It costs a lot to live in New York City. But it doesn’t have to.
There are ways to life hack the hell out of this expensive city, so the only thing that will still cost you an arm and a leg is your rent (no, we can’t help you with that).
But we can help you find inexpensive-- and hell, we'll say it, even free-- things to do in NYC.
You know, so your bank account can stop getting assaulted every time you go out, and you can then worry less about your funds.
Wanna know more? Here are 10 basic ways to life hack the hell right out of this expensive city.
1. Avoid bar covers
This might seem sort of obvious, but skip the bars with covers. Just don’t go to them.
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There are plenty of bars that don’t charge you admission to get inside their doors. Develop a hard no policy to covers, since it's just kind of rude on the bar’s part.
Because really, you would have spent that money on alcohol anyway.
2. Avoid ATM fees
ATM fees are absolutely absurd-- although shout-out to whoever came up with the idea because it's kind of brilliant money-making scheme.
We can only imagine how that conversation went: we’re going to charge people money to get to their money. It’s evil genius!
Instead of spending $3 at an ATM to have access to your own money, buy something small with your debit card (like toothpaste or milk or some other necessity) and then when the cashier asks if you want cash back, say yes.
It’s a foolproof way to accomplish errands, get cash, and avoid those pesky ATM fees.
3. Bring cash to bars
It’s typical for New Yorkers to never have any form of cash and rely solely on credit cards. Which can be a real pain, since so many of this city's establishments take cash-only.
Having no cash is also a drain on your bank account, since so many bars have credit card minimums.
When a bar has a $30 credit card minimum, and you have no cash, you usually just wind up spending $20 or so more dollars than you originally planned.
So bring cash out with you, and enjoy the freedom to spend $7, or whatever amount you want, at the bar instead.
Also, pre-game hard. Instead of buying six drinks at the bar, have five drinks at your apartment beforehand, and buy one drink at the bar. Your wallet will thank you afterwards.
4. Deal hunt
Happy hours in NYC are gold. (Well, they let you keep your gold).
Gramercy has $3 draft beers on Fridays from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m., Double Wide has $3 domestic beers on Fridays from 3 p.m to 8 p.m., and The 13th Step’s entire menu is half-price from 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Fridays.
And if you can, go to lunch at The 13th Step on Fridays, because every burger, sandwich, or wrap comes with a free draft beer or soda from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Oh, what's that? You want to get crunk on a Tuesday? Go to Soft Spot in Williamsburg, where drinks are two-for-one until 2 a.m. on Tuesdays.
Or you can go to McSorley’s whenever, as they don’t seem to have increased their prices since the '80s. Plan your fun around these deals, and you’ll have much more cash to work with.
Plan it right, and visit NYC’s museums on the days they let you in for free.
Some museums, like the Bronx Museum of the Arts, the Leslie-Lohman Museum of Gay and Lesbian Art, and Socrates Sculpture Park are always free.
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The Brooklyn Botanical Garden is free on Tuesdays, the Bronx Zoo is free on Wednesdays, MOMA is free on Fridays from 4 p.m to 8 p.m., and the New York Hall of Science is free on Sundays.
Or you can scope out an art gallery opening where admission is free, and usually so is wine.
And of course, most of this city's parks and gardens are free to chill out in.
,6. Cook
You’ll save hundreds of dollars by cooking in your apartment, and spend a fraction of the price you’d spend at restaurants. (P.S., we love FreshDirect.)
Of course, going to restaurants is great but relegate that for special occasions. So when you do go, it’ll be even more special than it ever was before.
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By learning to cook, you’ll hone a skill you’ll use for the rest of your life, you’ll make yourself a more attractive marriage candidate, and you’ll save oodles of money.
How do you learn to cook? Make friends with people who love to cook and then watch them. Very carefully.
7. Buy produce
Most of the food they sell at the grocery store isn’t really food anyway, and it’s much more expensive than everything in the produce section.
Buy lettuce and spinach and brussel sprouts and potatoes and carrots. Snack on grapes and strawberries instead of chips and gummies.
You’ll be much healthier, and you’ll spend a fraction of the price.
8. Travel for food
We know it might be a pain, but buying your groceries in the Bronx, Queens, Harlem, or Brooklyn is exponentially less expensive than buying your groceries in Manhattan.
So if all it takes to spend $70 at the grocery store instead of $150 for the exact same grocery items is to spend a half hour on a subway, so be it.
Ride the effin' subway with your groceries... trust us, you will most likely survive.
9. Utilize street carts
Usually, street carts sell fruit and vegetables for three-for-a-dollar (or some similar deal). Which is way less expensive than even buying these items at the grocery store.
If you buy your morning coffee at a street cart, it’ll cost you a buck instead of the four it costs you to buy your coffee at Starbucks.
Or better yet: buy your coffee at the grocery store, and then wake up early and make it for yourself.
10. Stay in (well, sometimes)
It’s no secret that having a bunch of friends over to drink in your apartment on a Friday night costs way less than hitting the town. How much less?
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If you drink five or six bottles of Two-Buck Chuck (Charles Shaw Wine), you’ll spend around $20.
If you go hard at the bar, it’s pretty normal to spend $100. So yeah, you get the point.
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[Feature Image Courtesy: Phude-NYC]