Ask MetaFilter posts tagged with cheap

Getting cheap clothes altered?

hapticactionnetwork — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 06:45:48 -0800

Is it worth it to get (relatively) cheap clothes altered? I recently lost a significant amount of weight, and now none of my clothes fit! The thing is, most of my clothes are from places like Target or the Gap. Is it worth it to get a pair of $30 or $40 pants taken in or should I just buy new pants?

I've never actually been to a tailor, so if anyone can give me an idea of how much I should be paying for decent work, I'd appreciate that too.

if i had waited ten more exits the gas would have been 10 cents cheaper!

kidsleepy — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 10:31:58 -0800

How can I find the cheapest gas along a route? I know how to find the cheapest gas in my area code or city, but I'm going on a 6-hour round trip this weekend and would like to figure out where to stop along the way for the best gas prices. Are there any websites out there that will let you plug in a starting city and destination city? Or perhaps a google maps plug-in? Ideally the results would be limited to gas stations within a few miles of a highway exit (or whatever route you choose).

stretching a nickel abroad

D-ten — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 20:54:35 -0800

I've got this ongoing fantasy about living cheaply abroad. Is it doable to live for $500 a month or so in some foreign locale? I read about people choosing to retire to inexpensive places. I've read of people finding homes in Mexican pueblitos, on the beach in Belize, or in Malaysia and living on not much per month, as in $500 or so in expenses and having decent lives, perhaps not full of consumer goods but still finding a place to live with all expenses covered.

I'm wondering if anyone has personal experience of this type of lifestyle, or where you could find more places that potentially could fill the bill?

Call it a midlife crisis. I''ve been wondering where I could stay for a substantial period on savings and spend $500 per month to get by reasonably. I know of people doing this in Mexico, for example. Where else might qualify?

Cheap hotel/hostel near Brussels airport

soulbarn — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 19:30:08 -0800

My college-age niece (MEANING: broke, almost!) needs a cheap place to stay near the Brussels airport. She's going to be spending US dollars, so I know "cheap" is relative. She's an inexperienced traveler and a little timid. Any ideas?

Cheap NYC fun

HotPatatta — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 21:43:20 -0800

The Staten Island Ferry is said to be "one of the best values in New York City" because it's free and offers great views of the city. What are other "best values" in NYC, including shopping, food, activities, and anything else that's surprisingly inexpensive. I'll be moving to the City later this summer I need to not blow my nestegg.

Where to find cheap nuts/fruits in Sacramento, CA

Sultan of Succulence — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 19:58:04 -0800

Where is the best place in the Sacramento, CA area to buy quality nuts and dried fruits on the cheap? They just seem too expensive and/or "fingered" at the grocery stores.

I need car buying advice please

yodelingisfun — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 17:44:26 -0800

I need to buy a car, it must be small, cheap and good on gas. I sold my Honda Accord to move here to Denver and have been car-less for a year now. Since nursing school has involved more traveling than I expected PLUS I feel so freaking isolated with no car, I really would like to get one for the next school year. I am poor like crazy but will have $1000 in August and I have so/so credit. Any suggestions? Kia? Ancient Honda? I should add that there is no one here in Denver that can help me with repairs so dependable would be good. Do I go to a dealer or should I figure out the kind and look in craigslist? I'm so bad at this stuff!

Lists of super easy meals?

jesirose — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 00:24:02 -0800

Any lists of super simple meals? I suddenly find myself with no money and rising food prices. I am not a chef, and I either eat out or eat frozen meals. I know, I know. Anyway I am looking for lists of dinners / entrees with 2-4 ingredients so I can save money. Bonus points if they can use store-brand items.

Example:
Fettuccine Alfredo (the grownup Mac & Cheese!) (Got 4 meals out of $3, whereas the frozen one I used to buy cost $6 for one meal)
Peanut Butter & Jelly, obvious staple for lunch
Taco - Tortillas, ground beef, cheese.

I found a lot of websites with "simple" recipes which have more than 6 items and lots of steps to do with them. I made cookies the other day and it cost $15 and took 2 hours. I need to save money and time and eat on the mediocre side for a while.

Thanks for any suggestions or lists! I never did the poor college student thing so I have no idea what to buy. So I am hoping somewhere out there is a list of cheap & easy meals that really are cheap and easy, and not $20 worth of ingredients and 1 hour to make.

Where can a group, half of whom don't eat meat, get awesome cheap food in Chicago?

Stylus Happenstance — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 10:49:07 -0800

Help me find places to eat in Chicago. I don't think I've been to a bad restaurant there, but I'm looking for new places, plus I'm looking to save money on this trip. For added difficulty, 2/3 of my entourage will be vegetarian, so a variety for them would be nice. We won't have a car, so it needs to be near the train, too. Or for extraordinarily good food, the bus.

Easy and cheap voice mail solution please!

my homunculus is drowning — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 12:40:28 -0800

My small business needs a permanent phone number with several easily customizable voice mail boxes. Skype seems like it may be a solution for me, but there are many other products out there as well that seem to be more dedicated to doing exactly what I need.

I have very little technical know how in this area.

I don't have to make out going calls with this phone number (though it would be nice).

I don't have a lot of money.

How can I get whiteboard or dry erase space, without paying a lot of money?

k7lim — Thu, 29 May 2008 15:34:35 -0800

>How can I have lots of whiteboard/dry-erase surface, without paying a lot, and without altering the walls/furniture of my apartment? I'm subletting a place this summer, to get a ton of work done on a collaborative project. We'd love to have the ample whiteboard space that tech companies have, but we don't have deep pockets.

Our landlord has asked us not to hang posters, so gluing dry erase sheets to surfaces seems out of the question.

Where to go in Europe?

alona — Wed, 28 May 2008 03:23:02 -0800

EuropeFilter: Two teens about to spend up to 10 days in Europe. Suggestions on where to go and how to keep it cheap? So we're 17, he's finished high school and I'm just before my senior year, and we're planning a 7-10 day trip in Europe in mid to late August. I know it's the most expensive season to travel but we really have no other time. Our parents are paying airfare (yay for parents) but as for me, I'm paying for everything else. That includes lodging, food, travel within Europe, entrance fees to various places and various other expenses. A rough estimate tells me I'll have betwen $700 - $1000 USD (not much. but if needed I know I can get more).
We're not completely sure about where we're going to be yet. We were thinking of doing a few days in Amsterdam, a few days in Ghent, Belgium (which I've heard is far more interesting for young people than Bruxelle) and then something like two days in Paris (because it's the most expensive).
We've both already been to London, so that's not necessary, and we both really want to go to Amsterdam. From there, we'd like places that aren't incredibly far (we don't want to waste time on travel) and preferably as cheap as possible.
Advice on which places are a must-see in any city is much appreciated as well :)

Need an hour of trippy video, stat!

stenseng — Mon, 26 May 2008 13:44:21 -0800

Help! I have five-ish hours to locate, download, and burn some source of psychedelic imagery/video for a friends' show in Seattle. Think Electric Sheep, only less screensaver, more burnable to dvd. I'm looking for about an hour of trippy colors/shapes/textures to burn to a dvd, to be projected behind a live show. If I *have* to, I'll bring my laptop and run Electric Sheep on screensaver, but I'd like to eliminate the element of chance computer malfunction/lack of vga input/etc. etc. that happens at a live venue. Anyone know where I can download fairly hi-res trippiness on the quick?

As a cigarette should

frecklefaerie — Fri, 23 May 2008 19:57:48 -0800

Smoking hot american mefites! I'll be traveling from MD to MA soon. Which state between here and there has the cheapest cigarettes? I found this lovely document in my searches, but it seems to be dated 0207 and since then at least MD's cig taxes just went up, so I don't trust its accuracy. I will likely be traveling through MD, DE, PA, RI, CT, NY, MA. Thanks!

What's my best option for finding a cheap-as-dirt computer in the Dallas area?

item — Thu, 22 May 2008 12:43:01 -0800

What's my best option for finding a cheap-as-dirt computer in the Dallas area? I recently received a promotion at my much-loved job that requires me to do some basic (i.e. Excel, email, internet browsing) work from home. Trouble is, my ancient Thinkpad finally coughed out its dying breath a couple of days ago and I don't think it'll be revived in any easy manner.

I've got various peripherals lying around and I don't need anything other than the computer itself - I don't need a laptop, either. I'm not the world's most tech-savvy fellow, otherwise I'd just pick up something off of Craigslist. I can't afford to buy something that'll conk out on me in a month. I'm broke, dead dead broke for at least the next few months, so I can't really spend more that a few hundred bucks - even $300 will be stretching my budget in an uncomfortable fashion.

Any suggestions as to my best means of computering myself as cheaply, semi-reliably, and quickly as possible will be greatly appreciated.

Dirt Cheap UK

Ndwright — Sun, 18 May 2008 05:32:47 -0800

How to spend a month or so in the UK as cheaply as possible? I'm a visiting American student and my housing expires late June. I study theatre and am keen on attending the Edinburgh Fringe, which is quite expensive. I still have a few spots I'd like to travel to, but not enough of an itinerary (or bank account) to sustain me until August. I can't work because I'm no longer a student here, so what's a very cheap way of passing a week or three in the UK? Camping? Couchsurfing? Flying to Eastern Europe via Ryanair and staying there instead?

Where should we go?

Anonymous — Mon, 12 May 2008 09:03:33 -0800

How and where to go for two weeks at the end of August? Me and my friend John would like to take a two week vacation together in or about the last two weeks of August.

Some facts:
-we are both poor students
-I'll be studying the language of whatever place we choose in the coming months
-we don't need any fancy accomodations, shelters and hostels are fine
-beaches and warm/tropical places would be nice, but not necessary
-it's not necessary either, but it'd be nice to be able to score mushrooms/acid/weed while we were there since we both enjoy that
-we won't have money to buy plane tickets till july

We don't want to go to:
-Europe/Scandinavia/Canada, anywhere too cold
-places where the dollar will be especially weak compared to local currency

Places we would love to go:
-India (1st choice!!)
-Cheap parts of Asia (ie not Japan)
-Africa
-South America

Basically the deciding factor is where we can get the cheapest plane tickets/accomodations.

So where would be the best place to go, and where can we get the cheapest plane tickets? Please tell us anything you think would be helpful!

Recommendations for cheap hostel accomodation in Singapore

dohmer — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 21:29:57 -0800

I'm a single 25 year old male staying in Singapore for a couple of days in June I was wondering if anyone had any recommendations for cheap places to stay? I don't know what part of Singapore I should stay in so recommendations/experiences would be welcome, I would prefer to stay in hostelish accommodation with people about my own age.

Cheap eats in Vegas?

blueshammer — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 04:26:27 -0800

Cheap, quality eats on the Vegas strip? I don't know if that's an oxymoron, but I'm making my first trip to Vegas this week for a conference and I'm hoping not to spend a fortune on food. I realize that Vegas has some great linen-napkin experiences, and I'll regret missing those, but I'd regret more paying twice as much for an Applebee's-and-a-half meal dressed up as haute cuisine. Really I'd like to find out about the declasse grub that's not to be missed and within a short walk of Bally's. A real greasy spoon, or great ethnic joint, or whatever -- hit me!

O'Hare to Springfield - cheap style!

samstarling — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 05:59:48 -0800

I'm travelling to Chicago in a few months, what's the cheapest way to get from O'Hare to Springfield and back again? I touch down at 1pm, and depart a week later at 5pm. What is the cheapest way for me to get from Chicago O'Hare airport to Springfield? I'm not fussy about the method, just the cost. I'd love to be able to see bits of Chicago too, so if anyone has any suggestions of the logistics for that it would be most welcome! Thanks.

Find me a relaxing getaway, QUICK!

kmtiszen — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 08:02:48 -0800

Stressed out. Haven't been on vacation for over a year. Need to get outta this town. Where can I bask in the sun on a budget without getting trapped on a resort? I'm thinking somewhere in the $500-$600 range for flight + hotel, maybe 4 or 5 days. I think the all-inclusive thing is great, and there are plenty of great deals of TravelZoo, but I'm afraid to get stuck in the cozy confines of a cookie-cutter resort. I need the beaches, but I also want to taste local culture. Been looking at DR, Costa Rica and the like. Any good suggestions from a NYC boy who needs some serious unwind time?

Cheap eats in Beantown?

mollweide — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 10:50:44 -0800

Cheap eats and good beer in Boston. I'm in Boston for a conference in mid-April, and I'm looking for cheap dinner options. I'll be downtown but I'm more than willing to travel the T for good, cheap food. Any recommendations for good beer are also welcome.

Looking for a quiet laptop

ar0n — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 15:14:02 -0800

Suggestions for quiet, inexpensive (possibly used) laptops? I'd like a laptop for working on papers and assignments. I won't be doing any processor-intensive work on it; I might run Windows, but Linux is just fine.

The main requirement really is that of noise: I generally work late at night and prefer a relatively quiet work environment. So the less fan noise or harddisk squeal the laptop produces, the better.

It needn't have wireless, a massive harddisk or fancy graphic abilities; as long as I can type and store my documents on a USB-stick, I'm fine. A smallish form-factor would be much appreciated as well, but isn't particularly necessary.

Are there any laptops out there (eBay?) with these specifications, for less than $300?

Inexpensive dating in Boston

brett — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 18:38:52 -0800

Looking for dating ideas that meet three simple criteria: 1. Inexpensive. 2. In Boston/Camberville and T-accessible. 3. Doable in this weather. I've been on a lot of dates over the past couple of weeks, and I've started getting worried as my credit card balance just keeps climbing. I've had a couple of windfalls this month, so I'm fine for now, but I can't fit this in my usual monthly budget. My new boyfriend wants to scale back a bit too.

I'm already looking forward to spring, when we can just spend time in the Public Garden or hike around Middlesex Fells. But what can we do in the meantime? Cooking for each other would be a good start. What else? I'm happy to hear recommendations for restaurants that are less costly but still good sit-down places, as well as other activities that would normally run, say, $20 or less for both of us. Nothing's too obvious or off-the-wall to suggest.

We're both carless, so it has to be T-accessible. Please share your secrets with me, hive mind!

Can I get married without a caterer?

Meg_Murry — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 10:54:09 -0800

Are there any Chicago-area wedding/reception venues that don’t require you to use their caterer? Right now we’re focusing on venues that are not religiously affiliated. All of the venues we’ve looked at so far seem to have required caterers. The indiebride Chicago forums make me want to tear out my hair, and googling just gives me a bunch of catering service websites. So I turn to AskMe.

There was a thread pretty recently about cheap Chicago wedding venues, but it didn’t seem to turn up any results regarding places that let you bring in your own catering (like, say, maybe you want to just order a bunch of Chicago deep dish pizza for your reception…). My concern is that the places that seem most affordable ($3K or less for the ceremony and reception) require specific caterers. I don’t want to save money on the rental only to spend several times more on food than I’d planned.

So, do I have any options? Does such a venue exist?