Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, August 23, 1994 TAG: 9408270012
SECTION: WELCOME STUDENTS PAGE: 46 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: CHRIS COLSTON SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES & WORLD-NEWS|
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Before you start doing the boogie-woogie, however, remember that this means you must now cook for yourself.
Sure, you still may be having nightmares about dining-hall food, but you must admit it certainly was convenient to let someone else prepare it and - better yet - clean up the mess.
It's inevitable that, after a couple weeks of home cooking, your sink is going to be piled high with dirty dishes and you won't have time for grocery shopping. And you certainly don't want to be Joe Schmoe and pack a brown paper bag. So you will Eat Out.
Being a college student, however, you have very little cash. That's why we bring you the Official Guide to Eating Lunch for Under $15 A Week in the New River Valley.
First things first: Bypass that glass of cola or iced tea. Going with water - if it's too bland, add a slice of lemon - will save at least $4 a week. Over the course of the year, that adds up to - gulp - about $200. And cutting out that caffeine is good for you, too, although most young adults don't care.
Now then. Food. Let's start with Monday. You probably filled up on high-calorie stuff such as pizza over the weekend, so you need something healthful to start the week. For $2.16, you can get one trip to Western Sizzlin's cold salad bar. You can make a full meal from the chopped ham, chunky potato salad made from real baked potatoes, plus your usual array of salad veggies (lettuce, carrots, cucumbers, broccoli, cauliflower, garbonzo beans, etc.). And if that doesn't fill you up, Western Sizzlin has some of the best fresh, hot bread rolls in the valley. They'll bring you as many as you want, plus they'll refill your water. Even with the tip you're still under $3.
Now it's Tuesday, you've done the obligatory salad, and you want something a little more rib-sticking. Radford provides several options. The best, according to Highlander assistant sports information director Mike Ashley, is the Taco Inn on Norwood Street.
``You have to understand. Here in our office, I am considered the lunch information director, and it's a lot of pressure,'' he said. ``At 11:30 a.m. every morning people look to me for leadership. I have to make the call, so I must come ready to eat every day. I can't let down or be complacent; I have to stay hungry. My secret? I never eat more than a bran muffin for breakfast.''
When he's in a jam, Ashley knows the Taco Inn's there. Sort of like what a fastball means to Seattle pitcher Randy Johnson.
``Even people who usually work out during lunch join us when they hear we're going to eat at Taco Inn,'' Ashley said.
The restaurant offers everything from barbecue to spaghetti to corn dogs, and there's a Mexican and American special every day for about $3. And with every Mexican order comes a big bag of tortilla chips. ``It's all you need,'' Ashley said. ``Trust me on this one.''
Now it's Wednesday and you've spent only about $6. We're going to cheat a little bit now. You will have to run home for lunch, because you're eating dinner at Arnold's in downtown Blacksburg. You will find no better in town than this: after 5 p.m., all but one sandwich on their menu is just $1.99, chips and pickle included. Plus Arnold's has some incredible deals on beverages.
Let's say you splurged on one or two of those cold ones, so you used, what, 50 cents, and you threw a couple of quarters in the tip jar. Now it's Thursday and you've spent $9, plus some trifling change.
Two days, six dollars left. It can't be done, you say? Oh ye of little faith. It can be accomplished with ease, and there are several paths to take.
For instance, you could try a national fast-food chain, where you don't have to pay a tip. Anything on Wendy's Super Value Menu will work. For instance, a bowl of chili and a sour cream-and-chive baked potato is $2.15; if that's not enough to fill you up, grab about four or five packs of the free saltines they set out on the condiment bar and crunch them up in your chili. Wendy's always gives you two packets of sour cream with the potato, even though one is plenty. Put a little sour cream in the chili and mix well before adding the crackers for added taste.
A terrific deal can be found at the Blacksburg Kroger deli with the four-by-four sandwich, which tastes like anything but a piece of wood. You get four ounces of either corned beef, roast beef, turkey, ham, Swiss and American cheese, plus lettuce, tomato and onions, on any of five types of bread, plus pickle and chips - all for $2.60, tax included.
As always, there's the old reliable staple, Taco Bell, where you can get a bean burrito and two soft tacos for $2.24.
Combine any two of those to round out your week. Remember, there are plenty deals equally as good, but it's up to you to find them. For instance, the sub places always have good coupons in circulation. If you're in the mood for something different, try Famous BBQ's great pork sandwich for $2.95.
So it can be done: Lunch in the New River Valley for Under $15 A Week.
And we didn't even charge you for the advice.
by CNB