Cheap, Cheaper, and Cheapest
By Alex Kantarelis

There are certain expenses that will empty out a college kid’s wallet no matter what. That’s just the way it is. We can’t escape them. Every semester, students have to practically beg for change just to survive. With that in mind, I have scoured Worcester to find you the best deals on, let’s say, “elective” expenses of all different kinds. Trust me, if you head out into this fair city of ours armed with a little information, you can make the loose change you found under your bed go a lot further. Welcome to “Cheap Worcester.”

1. Daytime Food. This is nothing fancy, and these aren’t really places to hang out. They’re perfect for when you just need a sandwich before class. A good thing about Worcester is that it is loaded with great pizza and sub shops. The general rule of thumb is stay away from the chains. They hardly ever have deals, and are in no way flexible when it comes to prices. Try going to Boomers just off Highland Street. Not only do they have great prices, but they also offer college discounts. Not to mention, the food is excellent (try the onion rings ~ to die for!). You can always try Brattle Stop Pizza, on the corner of Brattle Street and Holden Street in Worcester. It’s a small place with great pizza and even better prices, and it’s no more than 10 minutes away from Worcester State, Assumption, and Clark.

2. Night-time Food. When you and some friends have been out partying, it’s always great to find your favorite diner or late night restaurant to crash at afterwards. Stay away from fast food, even the stuff on dollar menus (y’know that saying “You get whatcha pay for?”). Find a place that suits you and your friends, and is perfect for winding down at the end of a night. Try the Kenmore Diner, just off exit 16 on Rt. 290. It’s open all night. Or try the Boulevard Diner on Shrewsbury Street, open 24 hours a day.

3. Supermarkets. These can be tricky. For the most part, supermarkets all have generally the same prices to start with. But I strongly recommend getting one of the (free) swipe cards that so many of them (Shaw’s, Price Chopper) offer. They constantly have great 2 for 1 or 10 for $10 specials, and there are always substantial discounts on items from cereal to deli to dairy to veggies, but you need that card. And a word to the wise, buying generic or supermarket brand food can also help you save a lot, so don’t be a label whore when it comes to your food! Most college kids seem to find one supermarket they frequent, and since Worcester is a big city, there are lots to choose from, and there’s one is almost every college neighborhood.

4. Movies and MOVIE RENTALS. Going off-campus to catch a flick has become quite the expense, hasn’t it! Try going to West Boylston Cinema where everything is $4.50. They get good movies, even some that you won’t find at larger cinemas. And check out our PulseFlicks section, too, to find out which schools show movies on-campus, too ~ that way, you can put the $4.50 you save on the movie towards food!

Not everyone can make it out to the movies every week and movie rentals are not as cheap as they used to be. The chain stores are relatively useless when it comes to offering special deals, too. Try Dollar Videos at Tatnuck Square in Worcester. It’s a private-owned video store with a bunch of great deals, and every Wednesday is dollar fifty day. That’s right, every rental is $1.50, and that included includes new releases and video games. It’s quite the deal considering most places charge $5 for new releases.

6. Bars. This is another tricky category, not because they are too few bars in Worcester, but rather because there are far too many to list in anything less than a book! But I can offer a couple of tips: Find out which bars have school nights ~ for example, Irish Times hosts College Night for Holy Cross on Wednesdays and offers $2 draughts (yes, you have to be 21 to drink!). Lots of places offer stuff like free wings, too, so you can kill two birds with one stone! And there are Ladies’ Nights all over town, too. Plus, if you throw into the mix that with some of these places (my favorite is Ralph’s) you’re getting live music for the cost of admission, too, that makes the deal even sweeter! So the key is to do a little bit of shopping around ‘til you find the place that fits your style AND your wallet.

7. Other. Need cheap furniture for your room or apartment? Try getting a couch second hand at Goodwill on Park Ave, Salvation Army on Cambridge Street, or Savers at Webster Square. And since you’ll only be spending a fraction of the usual price, you won’t mind if the couch gets, um, stained or ripped during the year (which we all know it will!). And talk about one-stop shopping, you can outfit yourself, not just your digs, at these same places! All three have phenomenal prices every day of the week, and all three have discounts days on top of that (Sally’s has 50% off Wednesdays ~ NOT to be missed, trust me!).

Looking for some good ice cream? Skip Friendly’s and try Meola’s just over the Worcester line on West Boylston Street in West Boylston. It’s the best and cheapest around, and a great place to chill (no pun intended!) even on a Fall night. Music your thing? There are plenty of smaller venues that bring live entertainment to the city ~ take for example Raw Bar, Vincent’s, Lucky Dog. These places are all cheap, have great vibes, and give you a chance to support bands that need it the most!

Yup, the school year is back in full effect. Gone are the carefree days of summer. But that doesn’t mean we can’t still have fun, right? But since money is always going to be an issue as we head towards/pray for that high-paying job that will fall into our laps the second we graduate, we’ve got to keep an eye on expenses. And it’s completely possible to enjoy life in Worcester and not break the (piggy) bank. Just spend a little time finding the cheaper places, stay away from big retail chains, and don’t be proud – go for as many bargains as you can!