And sometimes – like after you come home from bombing an exam to find an email from your long distance boyfriend saying he “just can’t do it anymore” and you knock a glass of water onto your brand new MacBook – you need a lot more. But something about chugging Two Buck Chuck straight from the bottle is neither classy nor refined, and having to keep pouring glass after glass just slows down the healing process.

Sounds like to need this (big) guy.

A wine glass big enough to hold a full bottle of Boones Farm Strawberry Fields?

I’ll take two, please.

When making my decision between drinking a glass of red or white wine, I usually pick vodka. But sometimes that is simply not an option. So my thought process usually goes something like this:

Who doesn’t drink a glass of ice-cold vodka at dinner time? Strange. Wine it is then. But the only people who drink white wine are those trashy housewives in Atlanta and Kirsten from the O.C. We all remember those infamous words before she sent herself off to rehab, “I may like my Chardonnay, but I won’t end up alone! And that’s more than I can say for you!” Wow, that was a train wreck. Better opt for a glass of red. But I’m trying to meet some boys tonight and I don’t think purple teeth are going to work to my advantage. Plus, I’m trying to maintain a glowing smile so I can one day become rich and famous for my million-dollar smile. So I better stick to white wine.

That entire inner monologue could have been avoided had I know this fun fact: White wine is actually worse for your teeth than red.  White wine is high in acid, and that can wear away tooth enamel and intensify the stains left by the double espresso you slammed at the library the night before.

Ub40 was so, so right: Red red wine, you make me (and my teeth) feel so fine. You keep me rocking all of the time….

So for all of you winos who drink soda through a straw and religiously brush your teeth before and after every meal, your best bet is to skip the 2-Buck-Chuck Sauvignon Blanc and order a bottle of red. Or just chug some Listerine. That should do the trick.

Today is Good Friday.

I’m not sure what makes it more good than any other Friday (which are always good in my book), but that is what the calendar says, so I’m goin’ with it. In honor of the goodness of today, I decided to make this Friday extra special and do everything to make sure it was good: I ate a donut for breakfast (good), I put real cream instead of skim milk in my coffee (good), I never got out of my PJs (good), and I’m hoping to watch the entire first season of The Hills on DVD (very good).

What about you?

This week our writers weighed in on what makes a Good Friday for them. Besides the mere fact that it’s Friday, of course. Helloooo, weekend!

Brithny – Duke: After not seeing my family for half a year (thanks, Duke) a Good Friday for me would be everyone in my family sitting down to a yummy homemade dinner and then afterwards drinking tea by the fireplace and telling (sometimes embarrassing) family stories.

Charlsie – Hollins: My ideal Friday would be to somehow manage to have the best of both worlds collide — hanging out with my best friends and my boyfriend, over food and drinks, and not have it be awkward. That would be the ultimate Friday for me!

Carly – Grinnell: Definitely a Friday with no work is a good Friday in my book.

Kayla – California State University, Sacramento: When I get all my homework and studying done after my last class of the week. Then I know I have nothing to worry about all weekend.

Lauren – University of Michigan: Thai carryout, a bottle of 2 Buck Chuck and a DVD. Actually, that’s a great Friday.

Cristina – Michigan State University: A Good Friday in my book would be canceled classes, so therefore sleeping in.  Then my friends would surprise me and show up for the weekend, and we’d go to a party with great music.  You know, the simple things in life.

Elizabeth – UC Berkeley: Laying in the sun with my friends, drinking yummy beer (not Keystone…for once).

Thu – USC: “Forgetting” that you have a five-page essay due on Monday until Sunday night, and then getting a decent grade on it. Sweet.

Sarabeth – University of Texas: A good Friday involves at minimum 2 of the following: booze, friends, sleep.

Amanda – Reed College: To sit on my ass for eight hours first and later go out and drink until I pass out. Oh, would that be lovely.

Noa – CU Boulder: Not getting out of bed. For anything.

Maddie – Tufts: No classes. I didn’t have free Fridays until first semester of junior year, and now I cherish them. Oh, and dollar specials at my bagel place…

Alex- Lakehead University: One where I don’t end up mad at my drunk friends and can dance the night away without getting drinks spilled on me.

Leah – Ryerson University: I don’t have classes on Friday so every week has a Good Friday for me.

[Photo courtesy of Lunameth on Flickr.]

Below are some of my absolute faves. Got some of your own? Please, please please, let me know!

1. Two Buck Chuck: Well, in the case of my Trader Joe’s, it’s Three Buck Chuck – it seems to vary depending on where you are. BUT $3 for totally decent wine is aces with me! As a sidenote, the genius wine guy at my local shop told me that anything between $5 and $20 is generally not worth it. The cheap bottles are every bit as good as the mid-range ones (like $7-$15) so don’t bother! Cheap wine can be good wine!

(1B. I’ve got to give a shout out to Trader Joe’s in general. I cannot get enough of this store, because it has delicious bargains, and makes my goal of cooking my meals at home to save money totally attainable. It also has so much awesome frozen, pre-diced, pre-cooked food. Excellent finds for those of us both poor and busy!)

2. e.l.f. (or Eyes, Lips, Face, if you want to get technical about it): Go to eyeslipsface.com for THE BEST beauty bargains around. I’m not exaggerating; it’s genius. It is to my adult self what Wet ‘n’ Wild was to my elementary school self. All their stuff is well-formulated and pretty, and it is all….wait for it…..$1!! That’s right, one dollar! Eyeshadows, liners, mascaras, nail polish, you name it, all in a huge range of irresistible shades. And I do mean irresistible; the hardest part is not going insane and buying everything you could ever want, because you think, “hey, it’s only a dollar!” and then you’ve spent $50. Oops.

3. Payless Shoe Source: The best place I have found for trendy, seasonal shoes! Shoes here are rarely above $30, and those are the super pricey ones. They’ve also jumped on the whole team-up-with-fancy-designers bandwagon, so they’ve joined forces with labels like alice + olivia for some killer footwear. I’ve been jonesing for some gladiator sandals this spring, and guess where I found ‘em for under $20?!

4. Whole Foods Shampoo and Conditioner: I love this stuff! A regular sized bottle of their shampoo or conditioner runs you $1.99, and a massive one will be about $4. Not only does it work really well, and leave you with shiny, silky hair, but it comes in great scents, which is by far the most important part for me when I’m showering first thing in the morning! It just makes the day a little nicer, you know? My personal fave is the pink grapefruit, but they’ve got a bevy of beautiful scents, and if you’re sensitive-skinned (or simply trying to cut down on chemicals where you can), they have a fragrance free version.

5. Hulu.com: It’s sad to say, but my cable has had to go, and I’m pretty sure netflix is next on the chopping block. Since internet is simply indispensible, I will be relying on hulu for my television and movie needs. It has a rad (sidenote: I’m trying to bring back the word rad) current selection of TV shows, and the movies run the gamut from classic Jim Carrey (does that even make sense?) to indie selections from SXSW. Clearly, they don’t have everything, but they’ve got a lot, and it’s free!

Those are some of my go-tos, when it comes to saving some of my dollars. Got any faves of your own? Share ‘em! We’ll pull through this together!