We're all college students, we're all poor, and we're all hungry.
Spending money on food should be easy considering the number of restaurants downtown; however, finding the money to spend is a little harder.
On the Food Network, Rachael Ray spends $40 a day to buy three meals in cities all over the world.
She investigates the most popular and cost-efficient eateries in each city and samples the cuisine at each restaurant.
All of us hold State College in a special place in our hearts, but Rachael Ray has yet to show any interest in our Happy Valley.
Because of this, we've decided to take matters into our own hands.
The Challenge: $20 (because we're poor) for a day of fine dining in State College.
You wake up, you've missed your first two classes, and you're hungry.
At this point there's only one thing you want, a waffle, and there's only one place to get it, The Waffle Shop, 364 E. College Ave. The Waffle Shop not only has delicious food, but also an amazing location, right at the corner of College Avenue and Garner Street.
For under $5 we were able to get a gigantic Belgian waffle and a cup of coffee (which was necessary after the previous night's activities).
Service was quick, and with still more classes to attend that day, we were in and out in 30 minutes.
We actually went to our third class of the day, and after sitting through another boring history lecture we were ready to eat again. After leaving Willard building we raced back to College Avenue and entered Irving's, 110 E. College Ave.
This sandwich place somehow managed to combine two great meals in one for a mere $3.
Irving's mixes breakfast and lunch by adding pizza toppings to bagels. Orders are created using any one of 15 varieties of bagels and throwing marinara sauce and melted mozzarella cheese on top. Pepperoni can be added for an extra $.50, but we were content with just the sauce and cheese. This cheap meal was delicious, and it easily filled us up.
After our fourth class of the day, we needed a little pick-me-up.
What could possibly be more refreshing than ice cream from Penn State's very own ice cream parlor? You just can't go wrong with Creamery ice cream or shakes.
The new building is gorgeous and a lot closer to East Halls, which makes it easy for freshmen to stop by, but it also adds to the dangers of the freshman 15.
Single scoops of ice cream at the Creamery are only $2.10 and milkshakes are $2.90. It's a cheap price for a delicious snack, what more could you want after a day of mind-numbing lectures?
The day had been successful -- we had made it to most of our classes, and we had already eaten at three amazing food places.
Trudging back to our off-campus apartments we began to think about options for dinner. We had only spent $10.10 of the $20 budget, which left us with a good chunk of change to use for a delicious dinner.
After much debating we decided we were craving a burger from Baby's Burgers and Shakes, 131 S. Garner St.
This '50s-era diner is not only cheap but also delicious. For $7.60 we indulged in the "original" burger, a basket of fries and a Coke -- simple and delicious. We left Baby's very happy college students.
For $17.70 we had eaten three meals and one snack in State College and we still had money left over for a 2 a.m. trip to Canyon Pizza for $1 slices. Rachael Ray may have gotten some good grub in New York or Venice, but she sure has been missing out on the delicacies of State College.
Compiled by Lauren Bressler and Jenna Guzewicz
