Labor Day may have been established to celebrate the country’s economic successes, but there’s no reason to spend too much of your hard-earned cash this weekend. Use your GWorld to score a half-priced sandwiches with a friend, roam the National Book Festival for free and indulge in seafood — and toast to a new school year — at “Labor Day Crabfest.”

A cheesy deal
Head to Melt Shop (1901 L St. NW) for half-priced grub all week. The grilled cheese and milkshake joint, which opened last spring, is offering GW students who flash their ID card a buy-one-get-one-free deal on grilled cheese sandwiches. And since it’s the last weekend of summer, treat yourself to a chilly Nutella milkshake or a root beer float. Sandwiches cost about $7 before the discount and milkshakes cost $5.

Bookworms, rejoice
Spend Saturday at the 15th annual National Book Festival in the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. Entry to the festival is free, and runs from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. There, you can watch a poetry slam contest at 7:30 p.m. or attend a book talk with New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof and his wife, Sheryl WuDunn, both of whom have co-authored four books.

Blue crabs and brews
On Labor Day, check out City Tap House (901 9th St. NW) for its Labor Day Crabfest. The event will be much like last year’s festivities, with half a dozen Maryland blue crabs for $19 plus Old Bay fries and hushpuppies. But the best part is the brunch, featuring a rare Maryland brew, Burley Oak, that kicks off at 11 a.m. The event lasts until 6 p.m.