Thriftster: October 15 - 18

Spent all your cash on girlie drinks and shattered dreams again this weekend, didn't you? No worries - Thriftster gives you the lowdown on cheap stuff to do until Paycheck Friday.

Monday: We are confused about the Sona play date, so let's try again shall we? The weather is awesome, as if you haven't noticed, so tonight you and your main squeeze should grab a blanket and hit the outdoors to watch the free screening from 7-10pm of Sona at the Sabine Promenade (between Memorial Dr. and Allen Parkway). The film features Houston cityscapes and ambient noise recorded around town - stick around for local musicians Mondays suck - so grab a glass of vino at The Corkscrew (1919 Washington Ave.) and enjoy resident acoustic music lovers Julian Samuel and Jonathan de la Garza as they play away your early weekday blahs. 4 days until Friday, people.

Tuesday: Feeling inspired by the bone crushing prowess of the Roller Derby Girls? Brush up on your skating technique at the free Skating 101 class at Memorial Park (6501 Memorial Dr.) at 6pm tonight. If you manage to survive that, roll yourself on over to the nearby Biba's Greek Pizza (5526 Memorial Dr.) for spanakopita pizza to make up for those burned calories.

Wednesday: If staying home and watching 'The Search for the Next Elvira' last night didn't get you in enough of the Halloween mood, splurge a little at La Carafe (813 Congress St.) for a turn-of-the-century seance from 8-10pm. Tickets are $20 (boooo), but freaking yourself out in public = priceless.

Thursday: Cheap date alert! Wine, dine and serenade your favorite hottie (or, uhm, your roommate or pal from work - whatever) with Two Star Symphony at AvantGarden (411 Westheimer Rd.). 12 bucks gets you generous wine sampling, munchies and a chill string quartet experience, not too shabby!