Boston isn’t your typical college town–its a college city, boasting the most universities of any city in the United States. Several of those schools also happen to be some of our nation’s most prestigious–and, of course, most expensive. Both Boston University and Northeastern University run $56,000 a year, MIT $57 grand, Tufts $58,000, and Harvard $57 big ones; that’ll probably run you a cool quarter-million by the time you graduate, if you can do it in four years. None of which are small schools, with enrollments surpassing ten thousand undergraduates, meaning there are a huge number of students paying big money for tuition. In addition, that constant flow of bright young graduates and Boston’s vibrant economy make it a mecca for young professionals. With one of the highest costs of living for any city in the United States, that means there are a lot of young people struggling to get by.

So maybe you’re sitting bored in your school’s cafeteria over a plate of bland food, daydreaming of the excitements of the city that tuition costs have rendered forbidden to you. Or maybe you sit shoveling spoonfuls of canned beans down your throat, gazing up at that degree hanging on the wall and contemplating what you can cut from your budget to make rent on the $1,000-a-month closet you live in. Or maybe you’re just an average person living in Boston, trying to survive without the salary of a high-powered career. You might think Boston is impossible to enjoy on such a budget. You might be wrong.

We put this guide together just for you, because as champions of cheap we want you to live the good life, without breaking your bank. Here’s how to do Boston on a budget.

DO.

There’s a high likelihood that you came to Boston to get you some learnin. Get out of that stale classroom–or do a little bit of self-taught postgrad work–by visiting one of Boston’s unbeatable museums. Entrance fees are high, but there are a ton of special offers out there. The Boston Museum of Fine Art is one of the oldest, largest, most-visited, most-distinguished and at $22 a ticket, most-expensive art museums in the Americas. It also happens to offer pay-what-you-want admission on Wednesdays after 4pm. Donate more than a nickle, you cheapskate–we’ll make up for it in savings later.

The Institute of Contemporary Art one-ups its aged ancestor with free admission from 5-9pm every Thursday (saving you $15). Wear your Red Sox gear when you visit the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum for $2 off your ticket, getting you in for just $13. Should you be lucky enough to sport the name Isabella, you’ll walk through the doors for nothing at all. If you’ve got kids, take them to the Boston Children’s Museum on Friday nights from 5-9pm and pay only $1 a ticket.

Harvard’s three art museums–the Fogg, the Arthur Sackler, and the Busch-Reisinger–are free every Saturday from 10am to noon for Massachusetts residents. If that still isn’t enough art for you, head to Christopher Columbus Park in early September for the Boston Arts Festival. Browse local galleries or jam out with some slam poets for free.

The Museum of African American History and the Commonwealth Museum–where you can view historic artifacts and documents of a caliber seldom seen outside D.C.–are both always, totally free. Anyone lucky enough to carry a Bank of America card in their wallet can flash it at the Museum of Natural History’s or the Museum of Fine Art’s ticket booths and walk straight through the door.

Public libraries are always a great way to save money on that reading habit, and the Boston Public Library is one of the best in the country. It also offers free internet and free, hour-long tours of its classical architecture and venerable history. And that’s not all: with the library’s Museum Pass program those with a library card can get steep discounts at most Boston museums, including the New England Aquarium and Zoo New England.

Had your fill of museums and libraries? Head to the Esplanade at the Hatch Shell on the south bank of the Charles River for free concerts and free Friday films. Saving money doesn’t have to be dramatic–but it can be, at Shakespeare on the Common, with free nightly shows running through July and August. Or skip the show and explore the universe at the Boston University Observatory’s Public Open Nights, every Wednesday starting at 7:30 in the winter and 8:30 in the summer.

Melting in the (rare) heat? Membership to Mirabella Pool is just $15 a year. Need a place to take a date? Climb to the top of Summit Avenue Park or the Bunker Hill Monument for spectacular free views of the Boston skyline.

For a slice of life in one of those schools you couldn’t get into, head to bustling Harvard Square, which is awash in energy from that esteemed university. It also hosts a ton of free events every year and is frequented by over three hundred registered street performers. The Harvard Book Store has an unbelievable lineup of visiting authors stuffing its calendar–listen to hot new authors read their work and get your book signed. Soak up some smart by taking the free MIT Campus Tour, which runs Monday-through-Friday starting at 11am and 3pm and last about seventy-five minutes. Or just download the smartphone app and guide yourself, of course.

Finally, join the tourists on that old historical route, the Boston Freedom Trail. As the most-visited historical attraction in the United States, it might be packed, but at least its free.

EAT.

Sure, Boston might be known far and wide for its eponymous cuisine, but the city has a ton more to offer than clam chowder and baked beans. Anna’s Taqueria can be found all over Boston and offers an unbelievably cheap menu: $2.85 for a taco and $3.25 cheese quesadillas. Shawarma King on Beacon Street in Brookline sells $4.95 falafels. Presto Pizzeria offers an unbeatable lunch combo of two slices, a salad, and a medium soda for just $8.25.

Burgers go for just $4 at T. Anthony’s Pizzeria. Snag a two-egg breakfast at trendy Paramount in beacon hill for $5. And a huge selection of $4.95 subs is available at Primo’s Restaurant– take that, Subway.

To fine dine for nothing at all, find Quincy Market at Faneuil Hall on a Wednesday for its International Food Festival. Stalls with signs reading ‘The Taste of Quincy Market’ hand out free samples. Maybe these is such a thing as a free lunch.

DRINK.

Biddy Early’s is a dive bar with heart, and excellent prices. $10 domestic pitchers for anyone playing beer pong–losing buys you even more, of course. CrokePArk/Whitey’s is one of the dirtiest dives in town, and one of the cheapest. Drinks for under $20 a night with ‘cocktails’ between $3-$4, domestic drafts for $2, and good-old PBR’s for $1.50. The Hong Kong Club at Faneuil Hall Marketplace offers karaoke and $1drafts, as well as cheap Chinese food.

Get tipsy at Coolridge Corner Wine and Spirits free wine-tasting sessions on Thursday and Friday from 6-8pm and Saturday from 4-7pm. More free booze meets you at the end of the Sam Adams Brewery tour. Free tours run on Mondays and Saturdays from 10am-3pm and on Saturdays from 5-10pm and last about 45 minutes, at the end of which a free tasting awaits you. Harpoon Brewery’s tour will cost you $5 but includes fifteen minutes of unlimited drinking at its close. Tours run Saturdays from 10:30-5 :00 and Sundays from 11:30-3:00.

For the best view in town, the Bleacher Bar sits on the ground floor of Fenway Park, just beneath the bleachers, with a window that looks directly out onto the field. At $20 a bucket of booze it isn’t as insanely expensive as you’d think, either, and it beats the price of a ticket. For the second-best view in town, head to the Top of the Hub on the 52nd floor of the Prudential Tower. Forget paying $25 a plate and just order a drink for $8.

GO.

Tolls, parking, and taxis are all expensive in Boston, which means you might just have to walk—which is great, really, as Boston has been rated the third most walkable city in America–follow that link to see a heatmap of the walkable and non-walkable areas of the city and plan your trek accordingly. If you can’t hike it, the Boston T will save you on parking or taxi fares, but at $11 a day it still isn’t cheap. Go for the unlimited monthly pass for $70 a save a ton of money on this excellent transportation network.

MORE.

Stay up to date on bargain offers and free events in Boston with Broke in Boston, Cheap Thrills, and Wicked Cheap Boston.

Brian Shreckengast is a writer at Self Storage Deals.