Every once in a while, it's important to give your wallet a rest—city life can be expensive after all. But fear not! We've rounded up 10 fun ways you can spend just a single buck in Chicago.
Craft beer and wine: Yes, that's right–craft beer for a single dollar. Stop by The Franklin Room for lunch (11:30am-2pm) and grab $1 glasses of some of your favorites with a $12 purchase from the lunch menu.
McGee's Tavern specials: You'll find cheap specials on almost any night you head to McGee's Tavern in Lincoln Park. If you go on Wednesday, get sliders for a dollar. On Thursdays, pop open $1 Budweiser (or Budweiser affiliate) and Shock Top bottles. Also on Thursdays, you can order pizza slices and well drinks for $1 from 6-8pm. Fridays are all about $1 Bud Lights and well drinks from 6-7pm. Sunday? Grab brunch with a $1 mimosa from 12-2pm.
Bowling at Lawn Lanes: Five bucks gets you in the door at Lawn Lanes at 7pm, but once you're in it's all about dollar lanes, shoes and sodas.
Oysters: Okay, so plenty of places in the city offer dollar oysters, and maybe you'd spend more than a dollar when all was said and done because, let's be honest, who can eat just one oyster? But you can still get one for a dollar, and we think that's pretty tasty.
Tacos for just over a dollar: We decided it would be okay to go over budget a smidge on this one. La Chilangueada in Belmont Cragin has basket tacos for $1.10 and Taqueria los Barrilitos in Little Village has tacos for $1.20 on Wednesdays and Thursdays. What's a couple of dimes?
50 cent Kool-Aid pickles at Lillie's Q: We're making up for the previous splurge with this one. Head to Wicker Park or the French Market to grab a Kool-Aid pickle or two at Lillie's Q. Stay with us–they're delicious. For half of a dollar, you get two gloriously red pickles that taste like both cherry Kool-Aid and pickle. Yum.
Nigiri: The Lawrence Fish Market sells pieces of nigiri for $1! Their maki is reasonably priced too, so if you're looking for a tasty meal, head up to Albany Park and check out this cheap sushi spot.
Books: Open Books in West Loop and Pilsen have a "pay what you want" section and a dollar section. And you can feel good about spending that dollar–all proceeds benefit literacy programs in the city.
Records: It's no surprise that Chicago has a wide swath of record stores, but did you know many have dollar bins? Check out Hyde Park Records and Dave's Records for everything from metal to country.
Zines at Quimby's: The selection at Quimby's is eccentric and fascinating. Stop by to find comics, zines and other books–you might just find a zine or two for a buck.