An entertainment guide for the cash-strapped college student.

If you have…

$5 – The author of “Sex and the City,” Candace Bushnell-just call her Carrie-will be signing her latest book, “Lipstick Fever,” at Olsson’s books in Arlington, Va. Friday at 7 p.m. Use your five bucks for a Metro card out to the Courthouse stop, and then speculate about who Bushnell’s Mr. Big might have been.

$10 – Ok, so we lied. You don’t need $10 to go to the National Book Festival on the National Mall, also a free event. You don’t even need to buy a Metro card to get there, because authors such as John Irving and David McCullough are within walking distance. We just wanted to squeeze in another free event.

$20 – Have your cake and eat it too. Go to the U Street shopping corridor and check out some of the new hip stores that have popped up lately, such as the men’s and women’s clothier Carbon, or the funky vintage store Junction. Then, head to Cakelove (1506 U St.) and pick up a decadent cupcake or pastry from this neighborhood fixture.