Money

Bozeman is once again flush with MSU students, many of which are driving really nice cars I'll never afford to own. My, how times have changed when it comes to the 'college car'.

Our 'Broke in Bozeman' series kicks off with something uber practical: What is your favorite go-to, super cheap meal to make for about $5? We got a ton of great responses from listeners which we'll share with you. It's basically a list of Bozeman's favorite cheap comfort food.

This might be a frustrating town but it's not short on wit and quick retorts.

We've all read about or experienced the problems recently with mail service in the Bozeman area. Staffing shortages have been affecting mail sorting and delivery but hopefully this week's USPS job fair will help fix the issue.

I'm talking money. Stretching the paycheck. Incentives that truly work. Bozeman is rapidly running out of time to figure out how to allow us "normal folks" to live here. Let's get insanely creative and throw all the ideas on the wall before it's too late.

Funk, charm, history, and BIG. This 4,700+ square foot 1883 Helena mansion is for sale and apparently now under contract, with a listing price of just $350,000.

Put plainly, I think perhaps people are getting pissed about paying hundreds of dollars per night for a middle-of-the-road hotel room around Bozeman. It seems that there are more and more fairly bad reviews of even our well thought of establishments.

Most of my favorite things to spend $10 on involve food, but that's just me. But if you need to be a little frugal but also need a little pick-me-up, Bozeman does have some good options for about $10.

Many cities in Montana have gas prices far below $4 a gallon, and you don't even need to fill up at a Costco or Sam's Club to find it. Regular gas stations (as of April 13th) are showing prices as low as $3.67 a gallon.

How about a mini bull? There are practical ways, AND fun ways to blow $500 around here. We did some price checking on stuff to see how inflation is affecting our spending power.

If you're quick with math, you'll note this is $363 per square foot. This Belgrade, MT condo is in pretty nice shape and located just south of the River Rock pond but remember: you'll also be forking over HOA fees every month too. Let's look at the real estate details.

Blame supply chains, the housing boom, and too many women of a certain age? I'm not sure. But I AM sure that both shortages are very real.