Bank account low? You can still live the high life in Charlotte

I may never get to watch a Carolina Panthers game from the 50-yard line, but I’m not about to let a little thing like money keep me from enjoying all the great entertainment, restaurants and sights Charlotte has to offer.

You see, you can live large here on a very, very small budget. All it takes is a little research, an adventurous streak, a good GPS system and a patient wife. Seven tips to get you started:

(1) Collect coupons. 

Recently, we saw a movie playing at Cinemark’s discount cinema in Matthews. Add that $6 ticket total to my emailed coupon for a free drink with a popcorn purchase, and we enjoyed a film for less than $15. And what’s more romantic than sharing popcorn? (Editor’s note: Cinemark to close Aug. 23, so go while you still can.)

(2) Track time-based deals. 

Speaking of my wife, she absolutely loves milkshakes. We never forget to take advantage of Sonic‘s summer half-price shake special after 8 p.m.

(3) Browse for online discounts. 

Heck, there are so many half-off restaurant deals out there (Groupon, Living Social, Dealsaver, etc…) my wife has stopped cooking completely – and she hasn’t complained. We can eat out for less than it costs to purchase the ingredients. There’s no time wasted cooking and cleaning up, either.

(4) Stop ignoring emails.

It’s not all about food. We both enjoy live theater, and, luckily, the Blumenthal loves to fire off emails about their latest promotion. Recently we caught “Annie” at the Belk Theater on great tickets that were so cheap I should have been ashamed. But I wasn’t.

(5) Make sure you “like” the local theater companies on Facebook.

They periodically have online contests and the odds might be in your favor. That helped me score freebies to a Queen City Theatre Company production.

(6) Notice your credit card perks.

Let’s not forget to thank Bank of America for their cultural perks! On the first Saturday of the month, treat yourselves to one of the local museums, courtesy of the company’s “Museums on Us” program. Your BofA credit card gets you in free to both Mint Museums, Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, the Levine Museum of the New South and the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts and Culture! All free.

I’ll admit it — some folks’ idea of a good time may not include a half-off coupon. Paying a fortune for Taylor Swift tickets on Craigslist is OK with them. Not me.

Give me the excitement of the chase, the victory at having saved a few bucks, the thrill of something new and sharing it all with a sexy date. It adds up to twice the fun.

Photos by T. Ortega Gaines / Charlotte Observer, Lukas Johnson / Charlotte Observer, Diedra Laird / Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer

This story was originally published August 17, 2015 at 11:04 PM with the headline "Bank account low? You can still live the high life in Charlotte."