Liberal Arts Colleges

Having fun on a budget is challenging, but not impossible. Thanks to the abundance of happy hours and drink specials happening in your college town or city, you can keep drinking on a dime and still have money left over. Here are 20 handy sites, smart phone applications and tips to help you find an awesome and affordable happy hour:

• Happy-Hour.comFind a variety of happy hour locations and great food specials on this all-inclusive happy hour guide. While you’re browsing for drink deals, learn some new drinking games and see what’s in your drink with the handy drink recipes feature.
• Happy Hour SpotsHappy Hour Spots allows you to find a happy hour in your area, generate a list of your favorite spots, and share them with friends on all the major social networking sites, as well as receive coupons and specials through text or e-mail notifications.
• Boomtown AppsBoomtown Apps helps you find the ideal happy hour by searching for future special, happy hours going on right now and by the time remaining for drink deals. There are also features to find the cheapest drink, distance to the bar and to add your favorite happy hour hotspot.
• Happy HoursIf you’re craving Asian food, a frozen margarita and want to drink patio-style, you can filter your search to find a place that has all of your preferences and do it all on your phone.
• Happy HouredWhen using this free iPhone app, you are at the guidance of fellow drinkers like you. Happy Houred is a user-driven program that lets you search for happy hours based on your preferences, such as type of drink, type of bar and location.
• UnthirstyWant to find a bar or restaurant with no smoking, allows underage customers or has free Wi-Fi? Unthirsty is a quick resource for finding that perfect happy hour location that fits your needs.
• Drink SpecialsThe Drink Specials application is committed to giving you the largest and most accurate happy hour information at your fingertips. Choose from more than 30,000 drink specials offered at 3,000 bars across the nation. This program ensures updated drink deals by letting users verify that a special is correct and allowing them to update missing information.
• MappyHourWant to find a happy hour within walking distance? No problem. MappyHour will map your location and list the bars and restaurants with happy hours nearby. You can also rate your happy hour visits, as well as get quick access on your cell phone.
• Happy Hour by Pulse WeeklyGet the evening started with this easy-to-use iPhone application that features local drink specials, happy hour updates, even pick up lines you can try out on fellow coeds or bartenders.
• Bar BuddyThis iPhone app provides easy access to daily specials that are in your area, and lets you search by closest bars or favorite places.
• FindMeSpecialsCovering most large U.S. cities, FindMeSpecials will do exactly as it promises — find local food, drink and leisure specials in your area. In addition, this iPhone app finds discount coupons and killer events happening at this moment.
• Daily Happy HourDaily Happy Hour has you covered in all 50 states. This Web site lists more than 6,000 bars with happy hour specials in college towns and big cities, as well as fun drink recipes to make at home.
• UrbanspoonLooking for a local pub or sushi bar where you can get some good eats and cheap drinks? Then, check out Urbanspoon, a foodie’s dream site and iPhone app that gives you the low-down on restaurants and bars in your area.
• YelpA great way to find happy hours and restaurants serving cheap drinks is to check out review sites like Yelp, which gives an insider’s look into customer service, favorite dishes and drinks, as well as tips to get the most from your dining or drinking experience.
• Bang/BuckThis iPhone application will do exactly as its name describes — give you more bang for your buck when drinking at bars. It does so by comparing the price of the alcoholic beverage to the type of drink, alcohol percent by volume and volume size to determine if you are actually saving money. If you’re not getting the best bang for your buck, then you can move on to another happy hour or bar that will achieve this goal.
• AroundMe
  Following No. 15, the AroundMe iPhone app can help you find a drink that will give you more bang for your buck, as well as find bars and restaurants that are within walking distance from your current location. All in all, you’ll save money by scouting out a cheap bar and by using little or no gas to get there.
• ReferenceDesk.orgA quick way to find a happy hour or drink special is to pick up your school newspaper or view it online. Chances are your college newspaper has several bar and restaurant advertisements that are geared for you and your budget.
• Local WineEvents.comWine lovers, listen up. If you want a change of scenery and would like to partake in fairly inexpensive wine events, then check out LocalWineEvents.com, to find wine tastings and festivals in your area.
• Beer AdvocateThe same goes for beer lovers, too. Browse the Beer Advocate site to find a local brewery, beer tasting event, beer festival or release party, where you can score some cheap beers and have a good time.
• Chowhound Chowdown is a online community of food and drink critics, who share tips about their favorite restaurants and bars to help you plan a cheap night out and catch a good happy hour in your area.