What’s good everyone and welcome to this blog. I’m TN4K and I’m going to be giving away 3 important tips on how to save money when living in NYC. Even if you are just visiting as a tourist all 3 tips should work out for you as well. When coming to NYC you think, I got to have money because everything is twice the price, which is true if you are in tourist areas. I’m going to show you how we, the locals live in this amazing city.

My back story really quick, I moved to NYC in April of 2012 with a 1996 GT Mustang and $700. I was sleeping on a friend’s couch for 2 weeks before I found a job and a new place to live. How in the world did I live on $700 dollars, I had no debt and no credit cards. I was able to make money fast as a bartender and get around faster because I had my car. Also, these 3 tips I’m sharing below had a lot to do with it as well and I still use them today.

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List Below

1. Saving Money on Food:

   We all love to eat out in NYC. Sometimes that means you are going to be spending a ton of money on salty food. Not all of the restaurants are great, some are overpriced and the food is bad. If you live here to save on buying food get yourself a Costco card. You can order the food online to be delivered to you through the website with Instacart free. If you are using EBT you have to go there in person, and take a shared ride home. If you are using EBT and want to order online, try Amazon Fresh.

   Also, stay away from overpriced chain shops like C-Town & Keyfoods, look for little groceries shops with fresh veggies and fruit. I will list a few in different neighbourhoods I stayed in. Williamsburg BK: Mr Pina, Lower East Side: Essex Mark (Essex Farm Fruits & Vegetables, New Star Fish Market, & Essex Olive & Spice), South Slopes: Rossman Fruit & Vegetable District

2. Getting Around:

   I own a car again now, but for 7 years I took the MTA. I’m paying the same in price for a Metro, that I would each year with gas and insurance. The bonus is when I want to leave the city, I get in my car and go. If you are taking the MTA, look at how much you are taking it and get a weekly card. I never got a monthly, if I lost it I would have been out $133 rather than just $33.

   Also, look for the discounted Metro card, where you only pay half for the MTA. For this you must live in the city, if you get approved for that card, you can also get the Citibike key for only $5 a month for unlimited rides of 45 minutes at a time.

3. Cable, Subscriptions & Internet:

   When I had a full-time job my Boss came to me and asked me about the Jailbroken Firestick 4K I was selling on eBay & Etsy. Like how much they are and can he get 4 of them from me? I’m like yeah why? I wanted to know this information to solve his problem.

   The price he was paying for cable plus premium channels with having Netflix and Spotify his household was paying out $400 plus tax a month and that’s without Internet. The Internet was another $65 plus tax. He was able to get 4 Jailbroken Firestick 4K’s from me for $450 and cancel everything else even the Spotify. He paid for D3vicx Online Course which was $349.99, plus the 4 Firesticks that came up to $100 (on sale at Best Buy). He is now saving $400 a month for the last 2 years. That’s $9,600 in savings that I know he is happy about. The best part is he takes at least 2 of the Jailbroken Firesticks with him on vacation, they work everywhere in the world all you need is WiFi.

   I let him know about Starry Internet which is a better price at $50 a month for 200 Mbps. The worst internet you can get in NYC is Verizon, they do a hard credit check for no reason at all.

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In Conclusion

I love living in this city it can get crazy but it’s best to save up your money when you can. When moving you are paying for 1st month's rent, a deposit, and a broker’s fee, trust having that extra cash helps. I will be doing more posts in the future on how to save even more money living in any city in the world.

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Update October 2022

This past summer of 2022 sucked so bad in New York City. Everyone’s National Grid and ConEd billed triple. Even if you used less than the year before. Mayor Eric Adams did nothing to help with this problem. HEPA is for assistance with these bills, they closed the program this whole summer. You can only sign up for Cash Assistant if your bill was a cut-off notice.

I wanted to point out these problems because we have a New Governor who no one voted in. And a Mayor people thought would save us and he went right. Also, he increased rent on Rent-Stabilized housing. Think twice before moving to New York City, everyone we know is leaving.

My ConEd bill came in at $465, they added on $165 for a deposit. I didn’t pay the deposit there was no reason to. And National Grid has not honored my monthly discount of $20. Instead, this month was $122. I just want to call out these companies on this bs. Live in Queens, there is no Gas bill.

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