has to function as a coffee table. Uneven top surfaces (planks, etc) are okay. I'd also like really cool metal handles and locks but it's not a deal breaker. It should be able to open without creaking and breaking.

Which cheap, wireless laser printer should I buy?

christopherbdnk — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 11:08:53 -0800

Which cheap, wireless laser printer should I buy? We're looking to spend under $150 for the printer, and we'd like something with a low cost-per-page, I think that's probably the most important feature. We're going to use three or four different computers with it, in our home, and it won't print all that much at a time. Speed doesn't matter much. If it worked as a scanner, that would be incredibly useful too, but we're okay with buying a scanner separately if we need to.

We're looking at the Brother HL-2170w right now. It's wireless, 1.4 cents per page in toner, and $110 shipped with great reviews everywhere.

So:

- Cheap, under $150
- Cheap, per page
- Wireless
- Works with Vista and OS X
- Scanner, too, if possible

Help me learn piano on the cheap!

scarello — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 16:21:57 -0800

Help me learn piano on a budget. I have always wanted to learn, and now I am 31 and tired of just wishing! Problem is, money is tight, so I am looking for suggestions on how to teach myself on the cheap (if that's possible). So, if you are able to suggest some affordable equipment (I own no piano), that would be great. Preferably a keyboard I could connect to my computer, as opposed to a full, traditional piano (space is tight as well). And any resources for learning, would be much appreciated.

Somewhere new

brandnew — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 07:42:27 -0800

I would like to travel more this year. Where should I go to best balance cost and experience? The NYTimes published an article recently about the 44 best places to travel this year. I became discouraged after reading the article because most of those places were expensive. $400 (US) a night for a hotel room is way outside of my budget.

Assuming that transportation to get there is free, what would be the best low-cost travel destinations this year?

I'm up for anything, but I particularly enjoy
* Art
* Culture
* New experiences
* Options to meet and converse with new people
* Nature
* Time for reflection

More info: I don't travel much outside of the USA, but I would like to. My two favorite cities in the USA are NYC and San Diego, but I'd like to consider places with less population, as well.

Where can I buy an affordable bookcase?

rockstar — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 12:28:03 -0800

Looking for an inexpensive but sturdy bookcase. I've had bad experiences with the Target stock, and the closest Ikea is two hours away. Do you have any suggestions as to where I might find a sturdy and affordable bookshelf?

Decent banana costumes in Sydney

gttommy — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 07:42:15 -0800

Where's a good place to hire decent banana costumes for someone in Sydney, Australia? I'm looking for non-saggy, bright yellow banana costumes for beach wear. Affordability is very important. I'm open to ideas for alternative ways of obtaining them for cheap. I just need 3.

Thanks mefi!

In need of comfortable work shoes.

Dreamcast — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 15:59:57 -0800

Looking for some comfortable, yet affordable, shoes that are suitable for jobs involving a lot of moving around and heavy lifting. I don't know the first thing about footwear. For over a decade, I've purchased only Vans brand tennis shoes, and then last year, I purchased a pair of Nikes (these, solely because I found the blue ones pleasing). I'm not quite sure what kind of shoe I should look for when it comes to a job that's going to involve a lot of moving around, heavy lifting, and climbing of ladders.

They need to be comfortable, of course, and affordable (I can't really afford to pay $60+ for shoes at this point, though, I will be able to after I get paid). I'm not so sure if my old Vans, or my cool blue Nikes, are going to provide me with the comfort I'll need, and it'd suck if I wore them to work, only to find that four hours in, my feet are killing me.

So, does anyone have any suggestions? I was sure that someone had already asked a question similar to this one earlier this year, but I couldn't find it.

If it matters, I'm a size 12, a male, and a resident of the United States.

How cheaply can I get a 37" 1080i television?

damn dirty ape — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 15:46:24 -0800

How cheaply can I get a 37" 1080i television? I'd really like to get into the HDTV game, but cant really justify massive spending. Are there any quality affordable 37" TVs out there? I'd rather go with LCD or Plasma and avoid tubes and projection if possible. Sub-500 dollars would be great. Is my best bet to buy used?

Im in Chicago and have access to an SUV if it helps.

these boots are made for walking?

mustcatchmooseandsquirrel — Sat, 20 Oct 2007 16:08:48 -0800

Where can I find affordable and cool looking shoes that I can walk in? I need either tall boots or shoes! With the following criteria:

1. No heel, low heel, or really comfortable heel. I can't really walk long distances in heels (especially pointy or tall heels) and am already tall.
2. Comfortable for walking. I walk everywhere. Including up steep hills.
3. Cool or cute looking. I think thatBobbi Blu and Irregular Choice shoes are adorable but not the most comfortable.
4. Affordable. I don't want to pay more than 70 dollars or so and even that is pushing my budget.

What suggestions do you have that would fit? Being able to walk in them in any sort of weather is probably the most important. My shoe size is usually 9.5. I have comfortable tennis shoes already but they look silly with skirts.

What Injet Printer is most affordable to operate?

14580 — Sat, 15 Sep 2007 07:54:20 -0800

I have to go out right away and an inkjet printer for a college student. What affordable ($80-$150?) printer should I buy that is also economical to operate? I got tired of the cost of constantly buying ink cartridges or the hassle of refilling them, so I trashed my inkjet printer years ago and bought a laser printer instead.

Now I've got a college student who has to print some color drawings for a class project. She also doesn't have any kind of printer to use with her Apple laptop. Except for this project, she's mostly going to be printing text.

So what inkjet is affordable to buy and also to operate?

Thanks!

Affordable lodgings in Ireland for four adults?

EmilyClimbs — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 06:38:56 -0800

What are the most affordable options for lodging in Ireland for four adults? Please recommend places. My parents, my sister and I will be visiting Ireland in about a month. My sister and I are in our 20s, but usually when we travel together in the U.S. we'll get the standard two-double-beds room for all four of us and my sister and I will share a bed (and pay the moderate extra-person charges). As best as I can tell, though, in Ireland the hotels and B&Bs all charge per-person, not per-room. Self-catering cottages/apartments seem like a better deal, but although a few rent out per-night my searching suggests that 95%+ of them only rent weekly during peak season, which won't work for us. What can we do to find cheaper lodgings?

Conditions:
a) Not too far from tourist attactions. We are starting and ending in Dublin and doing pretty much the standard circuit, driving along the coast and hitting the major tourist attractions and cities. (I can give more details if you need, but think first-time visitors on a 9 day trip seeing famous sights, and you can probably guess it. If you have a suggestion for lodgings near an underrated attraction, though, we'll consider it!) We don't need to be right in the heart of things, but we also want to make the most of our trip by not spending too much time driving between lodgings and attractions. Probably 30-40 minutes drive out-of-the-way would be the max for us. We could also possibly stay en route between two cities, but we don't want to get too far off the beaten path. At least a couple nights we'll want to be somewhere close to a nice pub, but it doesn't have to be every night.

b) We are not picky or looking for anything luxurious or special. As long as the place is reasonably clean, safe, and the proprietors aren't going to rip us off, we're good. Dormitory-style housing in hostels is out, but a private room for four (or two private rooms for two) at a decent, non-sketchy hostel is fine if it's noticeably cheaper.

c) My sister and I are flexible on the bed situation. Sharing a double bed, using a sofa bed, rolling in a cot or two, whatever works. Our parents will want a double bed, of course!

So-- what are the most affordable options you're aware of, anywhere in Ireland? Are there any B&Bs or hotels that have discounts for more than two people and/or are just plain cheap? (There seem to be a lot that charge 35 Euros per person, so "cheap" would be anything less than that, the more the better of course.) Do you know of any self-catering cottages where they'll let us stay for only one or two nights? Any reasonably-priced hostels with private rooms that you can vouch for?

Please share your best bargain lodging finds!

Where can I find affordable trendy/modern furniture in the UK?

Sevenupcan — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 14:49:24 -0800

Where can I find affordable trendy/modern furniture in the UK? For ages I've looked for furniture that's innovative, fresh, trendy and simply affordable, but I really struggle to find an alternative to Habitat and Ikea within the UK.

I really like...

Design Within Reach
Design Public
2modern

but unfortunately all these sites only deliver to the US and Canada, and trying to ship some of their stuff over to the UK I can imagine would cost a lot!

Moving to the CA Bay area. Need some advice.

bizack — Mon, 14 May 2007 08:07:08 -0800

Moving to the CA Bay area. Need some advice. I landed a job in Palo Alto, CA. My income will be roughly in the 80k per year range, and I'm trying to find 'affordable' rent in or around the San Francisco area. I was thinking about Daly City (any MeFis live there?). I'm basically looking for a one bedroom apartment that doesn't exceed $1200-$1400 a month. I'd like to be close to indoor and outdoor climbing, yoga, mountain biking, snowboarding and a decent electronic music scene. I'll have some time to 'browse' the area while my new gig puts me up in temp housing. I just wanted to get some feedback from anyone living in San Francisco, or the neighboring cities (and who commute to the Palo Alto/Mountain View/Cupertino area).

Keeping phone number with voicemail only for a reasonable cost.

crewshell — Thu, 12 Oct 2006 15:22:42 -0800

I have an old Cell phone from the states ( i just moved to the US Virgin Islands) that I would like to have go to voicemail only (thus keeping the number for if / when I move back to the states and so I dont have to update everyone with my new number (they can just call it, leave a message and I can return the call with my local cell) but I am having a hard time finding a service that accomplishes this. I want to keep my current number (on verizon wireless) but I dont want to pay 40 some bucks a month just for voicemail (thats their cheapest plan) a search online found a few options but they seem expensive... I'd like to pay something like 60 70 80 a year for this... Is that service out there where I can port my number over?

Need Daycare Advice, Please...

iced_borsch — Sat, 22 Jul 2006 13:48:30 -0800

I'm looking for safe, reliable, and affordable daycare in Portland, Ore. It's for my son, who will be two in September. We'd prefer a place in outer southeast Portland, but we will consider other areas.

East 'burbs--e.g. Gresham and Troutdale--might be considered too. Bonus points for anyone who can recommend a solid Russian babysitter or daycare center.

Between the Cradle And The Grave Lies A Haircut And A Shave

jonmc — Thu, 25 Aug 2005 06:35:33 -0800

ForMyBetterHalfFilter: Pips is looking for a good women's salon in New York when she can get her hair cut and styled to her liking for under $75. As a guy who gets $12 trims I have no idea. Any suggestions?

Affordable, but cool places to live?

weston — Wed, 08 Dec 2004 08:50:45 -0800

Affordable, but cool places to live as a career/lifestyle choice: If your work/career/next life project is portable, could you find a place where a two-bedroom apartment is $300 a month? Houses for under $50 grand? Cultural opportunities a resonable drive away? Would you do it this way? Why or why not? [more inside] I've had a few acquaintances recently talk about an interesting life strategy. It first came up discussing Brian Kershisnik, who's making a living as a painter. While his background includes some time in major metropolitan areas, he settled in Kanosh Utah. Fixed costs of living are pretty low, and yet it's not too far from civilization -- Southern Utah University (which has a decent arts program) and St. George are within an hour's drive, Salt Lake City and Las Vegas within three hours (not to mention proximity to fine national parks). Artists rarely start making tons of cash, so the low fixed cost of living seems like a much smarter idea than starving in an NYC loft, especially if you also want to have a family.

Another acquaintance has a friend who's decided Arkansas might be a good place to start a software company. I guess he can get a decent house for under $50k. An old girlfriend told me her rent in Waverly Iowa was $325/month for a two bedroom last year.

So my questions are these:

(1) What do you think of this strategy?

(2) If you were going to do this, where would you pick? Bonus points for combining (a) low-cost living and (b) reasonable proximity to a decent college/university or other cultural center...