The daily queue of hungry customers that forms inside and outside the door of Ty’s Soups and Sandwiches in the heart of downtown Nashville is a sure sign that this is a good place to eat.

I know I’m not the only sad homeowner seeing my once flourishing shrubs looking brown and crunchy after the big deep freeze earlier this month.

I surely wish I had started buying Forever Stamps when they first came out for 41 cents each in 2007.

This year instead of challenging myself to lose weight, get organized and exercise more, I am vowing to find more ways to help others - without spending a lot of money.

Goodwill Industries of Middle Tennessee has launched a new program that rewards its shoppers.

New Year’s Eve is always a special time for celebrations all around the world.

We all know that gift cards are an easy present for “hard to buy for” people on our holiday lists.

Wine drinker alert: Bad news is that the case price discount that savvy wine buyers across Tennessee have been enjoying for years will be coming to an end next month on most wine and spirit products.

The 14th annual Ms. Cheap Penny Drive for Second Harvest Food Bank is off and running.

I do love the holidays and now with so many Middle Tennessee holiday events back in-person after COVID closures in the past two holiday seasons, there is lots to do. And everything on my list is free!

Joan Payne has visited 54 of the 56 Tennessee state parks.

After two years of being a virtual event because of COVID concerns, the five-mile Boulevard Bolt will be back in person along Belle Meade Boulevard on Thanksgiving Day.

I’m always on the hunt for a cheap lunch at locally owned places and it was lucky for me to discover Las Palmas, whose nine area locations all have a lunch menu featuring lots of yummy options under $10.

With heating costs increasing and with months of frigid temperatures ahead of us, I think we are going to need all the help we can get to keep our gas and electric bills from overtaking our budgets.

Did you know that the Tennessee State Museum staff offers weekday tours of the Greek Revival 170-year-old Capitol building?

Fifteen years ago, when I asked my readers to recommend their favorite cheap lunch spots, I first heard about the amazing Costco hotdog combo deal – an all-beef quarter-pound hot dog and a 20 ounce soda for $1.50 at the in-store wholesale club snack bar.

There are a few thrift shops in Middle Tennessee that I like so much that I stop in anytime I am in the area.

How about a special spooky-themed “get down underground” experience at The Caverns, the Grundy County cave complex known for its lively concerts and interesting cave tours?

Fall is officially here and with it comes an array of free and affordable festivals that not only entertain but also have the potential to educate us. Here are some of the Midstate festivals to put on your fall calendar.

When I heard that DICK’s Sporting Goods had opened a big discount warehouse store in Franklin, I was very interested in writing a column about it.

It is hard to go into the GraceWorks Thrift Store and come out empty handed.

With the price of EVERYTHING skyrocketing, when I want a good cheap lunch, I head for Mas Tacos Por Favor in East Nashville.

The Nashville Public Library’s free Courtyard Concert series is back for a six week, in-person run featuring a diverse lineup of live music.

When Doug Haley and his partner Mike Hebert opened their wallpaper and home consignment store nine years ago, wallpaper was a secondary contributor to the bottom line.

My husband LOVES hummingbirds. He has multiple feeders, he makes up gallons of the preferred liquid hummingbird food, and then he wants (hopefully) to just enjoys seeing these teeny tiny, amazing birds drop by our yard.

With the prices of everything going up, up and up, the upcoming children’s consignment sales offer a great opportunity for savings on children’s clothes, toys, equipment and more.

With free admission for people 18 and younger and a designated all-age art making area, the Frist Art Museum has more than earned its reputation as a family friendly destination.

Summer Shakespeare, formerly known as Shakespeare in the Park, returns this week, offering two plays at the outdoor venue Yard at oneCITY and at Academy Park in Franklin.

ZeroLandfill, the annual “upcycling” event where creatives, artists and teachers can get all kinds of cool free items to use for art, craft and learning projects, is set for Saturday.

There are lots of ways you can curb the grocery costs and save a few dollars here and there, especially this month when food and food ingredients are exempt from sales tax as part of the Tennessee Tax Holidays.

For years, I have wanted to go to the annual Cottage Tour and Bazaar at the Monteagle Sunday School Assembly and this is finally my year to make it happen.

There is still plenty of summer left to enjoy and many of our Middle Tennessee attractions are offering special promotions with free or discounted admission – making it a great time to be a tourist in our own town. Here are some of the deals!

With economic worries, supply chain issues, the Goodwill Christmas in July sale this weekend should be a welcome opportunity for Middle Tennesseans to get a jump on what must be the year’s biggest holiday.

With this seemingly endless sweltering summer heat, finding fun places to frolic in cool water is a gift.

Thanks to so many generous people and organizations, the Ms. Cheap Penny Drive for Room in the Inn collected an unbelievable 17,469 shirts to be given away to homeless people around Middle Tennessee this summer.

Nashville Public Library patrons can now get free admission to Cheekwood Estate & Gardens through the library’s Community Passports program.

It’s a busy week for Ms. Cheap with two of my favorite sales on my weekend calendar. Plus, it is also flea market weekend at The Fairgrounds Nashville.

Thirty-four years ago, it took Carl Teitloff months to perfect the art of smoking and seasoning meats for his White Bluff eatery.

Having a consignment boutique that offers “something for everyone” was Deb Pursley’s goal when she and her daughter Meg Webber opened their Green Hills-area Designer Finds ladies consignment shop 18 years ago.

When I was first out on my own, I wanted to do something very “adult,” like put some pretty plants in pots on my porch.

Like many Middle Tennesseans, our family loves visiting the Alabama/Florida Gulf Coast for fun in the sun and on the beach.

The summer calendar, which was pitifully empty the last two years because of COVID-19, is loaded with free fun.

Outdoor symphony concerts have been taking place in Nashville since the 1950s, and now, after a two-year COVID-19 hiatus, the Nashville Symphony’s popular community concert series is back with five free concerts coming up this month.

If you are planning to go to the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center’s wet and wild SoundWaves water attraction, it is smart to wait until the outdoor slides and pools are open because they offer even more water and fun at this $90 million water wonder.

The Ms. Cheap T-shirt Drive is back, with the sixth annual collection of shirts for the homeless community running from May 17 through June 6 with multiple drop-off locations across Middle Tennessee.

One of the things I most look forward to in May is strawberry picking time, especially when I can take our grandchildren on a berry picking expedition.

If you haven’t been to the Parthenon or Centennial Park lately, May offers some perfect opportunities to enjoy the history and see what’s new at this park, which is known as Nashville’s cultural and recreational centerpiece.

Lots of people believe that staying on a tight budget and eating healthy are mutually exclusive.