Budget Friendly: three food spots that won’t hurt your wallet

The iMessage shows up on my phone. Nothing new — “Saturday morning? Coffee or something?” It’s a weekly occurrence for my friends and I to go out whenever we have time to grab some coffee or try a new cafe. The Instagram stories and VSCO posts of the cute decor and perfectly creamed lattes are right up my alley — I’ve come to love my coffee shop addiction. My wallet, however, not so much.

$7 for a latte may sound crazy, but somehow it always seemed to slip my mind as I reached for my wallet. I didn’t realize I really do have a problem until my mom asked me how much I have saved up for our fall break trip — close to none if you were wondering.

My embarrassing, less than frugal spending habits caused me to search for some cheaper places in KC that won’t make me fork over a 10 to half-fill my stomach. 

TROPICAL SMOOTHIE CAFE

Ah, smoothies. The drink that I would easily allow to replace all three meals in my day. For years I’ve taken the major hit to my wallet everytime I want a smoothie — which trust me, is quite often. Smoothie King wipes out $5 for a small and t.Loft charges a whopping $7 for a bright green and not-so-appetizing drink.

When I first went to try out Tropical Smoothie Cafe I was impressed by the menu. It consists of not only smoothies — which are $3.50 during happy hour — but also a variety of different wraps and quesadillas.    

My picky, non-vegetable-eating self decided on a smoothie called Jetty Punch which is made of strawberries and bananas. It was the perfect consistency — thin enough to drink through a straw but not so thin that it tastes like a juice. After getting my smoothie and doing some chemistry homework on the bar stools, the photos of perfectly crafted quesadillas on their menu boards made my stomach growl. I decided I needed to try the chicken and cheese quesadilla. With the first bite I looked over to my friend and rolled my eyes with satisfaction because of the way the cheese was perfectly melted into the chicken and the soft fluffy tortilla. 

My meal came to a total of around $8 and left me pretty stuffed. I know for a fact this is going to be my new favorite spot. 

FLUFFY FRESH DONUTS

I’ve been going to Fluffy Fresh since I was a princess-dress-wearing three year old. Thirteen years later, I still squeal with excitement every time I see my dad set a white doughnut box with the red words “fluffy fresh donuts” printed on top onto the kitchen table.

They have a classic selection of doughnuts— glazed twists, sprinkled cake, chocolate iced — the usual. Something about the way the icing melts in your mouth and the usually flavorless sprinkles taste good gives this shop a special place in my heart. The donuts are $9 a dozen which for donuts is not bad compared to the $12 a dozen at a specialty place like Hurts Doughnuts. Two donuts gulped down in a matter of minutes fills up my stomach until lunch, perfect for a Saturday morning breakfast.

My only problem: they close when the cases of doughnuts sell out. Since it seems everyone in the area has taste buds that crave Fluffy Fresh, the doors are closed before 9 a.m. most of the time. Still, If you’re an early bird who loves some doughnuts this is your spot.

THE ROASTERIE

This one goes out to those of you who are self-diagnosed coffee addicts. I understand sometimes the need for coffee is too strong to fight and all you want to do is drive down Mission to the nearest Starbucks. If you’re feeling like saving a couple bucks on a coffee, Roasterie Cafe has options to get the caffeine fill without blowing your budget. Plus, the atmosphere in the many locations around KC is perfect to plug in your headphones and get your English essay done.

At Roasterie, you can pick up a regular coffee for $1.50, an iced tea for $1.85 or even a hot chocolate for $2.35. At Starbucks, that coffee would be $2.95, the iced tea $3.25 and the hot chocolate $3.25. The couple bucks may not seem like much, but when you start to add up the multiple coffee shop stops a week, you may be saving $20 a month — if you did that for a few months, you’d get yourself a new pair of shoes. I would say it’s worth it.