Image via Complex Original
New York is not a cheap city to live in; there’s no getting around the fact. Rent devours one-third of your paycheck before you even see it, and you can easily blow the remaining two thirds on mediocre martinis at just one bar. Luckily, navigating the labyrinth of costly entertainment options is an art that can be mastered. You can have a few crumpled bills in your market and run this city like Diddy. Here are 14 commandments for being broke in NYC. Abide by them and thrive in Gotham, regardless of the sad, dwindling number in your checking account.
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Stick to lounges named after reptiles.
Where: Alligator Lounge; Crocodile Lounge
Neighborhood: Williamsburg; East Village
Address: 600 Metropolitan Ave.; 325 E 14th St.
Website: alligatorloungebrooklyn.com; crocodileloungenyc.com
Why are these two bars so great? With every drink ordered, you get a free personal pan pizza. Not just a slice, but an actual, amazing, thin crust personal pan pizza. The best time to go is Happy Hour, when you'll snag 5 dollar beers and keep the pizza coming for you and your equally broke-ass friends. You can always attempt to save the pizza tickets for a rainy day and go back when you're really down and out for a free dinner. But beware: the bartenders are looking out for this sort of cheap skate behavior (you're not the first!).
Frequent gallery openings for the free booze.
Neighborhood: Chelsea, Manhattan
Where: Milk Studios, 450 W 15th St.
Galleries, in general, are one of the best ways to be broke in this city. Not only does almost every opening offer free beer and wine, there's also the added bonus of being surrounded by culture and beautiful socialites. One of the best is Milk Studios in Chelsea, where Mr. Kanye West himself held a private listening party for Yeezus last summer. Check Milk Studio's Facebook page often and RSVP the second an opening is announced. When the day comes, dress your finest, pretend you didn't eat McDonalds at 4 A.M. the night before and attempt to convince a Swedish model that you're an important photographer living in a loft in SoHo. 60% of the time, it works every time.
Peruse craigslist with alarming regularity.
Craigslist is a mecca for broke people. Are you looking for your next apartment and the idea of broker fees, first, last month and security deposits scare the hell out of you? Craigslist is here for you. If you go into the rooms/shared section, there’s a plethora of New Yorkers looking for roommates. Most of the time, only a 1st month and security is required. No credit checks or broker bullshit to worry about. Once you’re moved in, if you’re looking for a way to furnish your glorious spectacularly tiny new room, there is literally a section titled “free” on this site. Anything from paintings to beds (we recommend you don’t get a free bed, though) to animals to TVs are featured in this section. Most of the time, the only thing you need to do is figure out a way to transport whatever item you’ve decided to get for 0 dollars and you’re set. Craigslist, you're slightly creepy, but we still love you.
Be a connoisseur of ridiculously cheap brunches.
Where: Tre
Neighborhood: Lower East Side
Address: 173 Ludlow St.
Website: trenewyork.com
New York is obsessed with brunch. Your best bet for brunching on a budget is going with a bottomless deal. A few years ago, there was only one or two in the city, the Sunburnt Cow (where you could have a meal and unlimited drinks for 2 hours for 20 dollars) being the most famous. Nowadays, these brunch deals are scattered across Manhattan and Brooklyn. Google "unlimited brunch nyc" will turn up countless restaurants, but my personal favorite is Tre in the Lower East Side. With a quaint atmosphere, and an hour and a half unlimited brunch with absolutely great food for $22, you can feel like a boss on the cheap. Note: Tre also features an all you can eat spaghetti and meatballs/sangria deal every Monday. Get on that.
Get your fitness fix on the cheap.
Neighborhood: East Village
Where: 12 St Marks Pl.
Website: yogatothepeople.com
With all of the free booze you get in this city, you're bound to desire a detox (or several) every now and then. Yoga to the People is an ideal way to get your Sun Salutations without breaking the bank. There is a 10 dollar suggested donation for classes, but if you can't swing it, you can give as little as you can manage. You can even rent Yoga mats for just 2 dollars. Planning ahead isn't neccesary; there's no registration. Just arrive 15 minutes before class begins and you're golden.
Opt for taped television over live theater.
Neighborhood: Midtown
Address: 30 Rockefeller Plaza.
Website: latenightwithjimmyfallon.com
A popular misconception for most of the country is that you have to pay money to go see late night stars like Jimmy Fallon tape a live show. This is false. Any television show is 100 percent free, even the super-coveted SNL tapings require only an email and a lot of luck on your part. For any show that is being filmed in New York, be prepared to make a day of it, as they usually require people to get there an hour or two early. But, hey, it's free, and you'll get to see famous people and maybe even get to be on TV. What more can a broke guy ask for?
Convince others you're not as broke you actually are with janky Canal Street goods.
Neighborhood: Chinatown
Where: 308 Canal St.
Website: kaviardiscoclub.com
Ah, the mayhem that is Canal Street. Most New Yorkers go to this street once and then vow to never return to the over-crowded, extra-loud, tourist-spewing row that is Canal. However, if you're looking for basically any knock off thing you ever could have dream of, you've found home. Fake Ray Bans, Gucci, and Louis Vuitton will be thrown in your direction, and you can haggle vendors for even less than they offer. Just try and avoid being pick pocketed. You only have so much cash to begin with.
Get your fine art fix at the MET.
Neighborhood: Upper East Side
Where: 1000 5th Ave.
Website: metmuseum.org
Some of the best museums in the world are in this city. Unfortunately, sometimes museums get lost in the "well, I can always go whenever, because I live here!" realm of activities, which means never going at all. Add the Guggenheim's steep $22 dollar entrance fee, and you may go until July before seeing a new exhibit. Enter: the Metropolitan Museum of Art, a prime example of a world class institution where you can spend an entire afternoon for free. They suggest a donation, but you can pay as little as one dollar to peruse some of the finest art in the world.
Know thy noodles.
Neighborhood: Chinatown
Where: 1 Doyers St.
Website: tastyhandpullednoodles.com
This hole-in-the-wall noodle spot is the go-to for cheap and filling food in Chinatown. You can't go wrong with any dish and nothing costs over ten dollars. The signature dish is the Dumpling noodle soup, full of, well, dumplings and hand-pulled noodles in your choice of vegetable or beef broth. This dish will set you back a mere $5.25 and could easily feed two people. Adding Sriracha is recommended for elevated enjoyment.
Master the DIY booze cruise.
Neighborhood: Financial District
Where: 4 South St.
Website: siferry.com
If you haven't been on the Staten Island ferry before, you're shorting yourself a dumb cheap good time. It's 100 percent free and a cultural experience full of all sorts of characters. You can also purchase beer on this boat, which is always a plus. Sit on the top of this thing, sip a 32 ounce Foster's, and look out at the Statue of Liberty as you ponder how the hell you came to live in this city to begin with. The answers probably won't come, but the buzz will.
Become a regular at Rudy's.
Neighborhood: Hell's Kitchen
Where: 627 9th Ave.
Website: rudysbarnyc.com
If you find yourself in Midtown seeking a strong drink look no further than iconic dive, Rudy's Bar. Most of the god awful Irish pubs of Midtown will charge you at least $6 a pint, but at Rudy's, you can get an entire pitcher for just $7 dollars and unlimited free hot dogs. FREE HAWT DAWGS. Rudy's clearly embodies the American dream (if you dream is mediocre hot dogs and cheap beer, which it should be).
Give falafels the top spot on your personal food pyramid.
Neighborhood: East Village
Where: 22 St Marks Pl.
Website: mamouns.com
Mamoun's is a staple for NYU students and tapped out adults for good reason. Is it the best falafel in NYC? Not even close. But, for just 3 dollars, it gets the job done surprisingly well. The place has been around since the '70s and have since expanded to several locations and a Hoboken outpost now. If your stomach doesn't go on strike, it's feasible to live off of this 3 dollar dinner every night. Just be wary of the hot sauce: Add sparingly, and with caution.
Quit paying for concert tickets.
Neighborhood: Varies
Website: myfreeconcert.com
MyFreeConcert: bookmark it right now. This website will change your social life. Each and every day, it posts free concerts and open bars that are happening around the city. Some of the best events you'll ever attend, free or otherwise, you'll find on this site. The downside? Occasionally the website catches wind of something that is already filled to capacity, so you'll occasionally find yourself at an even with a two hour wait. But, the first time you wander into a private four hour open bar that you only discovered because of this site, all sins will be forgiven. There are many similar sites, but this is one of the few that actually delivers.
Limit binge drinking to Tuesdays.
Where: Doc Holliday's; The 13th Step
Neighborhood: East Village
Address: 141 Avenue A; 149 2nd Ave.
Website: N/A; nycbestbar.com
The East Village is and will always be a hotbed of cheap bars and restaurants thanks to NYU students and poor twentysomethings. Out of the seven days you could choose to drink, the best night to drown thee sorrows plaguing you at the moment is a Tuesday. Head over to Doc Holliday's on Avenue A and drink unlimited Bud Lights from 8 to 11p.m. for just seven dollars. Yes, that's correct. For seven American dollars, you can have as many drafts of the finest beer until 11p.m. This bender train doesn't have to end there, either. You can then proceed to our favorite douchey-yet incredibly-cheap establishment, The 13th Step, for one-dollar drafts until 4a.m. The only caveat: We can't ensure you'll make it into work the next day, Also note that while there are many amazing drink deals every night of the week all across the city, this is out favorite because it allows you to stay in one neighborhood and party all night.
