Fast, cheap and good!

               When it comes to college students, there’s nothing better than fast, cheap and good food. These three words describe the perfect concoction of dining options off campus. We don’t always have money to eat anywhere too fancy, but we also don’t settle for scraps. There are a few fast food joints that provide good food under $5.

                Yes, you may be thinking…”nothing good comes with cheap. You can’t compare candy corn to Reese’s pieces, so you can’t have good food for low cost.” This is false. Cheap doesn't necessarily mean that it is lower quality. I have liked store brand products better than famous brands. Why? I don’t know. Maybe the cheaper cost makes me subconsciously love it. It serves its purpose.

                Let’s start with a few well known fast food chain restaurants:

McDonalds

• The McChicken: The McChicken is only a $1.29 and weirdly enough it tastes better than the other burgers. But I may be biased. You can either try the spicy one or regular.
• Nuggets: So there’s the conventional number of nuggets available at food places. There’s either eight or twelve. Well now you can get 20 nuggets for $4.99. Yes 20!! You can either share or be greedy.
• Need a drink? The dollar menu also provides a large drink for a dollar. No more $1.89 for a mediocre size drink.

Taco Bell

                There aren't many things under $5 that Taco Bell doesn't sell, so it’s better to tell you what I personally like.

• Deal #1: This deal comes with a chicken burrito, a bag of Doritos and a medium drink. For not even $3. Where can you get a meal and a drink for that price? Not many places. It’s delicious with its avocado ranch sauce.
• Doritos Locos Tacos: for $1.39 each, you can get Doritos shell tacos! This newly innovative taco shell has blown my mind. I can get the majestic powers of Doritos along with meat to make a beautiful combo. My ultimate favorite has got to be the fiery taco one! It is to die for. My Mexican blood calls upon me eating spicy stuff.

Jack in the Box

• 2 for $1 tacos. There’s nothing I don’t like from Jack in the Box, especially the Pita pocket, but I can never get enough of the tacos. These tacos are basically $.50 each. You would think they’re nasty for that price, but I was pleasantly surprised that these are the best fast food tacos I've ever had.

Subway

                Healthy fast food is possible. Subway has proven it. There’s an array of sandwiches that you can get, as well as pizzas or even salads. Every six inch sandwich that I have seen is under $5. Sadly, you cannot get a drink or chips as it will cost more. Except there’s a deal going on at the moment where there are a few selected sandwiches where you can get a six inch sub and a drink for $4. How awesome is that? You can a filling sub and a drink! These include:

• B.L.T
• Black forest ham
• Cold cut combo
• Egg & cheese omelet
• Veggie delite
• Spicy Italian
• Meatball marinara

So there you have it. These are a few of my favorite places to eat when I’m on a budget. Don’t be discouraged to go out with friends because you don’t have much money. Success with money depends on how well you manage it. By eating on a budget, you get to enjoy the fun and keep a few bucks in your pocket!