As I climbed the stairs to my dorm room the first day of freshman year, a sign greeted me at the top: “Evanston,” it proclaimed. “The Dining Capital of the North Shore.”

I had thoughts of haute cuisine, but with tuition approaching $50,000 a year and the Sodexho monopoly slowly sucking me dry, my hopes were quickly dashed. Dreams of roast beef au jus quickly morphed into torched chicken au wrap at the Allison Dining Hall.

This wasn’t good. I needed to branch out, stop eating only at places where swiping my WildCARD was required for entry, but I didn’t have the money to do it.

So I started looking for ways to eat on the cheap and realized that Evanston, besides being the area’s dining capital, offers plenty of chances for the bargain seeker and would-be freeloader.

Student groups

If you can tolerate a few boring speakers, or at least time it so that you can show up right at the end of an event, student group activities are a boon for the bargain eater. The catering may not be the best – Domino’s and Potbelly seem to dominate – but occasionally there’s a gem in the bunch.

And just when you start to feel guilty, take comfort in the fact that you’re already paying for it. Remember that Student Activities Fee hidden in your tuition? It’s funding your freeloading. Take advantage of it.

Whole Foods

A grocery store so good that it deserves its own section. While the food at Whole Foods is generally no bargain, the store has sampling down pat.

Each trip through the aisles of Whole Foods is a culinary adventure – you’ll never know what you will find.

But samplers beware: The rush of shoppers in the evening generally leave slim pickings. Samples at Whole Foods are a good choice for a mid-afternoon snack, but may leave the dinner seeker wanting.

Fast Food

It’s arguable whether burgers from Burger King are any better than anything from the dining halls, but sometimes you just need a change of scenery. And if it isn’t cheap enough yet, Evanston’s fast food restaurants have some of the best promotions around.

This spring, Burger King has had a Spiderman promotion going with a game piece on its drink cups and French fry containers. Each game piece gives you a 50-50 chance of landing a free food item. The less bargain-inclined cast these containers in the trash with nary a glance.

So what did I do? I swallowed my pride and picked them off the top. Demeaning? Somewhat. But endless coupons for free Whoppers are oh-so-satisfying.

Dining Guide columnist Dan Fletcher is a Medill freshman. He can be reached at [email protected].