13 money-saving tricks I used when I moved to New York City for graduate school
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No matter where you're coming from, moving to New York is not a cheap endeavor.
In addition to the cost of moving itself, what awaits is a mind-boggling process of finding an apartment, exorbitant rent, and myriad hidden fees.
Then there's the actual cost of living. In a city that encourages spending, particularly in social situations, it's easy to live beyond your means and get yourself into financial trouble without even realizing it.
That is, until your credit card bill shows up.
I moved to New York in August 2015 to start my Master's degree at NYU's journalism school. I left behind a legal career in New Zealand after a short stint in law made me realize that I wasn't suited for it long term.
Generous financial help from my parents, combined with personal savings and cash flow from my husband's online business allowed me to take the opportunity — which was always my secret childhood dream — for which I feel extremely fortunate. But the transition from a lawyer's salary to being a graduate student in a much more expensive city meant that I had to be extremely vigilant about my spending.
Here are the 13 tricks I used to save money when I moved to New York with no income of my own:
1. Substituting legumes for meat
Because my rent, internet, and mobile phone bills were the same every month, I knew that I had to figure out a way to slash my grocery costs.
An avid cook, I was used to buying whatever ingredients I wanted during grocery runs. But after trips to multiple supermarkets in New York, I realized just how much buying animal products can add to my grocery total.
For example, a pound of ground turkey at Trader Joe's costs $2.99. A 15-ounce can of black beans or garbanzo beans costs 79 cents. For the cost of three packages of ground turkey, I could buy eight cans of beans, which would last me more meals.
Before moving to New York, I was used to eating a lot of meat, so adopting a largely vegetarian diet was definitely challenging at first.
Once my taste buds adapted, I was surprised to find that I felt a lot healthier. The habit became easier to maintain, and I learned to get extremely creative with recipes involving beans and lentils.
2. Never going anywhere on an empty stomach
Naturally, my limited budget meant that eating out and shelling out cash at bars and cafes weren't really options.
For a long time, that included not getting takeout. A $10 meal might not seem like a big purchase, but when you consider the cost of the ingredients and how much cheaper it would be to make at home, it's hard to justify.
When I did go to bars, cafes, or restaurants to meet friends, I made sure to eat beforehand so I wouldn't be tempted to buy an overpriced grilled cheese or french fries.
I would stick with drinking soda or filter coffee. Most of my friends were fellow graduate students, so there was no embarrassment around uttering the phrase, "I can't afford it."
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3. Allowing myself one 'cheat item' a week
Just like diets often leave you craving foods you can't eat, being on a budget also leaves you craving foods you can't afford.
I gave myself a small treat once a week, though I made sure the item wasn't too expensive. This usually took the form of a $4.99 Pound-Plus Trader Joe's chocolate bar or my biggest weakness, potato chips. Very occasionally, I also treated myself to takeout or a cheap meal, which luckily isn't hard to come by in New York!
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