Frugal Fridays: Is this Cheating?

So Frugal Friday was interrupted unexpectedly by a migraine. I had planned to check out a new place that popped up by my bus stop - but that apparently wasn't meant to be.

But I did eat lunch with a friend this week, and only spent $5. Granted, that's because she generously picked up most of the tab - but maybe that's a valid Frugal Friday strategy: find a generous friend who'll pick up the tab on lunch. Or trade off picking up the tab, so you each get a frugal week every other time you eat together.

Or, in the case of the great chicken salad sandwiches we both ordered at the Cherry Street Coffee House - you could split the sandwich and something else, and still both come in under $5.



The sandwich itself runs a bit more than $5, even before tax, but it's a sizable sandwich that could definitely be split. Unlike your usual chicken salad, this one was almost devoid of mayo. It did have celery, but it was chopped very, very small - small enough that I didn't notice the taste on it's own, so it didn't bother me. And there's something else to the sandwich that neither of us could pinpoint. A fragrant, almost perfumy flavor that takes it to the next level. Nutmeg? Tarragon? We weren't sure. But we both finished off our sandwiches and enjoyed the atmosphere of thier seating area - which you'd never realize was there from the street. It's a relaxing little respite, under street level, with art on the walls and even a trompe l'oeil fireplace.



(Frugal Fridays is a weekly series dedicated to finding Seattle lunch spots where you can walk in with a $5 bill and walk out with a fulfilling, preferably healthy, lunch. If you have suggestions of places in the Seattle area with a great lunch for under $5 after tax, post a comment - I'd love the help.)