New York on a Dime

Here in New York City, life is expensive. In fact, just about two weeks ago reports confirmed that rents in New York have never been higher. As described by Citi Habitats (and reported by NY mag) “the average rent for a place in Manhattan now stands at $3,418—more than it was back in 2007, at the height of the real estate bubble.”

We pay through the nose to live here. But, there is a reason we all choose to withstand the obnoxious cost of living. Personally, I put up with because there is no better place to live at this point in my life. Why? Because where else is there something to do every single hour of the day? New York is a hub of culture collisions and entertainment, fine dining and museums, random moments and planned nighttime revelry.

Sometimes it can be hard to afford all New York has to offer.

Well this week, Iʼm letting you in on some of my secrets to FREE (and dirt cheap) enjoyment of the Big Apple. Because you donʼt have to be rolling in dough to have a good time.

Iʼm not talking about buying from Groupon, or Living Social, or Bloomspot or Lifebooker or blah blah blah.

When I worked at Time Out New York, one of my duties was to write the “Get This” promotional page in the magazines (Time Out New York and Time Out Kids). Every week it was my job to write up the little paragraph to entice readers to enter for free prizes—anything from free Broadway show tickets to a free hotel stay at the Thompson LES (did I mention these prizes are free?).

Not only did I write the page, but I collected the entry data and called happy winners each week. ONCE A WEEK I gave away free prizes to readers. And based on the data I collected, the entrants’ chances were really good. For those of you outside of paradise, you don’t have to live in New York to win. I donʼt write the contest anymore, but now I spend each week entering in hopes of winning one of their awesome prize packages. You should, too.

The catch? As far as I know, there isnʼt one. While entrants did provide their email addresses, at the time I worked there we did not send mass emails to that list. Times may have changed, but to my knowledge there is no down side here.

Aside from Get This, Time Out also sponsor Free Stuff and Free Flix. They are giving things away, people. Move tickets to advance movie screenings. Show tickets to plays in previews. Why not sit in the audience for free?

In fact, most magazines have promotional giveaway programs. They want their readers to engage with their publication, even if that just means entering a contest every once in a while. Elle magazine has a page of their site dedicated to Sweepstakes. Who knows? You might be the lucky winner of all of those designer shoes for the small price of providing your email address.

But seriously, if you don’t want their news flooding your inbox, just give them your SPAM email (you know the one you created for this exact purpose) or just unsubscribe from their newsletter the first chance you get. Or maybe, you will be surprised and realize that you like getting their newsletter because (like the contest you entered) the content is of interest to you.

Aside from looking in the magazines you subscribe to, it may be worth searching out websites that serve specific communities. I happen to belong to an organization called the Urban Girl Squad. This organization is amazing and if you are a young woman living in New York City, you need to check them out NOW. UGS runs a weekly contest on Facebook. Each Friday at 12pm, they post the contest on their page. All you have to do is comment. I won two free tickets to an advance screening of The Grey by commenting with my best story of “roughing it in the wild.” Another time, I won a free ticket to one of their fabulous events. Free yoga classes and customized designer fashion accessories are some of the other giveaways popping up on my newsfeed.

Check out the Facebook pages of your favorite organizations. Companies want you to do more than like their page; they want you to interact with the brand. That often means free perks!

Zagat.com caters to the foodie community, famous for their coverage of restaurants and bars. Zagat runs discounts for specific restaurants on a weekly basis. Get 30% off the bill at some of their favorite places. Aside from their bargains, I just entered to win ticket to their 30 under 30 party, a night of fancy cuisine featuring renowned and up-and-coming chefs and mixologists. Someone has to win. It could be me. I mean...you.

Aside from contests, there are ways to have cheap fun without having your name drawn out of a hat. On rainy days like today, museums can be a great way to stretch your legs when you’re stuck indoors. Many people donʼt realize, but the “price of admission” at American Museum of Natural History is actually a suggested donation. The $19 they want to charge you as an adult, totally optional. The Met is the same way. And The Whitney has a pay-what-you-wish policy on Friday nights from 6pm-9pm.

Now donʼt be a cheap jerk and pay nothing. After all, to keep these fortresses of art and history running the museums need income. But no one will blame you for paying $5-10 instead of the advertised price.

Perhaps you are on the hunt for more extravagant enjoyment in the city, like dining at that restaurant whoʼs chef was on Iron Chef America or spending a luxurious time at a spa. Thank goodness there are opportunities for these experiences on the (relative) cheap.

Restaurant week (really more like month) happens twice a year—usually in February and July. As advertised on NYCgo.com, restaurant week refers to the time when hot shot New York eateries put together pre-fixe menus for diners that are cheaper than going in for a meal on a regular day.

Dinner is usually $35 three-course prix-fixe and lunch is usually $25 three-course prix fixe. Think you can’t afford that dinner at Bobby Flayʼs Mesa Grill? I did. This past winter. It was fantastic. Totally affordable and just as classy as any other day of the year. Mark your calendars because these meals can spice up your usual days of diners and Thai takeout.

Once restaurants decided to appeal to a younger and less affluent demographic—so as to hook us once we do have money—spas thought they would jump on the bandwagon. Now we have spa week. Unfortunately, Iʼm a week overdue in alerting you since it was last week. BUT, mark your calendars for April 2013 folks because participating venues offer $50 treatments for a full week. This includes, facials, massages, seaweed wraps, mani/pedis, even cellulite treatments and botox (though I will stick to creams and oils over lasers and needles).

Even though you missed spa week, you can go to spaweek.com and check out discounts all year long.

Now when it comes to my one true love, the theater, there really arenʼt many ways to enjoy this for free unless you win one of the previously mentioned contests. Having worked in the business, I do have friends who occasionally have access to free tickets and I get to go as their date.

Aside from connections, free theater seats do not abound. Good news! Cheap ones do. There are TOO MANY ways to get cheap theater seats to describe here. You will just have to wait until next time!

While you’re waiting, what’s your secret to affordable/free fun in the city?