With hectic schedules and pinched pennies, it can be frustrating to afford a good time in the Triangle. So to help out in the ongoing quest to fill bellies without emptying wallets, we have compiled a sample guide to get you through the week without having to slice through your credit cards. Turns out it is possible to have a tasty meal and a refreshing cocktail without breaking the bankyou just have to know where to look.

Chapel Hill & Carrboro

Monday

  • Half-price wine @ 411 West (411 W. Franklin St., 967-2782)
  • Free lunch and dinner for kids under 12 at Carolina Brewery (406 W. Franklin St., 942-1800)

Tuesday

  • $3 sangria, house red wine, house white wine, well drinks and organic beer at Padgett Station (410 E. Main St., 929-0445)
  • $2.99 cheeseburgers all day, dine-in at Ham’s Restaurant (310 W. Franklin St., 933-3767)

Wednesday

  • $3 Caucasians at The Cave (452 1/2 W. Franklin St., 968-9308)
  • 2-for-1 pizzas and appetizers, 10 p.m.-2 a.m. at Brixx Pizza (501 Meadowmont Village Circle, 929-1942)

Thursday

  • $5 cocktails and $3 pints, bartender’s choice at Top of the Hill (100 E. Franklin St., 929-8676)
  • $6.95 pizza and salad dinner buffet at Sal’s Ristorante (1800 E. Franklin St., Suite 16, Eastgate Shopping Center, 968-4641)

Friday

  • $3 house highballs at Reservoir Bar, also Saturday (100-A Brewer Lane, 933-3204)
  • 50-cent oysters at Squid’s Restaurant (1201 Fordham Blvd., 942-8757)

Saturday

  • $5 Jaeger bombs at Spanky’s, also Friday (101 E. Franklin St., 967-2678)
  • $10.95 dinner buffet Friday-Saturday at Tandoor indian restaurant (1301 E. Franklin St., 967-6622)

Sunday

  • $2.50 24-oz. PBR at The Speakeasy (102 E. Main St. at Tyler’s, 929-6881)
  • $6.50 weekend lunch buffet at 35 Chinese Restaurant (143 W. Franklin St., 968-3488)

Raleigh

Monday

  • $3 beers, $14.95 microbrew buckets and free beer tasting at Hi-5 (510 Glenwood Ave., 834-4335)
  • Bogart’s Date Night2 salads, 2 entrées and 1 bottle of wine or 2 blueberry martinis for $29.95 a couple (510 Glenwood Ave., 832-1122)

Tuesday

  • Half-price select wine bottles at Nelson’s, also Wednesday (521 Daniels St., Cameron Village, 832-9815)
  • Buy one sushi roll, get one half-price at Mura (4121 Main at North Hills, Suite 110, 781-7887)

Wednesday

  • $3 Kamikazes, $2 bourbon drinks at Underground Restaurant & Bar (861 W. Morgan St., 664-8704)
  • Red Room Date Night4 tapas courses with 1/2 glass Spanish wine per person, per course for $39.95 a couple (510 Glenwood Ave., 835-1322)

Thursday

  • $14 domestic buckets at Lucky B’s (609 Tucker St. 833-1310)
  • 2-for-1 appetizers after 4 p.m. at Stool Pigeons (410 Glenwood Ave., 831-0400)

Friday

  • $10 pitchers of any beer on tap at Twisted Fork (3751 Sumner Blvd., Suite 170, 792-2535)
  • 50-cent peel-and-eat steamed shrimp, oysters on the half shell and clams on the half shell, 5-7 p.m. Monday-Friday at 42nd Street Oyster Bar Cocktail Lounge (508 W. Jones St., 831-2811)

Saturday

  • $4.50 double Long Island Iced Teas at The Pour House (224 S. Blount St., 821-1120)
  • Lunch special at Lemongrass Thai Restaurant: soft drink, appetizer or salad and entrée for $8, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday-Saturday (8320 Litchford Road, Suite 142, 954-0377)

Sunday

  • $2.25 Blue Moon draft, $3.25 Bloody Marys and Whisky Sours at East Village (1 Dixie Trail, 821-9985)
  • Half-price raw bar at Michael Dean’s (6004 Falls of Neuse Road, 790-9992)

Durham

Monday

  • $2.50 house wine at The Federal (914 W. Main St., 680-8611)
  • $9.95 large dinner pizza at Pizza Palace (3128 Guess Road, 620-9700)

Tuesday

  • No corking fee at Tosca (604 W. Morgan St., 680-6333)
  • $6.75 rib plate with two vegetables at Hog Heaven Barbecue (2419 Guess Road, 286-7447)

Wednesday

  • $3 wine at The Sirens Lounge (1803 W. Markham Ave., 416-6684)
  • $1 day-old bread at Ninth Street Bakery (136 E. Chapel Hill St., 286-0303)

Thursday

  • $2.75 pints, nightly $2 PBR at City Beverage (4810 Hope Valley Road, 401-6500)
  • 1/2 price sushi, 9 p.m.-1 a.m. at Mt. Fuji Asian Bistro (905 W. Main St., Suite 21B, 680-4968)

Friday

  • $2.50 Red Stripe, Corona and Corona Light; $4 house and blue margaritas at Satisfaction (905 W. Main St., Suite 37, 682-7397)
  • $5 per dozen steamed and raw oysters, 2-6 p.m. at Fishmonger’s (806 W. Main St., 682-0128)

Saturday

  • $2.25 Yuengling drafts, $2 Coors Light bottles, $3.75 Kamikazes, nightly $5 martinis at Sunset Grille (5850 Fayetteville St., 544-8585)
  • $5.50 home-cooked Vietnamese lunch specials at Bahn’s Cuisine, also Wednesday (750 Ninth St, 286-5073)

Sunday

  • $2.50 Miller Lite, $3.50 Bloody Marys at Devine’s Restaurant and Sports Bar (904 W. Main St., 682-0228)
  • $2-$3 per plate dim sum, 11-3 p.m. Saturday-Sunday at China One (4325 Apex Highway, 361-3388)