An Everyday Guide to Stretching Your Dollar in Portland

An era of forced frugality is upon us. Consider this your survival guide.

An everyday guide to stretching your dollar in Portland (@waltoons)
Are you freaking out yet?!
If not, well, what are you waiting for? Whole countries are under quarantine, entire Costcos are out of toilet paper, and dear god, they’re talking about canceling Coachella! Even if you’re not bathing in Purell and think this pandemic business is overblown, experts say you’ll eventually be touched by coronavirus—if not in your immune system, then your wallet.
The markets are crashing, and all signs point to a global economic downturn. At the very least, an era of forced frugality is upon us, even after the surgical masks come off and hand-washing becomes optional again.
Consider this your survival guide.
No, we’re not going to tell you how to build a budget doomsday bunker. Instead, we’re giving you more practical tips, tricks and hacks for making your dollar do more in Portland. 
We’ll tell you where to find the city’s most bang-for-your-buck meal deals and discount booze. We’ve got advice on how to find a trustworthy mechanic and score cheap bike gear. We’ve put together a full week of affordable yoga classes and mapped out how to spend your birthday collecting freebies all over town—because even in an outbreak, you deserve to treat yourself. 
And hey, maybe the experts are wrong. Maybe the recession never comes, and by summer we can go back to worrying about the usual stuff, like the imminent climate catastrophe and the possibility of four more years of Trump. Portland still ain’t getting any cheaper. And if this experience has taught us anything, life is too short not to save a buck or two.

— Matthew Singer, Arts & Culture Editor

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