New Favorite Dining Out App: Spotluck

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Everyone needs to download Spotluck to their phones now. I will take a moment for you to click on your apple store or google play store and make the best decision you've made in a while. Spotluck is a money saving, dining out app that allows you to choose your "hub" or location by neighborhood of where you want to eat and spin a wheel to see where you will receive 20% off of your entire bill. It will also give you 10% off of the other restaurants that the wheel did not land on. Spotluck is free to download and it holds a special place in my heart because one of the creators went to my Alma Mater of JMU. I use Spotluck almost every week and it has introduced me to some great food all over the city where I reside, Baltimore. It is expanding into new markets and cities constantly, but as of now Spotluck is primarily concentrated on the East Coast. Test your luck and give Spotluck a spin to see where your next date night will take you. Find our more information and download here: http://www.spotluck.com/

Dining Out on a Budget!

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Who here loves to eat out on the weekends or when cooking at home just seems like too much work? I know I do. Well I’ve learned a few tips along the way from friends and family and they seem to work.

1.      Eat a light snack before arriving to the restaurant, not a lot but enough that you won’t order everything on the menu.

2.      Don’t order drinks. Drinks make the tab add up very quickly, especially alcoholic drinks. It’s best to just stick with water if you want to save money.

3.      If possible, spilt an entrée. I do this often with my Mom; we both can never finish an entrée so we spilt one and spend what we would have used on two separate entrees on desert!

4.      Go to lunch versus dinner. Lunch menus usually offer cheaper options!

5.      Check for deals online before you go. This tip actually works, most restaurants will ask you for your email and they will send you coupons via email each month; this will save you money and you’ll get to enjoy your favorite restaurants!

Happy Eating! 

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ICE CREAM!

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So I assume by now that most of you have heard about the recall on Blue Bell Ice Cream. Well, if you haven’t, it has come out that their ice cream has been recalled because they found traces of listeria in some of their products. So, I figured I would write a post on some other brands of ice cream that are probably a little cheaper and aren’t currently being recalled.

First, I think we should start with my favorite brand of ice cream, which is Breyers (Rocky Road of course). So this brand offers a ton of variety and many different flavors, the only thing that sucks is they’re a little pricey. But, you can sometimes catch them on a sale at some grocery stores and that’s when it’s worth it.

Another popular brand is Turkey Hill. This brand can also be a little on the expensive side but they offer many funny names and a variety of flavors. A brand similar to this is Blue Bunny which can sometimes be found cheaper than the first two.

This may just be in my opinion, but the ice creams that aren’t the name brand, taste the same. I know, shocker! Some may say that the Foodlion brand Rocky Road just isn’t the same as the Breyer’s brand but in all honesty, if someone put the Foodlion brand in a bowl and handed it to me without telling me which brand it was; I probably wouldn’t notice a difference. These brands are always cheaper than the name brands, as with most things, and it just makes sense to buy the cheaper brand so you can buy more of it!

I also feel the need to mention how yummy and different Ben & Jerry’s is, but I also need to mention that you’ll have to dedicate an extra $5 in your budget for a seriously small container of ice cream that will only last you maybe  two sittings, if you’re lucky. So in reality, it’s probably a good idea to stick to the container that’s the largest for the cheapest amount.



$$$

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As the school year comes almost to a close,  I know that for myself I don't want to take the time to make meals. Eating out has become a huge habit for college students simply because it’s easier, faster, and we sometimes think it’s cheaper. That’s not always the case though, in an article in Forbes, they said that “Americans go out to lunch on average twice a week and spend $10 each time. That means they're spending $936 annually.” As a college student, we’re probably going out more than twice a week with “Margarita Mondays” and “Thirsty Thursday’s” and I doubt that all of us can afford to spend over a thousand dollars on food each year eating out.  

One thing that we, as college students can do is research the field of budgeting. All it takes is for you to go on google and type in “budget” or go to BuzzFeed or Tumblr and do the same thing, loads and loads of articles will pop up with great advice and tips for how to save money while still eating the things you enjoy.  There are also a ton of websites with great recipes that make cooking for yourself easier and maybe even faster.

For example:

http://www.buzzfeed.com/rachelysanders/cooking-on-a-budget#.ocR94dnng6

http://www.buzzfeed.com/rachelysanders/smartest-way-you-save-money-when-you-cook#.gujXvrPPKk

http://mightyhealthyquest.tumblr.com/

The two first articles were super easy to find and the same with the last blog. So definitely get off of Facebook and get onto BuzzFeed the next time you think about ordering take out or going out to eat! 

Spring Break Blues

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YA’LL WE MADE IT THROUGH THE FIRST WEEK BACK AFTER SPRING BREAK! I, for one, didn’t think it was possible but here we are. So as we get back into the swing of things, it’s important to remember that even though you spent all of your money over spring break, you need to get back to budgeting! So, just a few steps to remember:

1. You can start by either making a budget for the month and then figure out how much you can spend on food week by week.

2. Every Sunday, try and plan out for the rest of the week the meals you will be eating.

3. Then, make a list of all of the ingredients that you will need

4. Once you know what you will need, you can check local grocery stores to see which places have the best prices.

5.Once you get to the store, stick to your list so as to not spend more money.

Using this system, you will stick to your budget while also having enough food for the entire week!

Happy Shopping! 
-Ash

SPRING BREAK 2K15

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SPRING BREAK IS FINALLY HERE! #praise. So, some of us may be traveling to a different state for the week and whether you’re going on your parent’s budget or your own, you should always be mindful of how much money you’re spending (or wasting).  You may think that because you’re on vacation that you should change the way that you grocery shop, but that is not the case. Some tips to avoid over-spending while on vacation are the same as when you’re at home: always have a list when you go in, price check items at different locations, and try to keep track of how much each item is as you put it into your basket. These tips will help you to have more money to spend while you’re on your vacation instead of throwing it into food. Now, if you are staying at a hotel, you may not have a lot of availability as to what you can cook in your room so you may be forced to eat out, which can definitely wrack up the bill. In this case, I would check around to all of your possible food destinations to see who has the best prices with the best food (this can sometimes be a trial and error process). On the other hand, if you are paying more to have a room with a kitchen in it, then definitely stock up on food and make your own meals when you can so you can spend your money on other things besides eating out. 
Another tip for spring break would be to go into the trip with a budget in mind. Count up the cost of gas (if you’re driving), meals, flights, rental cars, factor in money for going out for drinks; if it cost money, add it to the budget. This will help you know ahead of time how much money you will be out of once the week is up, instead of being surprised when you look at your bank account next Monday!
I hope everyone has a great, safe, and relatively cheap spring break! 

Winter Blues

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So we all know that this winter has been brutal. Just in the past two weeks we’ve had over a foot of snow and quite frankly, I’m over it. I’m ready for warm weather, bikinis, and mojitos by the beach. But nonetheless, this cold weather is here and apparently here to stay, so, let’s try and make the best of it. We also all know that Buzzfeed has the latest and greatest when it comes to list. So with minimal searching I quickly found several articles that were trending on recipes in several different food groups. The one I found to be the most helpful was posted on the 21st of February, by Christine Byrne, entitled, 27 Pasta Recipes To Help You Survive The Winter. This article was super helpful because it give you direct links to all of the recipes and all of the examples looked fantastic. What is also helpful to know is that pasta ($2-$3 per box) is relatively cheap, whatever meat (anywhere from $3-$10) you decide to use in the pasta is usually not going to break the bank, and finally sauces ($3-$5) are cheap as well. What is really neat about making pasta and what makes it so cheap is that pasta has the potential to make a large amount therefore you could eat off of it all week, if you so choose. Okay guys, head on over to the “Food” section and you’ll find the link for the cool Buzzfeed article I found telling you all of the great pasta ideas that you can use to help you survive this cold winter!

http://www.buzzfeed.com/christinebyrne/more-cheese-fewer-vegetables#.hjzLJXNN02 

Attention All Parks and Rec Fans

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February 24th, we say goodbye to our friends from Pawnee, Indiana, during the last episode Parks and Recreation. This is the last night to treat yo’ self and what better way to do so than with some quality breakfast food? The last episode is the perfect excuse to eat your feelings away and say goodbye to the cast we have all come to know and love. While we may not be able to throw an elaborate, Tom Haverford style party, we can help you decide which waffle will best fit your needs.

Now, even though the episode will only be about 25 minutes long, that is still enough time to eat all the bacon and eggs. In true treat yo’ self style, you can have all the bacon, eggs, and waffles your heart desires, because after all this is the last time you can truly treat yourself Parks and Recreation style.

Making waffles is really cheap and easy to begin with. Simply go out and buy a box of Bisquick and then the accessories depending on the waffle you choose.

Here are Leslie Knope worthy waffles:

-Churro Waffles, just add cinnamon and sugar to your waffle.

-Dessert Waffles, pour a bag of chocolate chips into the batter and bake your waffle. Once it’s done, add a scoop of ice cream to the top.

-Peanut Butter Banana Waffles, just cook a waffle then dress it up with the desired amount of peanut butter and bananas, to treat yo’ self feel free to add chocolate chips as well.

-S’mores Waffles, after your waffle is cooked and golden brown lather it up with marshmallow fluff and sprinkle on the chocolate chips.

The above waffles are ways to spoil yourself, but just remember that basic waffles are still Knope approved. You can eat them with just butter and syrup or with your choice of fruit on top.

Just remember to always add bacon and eggs to make your Parks and Recreation breakfast complete. Even though the show is ending, remember that there is never a bad time for breakfast food.