In our fast paced culture where time is money, sometimes we find it hard to make time for ourselves to sit down and have a nice three-course meal. Seeing as time really is money, and eating food takes time, sometimes our best bet is to eat what’s cheapest and fastest so we can get back to making some green. Keeping the all-importance of green in mind, I went out looking to put together the fastest meal that would keep my wallet fatter than a sumo wrestler who had to eat his way out of a vat of sour cream. I started my meal off with a trip to the Wells Fargo bank on Main Street; not to make a withdrawal for my dinner, but rather to pick up my appetizer. For the low low price of zero dollars, Wells Fargo bank on Main Street offers bags of freshly popped popcorn. A snack light enough to eat anytime of the day, and perfect for getting the appetite going, not to mention it’s a great source of fiber. Though not completely free, the popcorn came with one small price: the awkward interaction between the teller and myself as I grabbed the popcorn and left without as much as an “I’d like to set up a checking account”. By the time I finished my bag of popcorn and was in the mood for some real eats, I found myself in front of Jimmy John’s. But what I was going to order wasn’t a turkey tom, a number 4 or even a pickle. Hell, what I ordered wasn’t even on the menu. I ordered the mustard and mayonnaise sandwich, possibly the most economically friendly entree in all of Ames. Although you can’t ask for a mustard and mayonnaise sandwich by name, you can get a day old loaf of bread and request several mayonnaise and your choice of Dijon or regular mustard packets. “The mustard and mayonnaise sandwich is a fine sandwich,” senior Stephen Bonett said, “It’s all the calories you’ll need to barely scrape through the day, and the price can’t be beat.” At the bargain price of just 49 cents, it’s hard to imagine any better deal. After my delicious bargain of a sandwich, my stomach was telling me it was time for desert, and my wallet was telling me to go for it. I headed back west on Main Street to Temptations on Main, chocolate and candy shop, and home to the best one-dollar ice-cream cones to grace my taste buds. I was greeted by a warm smile and received a cold (rather large) scoop of peanut butter fudge atop a standard sugar cone. All for one dollar, tax included. With its low prices and quality of ice cream, temptations competes with the prices of fast food dollar menus, and the flavor of cold-stone, dairy queen, and other quality ice-cream establishments. After spending just shy of a dollar fifty and feeling as full as anyone should, I felt like I had just gotten away with murder. But instead of going home to internally battle the idea of having murdered someone, I could go home, kick up my feet, and count the money I saved like an old miser. I started my meal off with a trip to the Wells Fargo bank on Main Street; not to make a withdrawal for my dinner, but rather to pick up my appetizer. For the low low price of zero dollars, Wells Fargo bank on Main Street offers bags of freshly popped popcorn. A snack light enough to eat anytime of the day, and perfect for getting the appetite going, not to mention it’s a great source of fiber. Though not completely free, the popcorn came with one small price: the awkward interaction between the teller and myself as I grabbed the popcorn and left without as much as an “I’d like to set up a checking account”. By the time I finished my bag of popcorn and was in the mood for some real eats, I found myself in front of Jimmy John’s. But what I was going to order wasn’t a turkey tom, a number 4 or even a pickle. Hell, what I ordered wasn’t even on the menu. I ordered the mustard and mayonnaise sandwich, possibly the most economically friendly entree in all of Ames. Although you can’t ask for a mustard and mayonnaise sandwich by name, you can get a day old loaf of bread and request several mayonnaise and your choice of Dijon or regular mustard packets. “The mustard and mayonnaise sandwich is a fine sandwich,” senior Stephen Bonett said, “It’s all the calories you’ll need to barely scrape through the day, and the price can’t be beat.” At the bargain price of just 49 cents, it’s hard to imagine any better deal. After my delicious bargain of a sandwich, my stomach was telling me it was time for desert, and my wallet was telling me to go for it. I headed back west on Main Street to Temptations on Main, chocolate and candy shop, and home to the best one-dollar ice-cream cones to grace my taste buds. I was greeted by a warm smile and received a cold (rather large) scoop of peanut butter fudge atop a standard sugar cone. All for one dollar, tax included. With its low prices and quality of ice cream, temptations competes with the prices of fast food dollar menus, and the flavor of cold-stone, dairy queen, and other quality ice-cream establishments. After spending just shy of a dollar fifty and feeling as full as anyone should, I felt like I had just gotten away with murder. But instead of going home to internally battle the idea of having murdered someone, I could go home, kick up my feet, and count the money I saved like an old miser.