If Your $132 Didn't Go to Mankiw

With the onset of the fall semester comes the usual rush to prepare for an all new set of classes that promise to be panic-inducing in all new ways. But an additional rude awakening was in store this year for students taking Ec 10a. The course now requires that students buy a new loose-leaf course pack for a whopping $132, a change that the course head and textbook author N. Gregory Mankiw stands by. You could be glad you didn’t enroll, or holding back tears because you did; either way, we at Flyby have a carefully curated selection of objectively better things you could’ve spent that cash money on.

Get your H sweater on

Technically, fall has arrived, which means it’s time to be the early bird and get your classic, cliché H sweater. Priced at $100, well below the Ec 10 course pack, the staple Harvard sweater will ensure you never look less than obnoxiously Ivy League. You could actually own the sweater before Harvard-Yale in November if you step on it! Bonus: on those chilly days around town, you can just point at your sweater if anyone asks you what school you go to. Better not to waste your breath on plebes, right?

Beat back hunger

Need a little something to fire up your brain before getting back to psets? Or a nighttime snack to cheer you up after that terrible party you ditched? No fear, because Insomnia Cookies delivers 100 cookies for $121. Alternatively, if the sweet stuff doesn’t do it for you, make your way to JFK Street’s Tasty Burger and get yourself 21 burgers, or 13 burger-fries-beer combos. You could share with your whole squad… or not. Who are we kidding.

Free shipping, and streaming? Check

All that you didn’t spend on the Principles of Economics, you can spend on the capitalist trappings that every college student needs: Amazon Prime Student, Netflix, and Spotify Premium. According to our calculations, you can use your $132 on 17 months of Netflix, 26 months of Spotify Premium, or nearly three and a half years of Amazon Prime. Yes, you read that right. Why would you ever want to spend on higher education again?

Fancy food, not fast food, please

That saved $132 sure makes you feel like you’re rolling in it. So why not look at some more upscale dining options? At Alden & Harlow on Brattle Street, you can treat yo’self six times to warm smoked lamb breast, grilled bluefish, or merguez tortellini, whatever that is. Bogie’s Place in Boston will spot you with $70 Russian caviar. Asta, also in Boston, serves a three-course meal for $50, so how about two fancy meals in a row, hmm?

Leave the Harvard bubble

If you want to leave campus far, far behind—seriously? The semester literally just started. If you insist, though, fly to Las Vegas in October for $117! Just one caveat: that’s a one-way fare. Well, Flyby can’t do everything for you. Maybe taking the leftover $15 to the roulette tables might win you a way back?

Take a stand against what Mankiw stands for!