Ten-dollar Saturdays: my summer of cheap fun in Evanston
Farmers market strolls, free concerts, beach afternoons and one rule: ten dollars per Saturday. What fit and w…
A $12 Fourth of July on the Evanston lakefront
A blanket on the grass, a bag of cherries and fireworks over the water. Our cheap holiday, plus the parking tr…
Watching my little brother graduate in Champaign
A two-hour drive down I-57, a cap and gown, and my parents crying in the stands. The weekend Nolan finished co…
My Sunday reset routine that costs nothing
Laundry, packed lunches, a long walk to the lake and a phone that goes in a drawer at 9. One year into this bl…
How I get through a Chicago January on almost no money
Library holds, a free museum day, long baths and one $8 bowl of ramen a week. My cheap winter routine for the …
Friendsgiving for eight on a $60 budget
Priya hosted in her Lakeview apartment, everyone brought one dish and I made the stuffing. How we kept it chea…
A free fall Saturday at the Chicago Botanic Garden
I biked the Green Bay Trail to skip the parking fee, packed lunch and stayed four hours. Fall colors, a thermo…
Lake Geneva for $186: a one-night trip with Priya
A 90-minute drive into Wisconsin, a split motel room, the free Shore Path and frozen custard. Our girls' overn…
Cooking Sunday dinner for my family once a week
My mom cooked for me for 24 years, so now Sundays are mine. Five dinners I've made, what they cost and the one…
A $38 birthday picnic for Priya at Gillson Park
Sandwiches from Trader Joe's, a borrowed blanket and a sunset over Lake Michigan. A birthday that felt special…
Ten free things to do on the North Shore in spring
Lakefront walks, the Green Bay Trail, library passes and a park I'd ignored for years. My free list for April …