Money Saving Tips for your Next NYC Trip
I love to save money. Probably because I love to spend money. So I do my best to save where I can so I can spend where I want to. Because of this, I’ve gotten pretty good at finding ways to save money on trips that don’t feel like you’re actually skimping on any of the important things! Here are some of my favorite tips to help you save money on your next trip to NYC! Some of these budget tips I learned on our multiple trips here before we lived here, and some I figured out after the fact as I moved here and discovered more and more about the city!
Tips to save money on your next trip to New York City:
Food trucks/street vendors are usually surprisingly good and super affordable! The Halal cart by my apartment is honestly one of my favorite things to grab for lunch, and you can get a full plate (that for me usually ends up being two meals) for only $7. This is a great budget lunch option because you still get to experience some amazing New York City food without spending much at all! Just try to avoid the ones in super touristy areas like Times Square or Bryant Park, etc. because they tend to be marked up quite a bit.
While we’re on the topic of food, do not sleep on the .99 cent pizza slices. I know they sound too good to be true, but they’re honestly pretty great pizza! My favorite tip is to stop here first if you’re going to a fancy gimmicky restaurant for drinks. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with gimmicky restaurants, I love myself a good rooftop bar, but a lot of the time with these places the food is honestly $25+ for an entree and not that great because what you’re really paying for is the view/decor/experience. So grab some .99 cent pizza beforehand, and enjoy your rooftop drinks (and maybe an app or two!) without feeling like you have to spend $25 on a mediocre burger.
Another great way to really experience NYC on a budget is having a picnic in Central Park! Grab yourself a bottle of wine (the cheapest place to get good wine is the Trader Joe’s wine shop in Union Square) some good street food or pizza and head to the park! As someone who lives here, this is one of my favorite warm weather weekend activities!
I don’t care if you’re just going to be here for 3 days, buy a weekly unlimited metro card. It’s only $33, and let’s be honest, you’re going to be running around a ton, and you’re probably going to get confused and go the wrong way on the subway or get off at the wrong stop at least once. Having the unlimited card makes it so that you don’t have to pay $2.75 for every mistake. And if you’re traveling by subway a lot, you’ll spend $33 in swipes pretty quickly, so the weekly unlimited pass just makes sense. Also, I find the easiest way to figure out the subways quickly is Apple Maps! It tells you exactly which trains to take and is so easy, it saved me from getting lost when I first moved here!
This one isn’t exclusive to NYC, but I figured it would be worth mentioning! If you’re grabbing drinks and plan on having multiple, it’s almost always cheaper to just split a pitcher than it is to buy multiple drinks!
A lot of museums are either free or “pay what you wish” donation based, so they make for a great low cost way to spend a couple of hours!
Want to grab a drink while taking in incredible views of Manhattan and even the Statue of Liberty for little to no money? Hop on the NYC Ferry! A ferry ticket is only $3, and the ferry has a bar! Either take the ferry where you’re wanting to go next, or even just buy two one way tickets and take the ferry all the way down and all the way back while you sit on the roof and enjoy a White Claw or a glass of Prosecco!
Finally, let’s talk shopping! I know so many people come to NYC with plans to check out all of the incredible shopping on 5th Ave, and if that’s where you wanna splurge I am ABSOLUTELY here for it! BUT, if you’re looking to treat yourself to a designer piece without spending thousands, I just found the perfect place for you! It’s called Designer Revival, and it’s on the Upper East Side! They have a ton of pre-loved designer clothes, shoes and handbags available for a fraction of what they would cost to buy brand new. I went there for the first time last week and left with a pair of Golden Goose sneakers (that I found online for $530) for only $235! That’s almost $300 off!