NYC Survival Guide: 10+ Budget-Friendly Tips for Summer Interns in the City
After a long spring semester, I was SO excited to come home to New York City last month. But I quickly remembered the downside to being at home when I looked at my (dwindling) bank balance yesterday.
Even though I am lucky enough to be living at home during my unpaid summer internship, I’ve spent more money in the past few weeks than I would like to admit. From going to museums and shopping to meeting friends for brunch and dinner, everything in NYC is incredibly, crushingly expensive.
If you’re interning in the city this summer, survival is all about enjoying your time here while still paying your rent and affording to eat. To help you guys out, here are some of my favorite budget-friendly NYC tips:
Food
Magnolia Bakery
Don’t make plans to meet at a restaurant.
Whenever I make plans with a friend, it usually revolves around brunch or dinner or coffee, and always ends up costing at least $20 – ugh. For a cheaper way to spend quality time, meet up for a run in Central Park (you will save money and stay healthy!), or go window shopping. If you want to get together for a meal, buy food from a grocery store and cook at home, or make a picnic to eat in a park.
Don’t buy lunch every day.
My office is in midtown, and my mediocre takeout lunches rarely cost less than $10. These aren’t even meals that I can enjoy, because they are quickly eaten in a crammed cafe or at the computer. To save money and eat healthier, I try to bring lunch as often as possible, and I eat it at my desk, or outside wherever I can find a bench.
Find cheap eats!
When my friends would ask for suggestions for cheap places to eat, my answer used to be that there is no cheap food in Manhattan. But with diligent searching, I have found some (amazing) places that will cost you less than $10 for dinner, which is pretty rare in this city.
- Caracas – A Venezuelan restaurant with outposts in the East Village and Brooklyn, their arepas (kind of like tacos but SO much better) are freshly made and cost between $7 and $8.
- Blockheads – With multiple locations in NYC, this Mexican restaurant has amazing burritos, great drinks for those of you who are over 21, and a fun atmosphere. You can get a burrito and a drink for around $15.
- Chelsea Market – Located just a few blocks north of the Meatpacking District, Chelsea Market is a big building filled with different food shops and restaurants, and many incredible bakeries. Get takeout from one of the small shops (if you choose carefully, you can get an enormous meal for less than $10) and eat it on the High Line, which is just down the block!
Attractions
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Go to museums on discounted days.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s ticket prices are ‘recommended’ which means that you should pay as much as you can to help support the museum, but I have gotten in for only a few dollars. The MoMA is free on Friday nights from 4-8pm, the Frick Museum is pay what you wish from 11-1pm on Sundays, the New Museum is free on Thursdays from 7-9pm, and the Museum of Natural History prices are ‘suggested,’ so it is a similar situation to the Met.
Go on walking tours.
Whether a good friend from NYC leads you around, or if you find a route online and follow it, walking around NYC is the best way to explore, and the greatest part is, it’s free. Along the way, you can browse in stores, or stop for a few snacks, and get to know the city while only spending a few dollars. Some of my favorite neighborhoods to walk are the Lower East Side, the West Village, the Meatpacking District, the Upper East Side and Nolita. Make sure you visit many different places in the city to get a feel for the differences between neighborhoods.
Shopping
Sephora on Fifth Avenue
Chain stores can be a go-to.
Most people do not want to come to NYC and shop at the same stores they have at home, but fast-fashion retailers like Forever 21 and H&M are an intern’s BFFs. These chains are often the least expensive shops in a neighborhood, and the NYC stores have a huge selection of fun and cheap items.
Boutiques = pricey but worth browsing.
NYC boutiques tend to be pricey, but if you want to find some special pieces that no one else will have, they are the place to go.
Some of my favorite stores are on Prince street, between Broadway and Bowery. If you are in that area, look for Pinky Otto, Roni and Anemone. Their prices range from $50 to $200, which is obviously expensive, but the clothes you will find are worth the price. Also, if you roam around the Lower East Side, the East Village, Chinatown and Nolita, you will find mostly boutiques and very few chain stores, all in a similar price range.
Get to know the department stores!
Bergdorf Goodman is my favorite store in the city, and Barney’s comes in at a close second. I mostly browse at these stores, but sometimes, if there is an incredible sale, I will be able to buy something. Otherwise, I buy make-up and lunch and pretend that I can afford the newest Céline bag. (Sigh!) In terms of actual shopping, the second floor of Bloomingdale’s carries some pretty reasonable brands, made cheaper with amazing summer sales.
Your turn!
NYC ladies, what are YOUR tips for surviving the city on a budget? Will you be in NYC this summer? Did these tips help you? If you have any more questions about life in NYC, leave a comment and I’ll try my best to answer them all!
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Posted on on June 17, 2012 / Filed Under: College Life / Tags: Internships, Life, NYC, Tips
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Lynn
Blockheads is the best! My girlfriends and I would meet for dinner and cheap margaritas every Tuesday, then go to our favorite pub for the rest of the night till we took the train home to NJ.
http://marilynmonwoah.tumblr.com/
I wanna go to china town so badly and stock up on asian make up brands like dolly wink and lioele.
Aubbs
Oh my goodness! This post is perfect, I am currently in New York City for a summer internship. These tips and adivce are so amazing.
Thank you!
Lana
You should really go to the Amish Market if you are down by City Hall Park and NYU. The food is delicious and you can get an actual meal for under $10 :-)
Meghan
Please do a philadelphia one!! So many inyerns live there and it is such a college town
Jaclyn
Big tip about food: try food trucks. There are many food trucks on the streets, and many food truck rallies/events. Check those out – you’ll have a ton of new food you’ve never had before for real cheap! :)
Also, as true budget fashionistas, you all have to check out the flea markets. Hell’s Kitchen and Hester Street Fair are two of my personal favorites. I picked up vintage bags from both Céline and Coach at Hell’s Kitchen, and a bib necklace at Hester Street Fair that I get tons of compliments on. Great places to find unique pieces for really, really, really cheap. (Did I mention that both the vintage designer bags I got were $40?!)
The Guggenheim has pay-as-you-wish entry on Saturday evenings from around 5-8 :)
So many more tips, but I’m not going to spam the comment section. :P
xxxx
Callia Armelle
Loved this! As an intern in the city it can be hard to stay on budget while being “paid in experience”. These tips were so helpful.
Camilla
Wow, thanks for this post! I’m flying all the way from Italy to do an internship this summmer and I’m collecting tips o be able to both eat and go shopping… At home designer clothes are so much more expensives than in the US! I’m planning some careful splurging.
Kristin
I wish this post existed before I went to NYC for spring break!
Awesome, awesome post though, thanks for sharing. :)
Supal {chevrons and éclairs}
For the museums, you can go whenever you want for free. Just show them your student ID. They also LOVE interns. You dont have to go on discounted days.
Emily - Vassar College
I am glad I am able to help, and those are all great tips!
Unfortunately, not all museums are free even if you are a student. Most museums have student discounts if you bring your student ID, but you still have to pay.
Shannon - Boston University
Seconding Jaclyn’s mention of flea markets! NYC has lots of great secondhand deals: check out the Housing Works Thrift Shops, too. There are a bunch of them all over the city.
Sample sales are also fun, although they’re usually still kind of pricey. Discount designer places like Loehmann’s (aka love of my life) and Century 21 are great too. And UNIQLO has decent sales.
Koreatown (around 32nd and 5th) is great for relatively inexpensive food and fun cosmetics.
Nadja
So glad to see Caracas here! Been there, a very good and vegetarian-friendly place, and yes, very very cheap.
Ria
Actually, NYC is full of cheap yet delicious lunches that rarely cost *more* than $10, even in midtown– and lots of places have lunch specials, so it’s often better to eat lunch out and cook dinner in. Try Maoz (veg-friendly and under $5) or Zen Palate if you’re on the west side, or look up places near you on menupages. And check out the amazing prepared foods at Zabars. Good food is part of the experience!
Ria
Also– if you’re in NY, go see a Broadway show! Many shows have student rush or ticket lotteries where you can get $20 tickets. I highly recommend GHOST!
m
nyc has plenty of thrift & 2nd hand stores if you want designer stuff for a bargain – i think there are a bunch in the union square area.
for cheap eats, nothing beats chinatown & st. mark’s, especially if you like asian food, specifically chinese & japanese, respectively. :)
if you want good cheap korean, you’re going to have to jump across the river to NJ.
also, don’t limit yourself to manhattan – there’s plenty of cheap places in the other boroughs too, especially queens & brooklyn.
Stephanie
Century 21 is amazing…it’s basically a discount department store comparable to a giant Marshalls/TJMaxx/Ross. I found one of my fave pairs of flats there for under $10. Also, don’t count out thrift stores and consignment shops-NYC has tons of them and you can get things for the same prices as Forever 21/H&M but the quality is much higher.
Nicole
This is such a great post! I plan on visiting nyc soon but im not from the states. May i know when the sale periods are?
NatalieH
My two cents after living in the city for 3 years on a shoestring budget…secondhand is the way to go for clothes, look in Brooklyn or the East Village at Beacon’s Closet, Buffalo Exchange, or other shops….for fun activities, happy hour is always cheap, but try outdoor activities too, like movies under the stars (Brooklyn), outdoor concerts and festivals, throwbacks like Coney Island, and there is even free kayaking on the Hudson River!…as for food, I loved the chain Hummus Place for a cheap dinner, the pay-by-weight self-serve fro-yo places, and Shake Shack as a greasy (but bargain) weekend treat.
Sandra
it feels so funny to see a restaurant in NYC called Caracas… I am from there (the city :P) and yeah, the arepas are awesome! I love all the tips you’ve given so far :)