Lollapallooza stage at dusk/By Kellen M. Henry

If having parents in town is the best way to save money during the weekend, a friend visit might be the worst.

There’s the pressure to show them a good time and eat at fun restaurants and have frosty beers at funky bars. Plus, they’re living the vacation splurge while you’re living business as usual. Plus, they’ve probably got a little extra from the vacation piggy bank if they’re crashing on your couch instead of staying at a hotel.

Luckily, my good friend and house guest for Lollapalooza last weekend is cash conscious in addition to being charming and delightful.

Read on to see how we got through the weekend without breaking the bank:

For first-time visitors to the city, the tourist stuff is high on the list and a lot of it is free, too. My friend and I got some sun at the Lake Michigan beachfront, took a long walk down the “Magnificent Mile” and made our way down to Millenium Park to splashed around in the fountain. Later, we took in the fireworks on Navy Pier… all for free. I’ve shied away from doing touristy stuff since moving here, so it was pretty fun for me too.

On Sunday, we had pricy tickets to Lollapallooza, so we didn’t want to drop any more cash at the festival than we had to. We started the day off with a big and fairly economical brunch at Anne Sather getting enough cinnamon roll action to keep us dancing all afternoon without having to buy the expensive food in Grant Park. Water wasn’t the most expensive I’ve seen it at an event like this at $2 for a 20 oz bottle, but we decided to tote in our own liter bottles from 7-11 and refill them from the water fountains. We had a natural buzz from all the great music, so we waited until we got back to my house and picked up a 6-pack of Goose Island 312, a Chicago classic from the grocery store. The $10 we spent would have bought us each only one watery Bud Light a piece at lolla.

Meals out can be another big wallet buster, especially if you’re going to fun or trendy places. Try taking brunch out instead of going for a steak dinner. Don’t forget you can order in or cook together, too. Or, go for traditional Chicago pizza. There’s a good chance it’ll feed you for two meals.