How to Live Cheaply in an Expensive City

Making it out on your own is difficult anywhere in the world. As a student and/or an artist trying to survive a large, expensive city, it can be even more frustrating to make ends meet living pay check to pay check. Here are a few ways to make your money stretch as far as it can go.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• An open mind
• Friends, roommates, co-workers

1. Get a bus pass and/or a bicycle. Gas, parking tickets, mechanics, insurance and registration—all of these things are much more expensive than a monthly bus pass and/or a bike lock will ever be. If you need to drive out of the city for a day, or you need day to grocery shop and/or haul your laundry somewhere, many cities have car-share programs and/or rental car companies willing to lend you a car for a few hours or the day. Think how much healthier you are being to your environment, too.
2. Be prepared to live with house/apartment mates. Not only will you be able to split the rent and utility bills among multiple people, but also these people can be a great social network—from learning more about your city to job networking. Setting up your home will also be cheaper as you collaborate on common space furniture, dishes, appliances, and sometimes even a car or a computer.
3. Get a public library card. The public library has much more than books! It also provides free (yet limited) access to computers, the Internet, newspapers, and public events and classes. Printing and photocopying is much cheaper than any fax/copier store. Do not forget about those books altogether. A great way to save money as a student is to look for your books in the library first. There are also many reference books for writing papers, finding a job, applying to schools, or developing your art or new business.
4. Learn the joy of thrift store shopping. This is the quintessence to cheap living. If you feel squeamish about used clothing, you should always wash any clothing you get from a store before you wear them anyway. Thrift stores are also a great source for appliances, furniture, and dishes. Many stores have a return policy if you go home and find out a new appliance fails to work.
5. Look to the streets as a new source of thrift shopping. By nature, large cities attract transient people. Many people do not have the means, time, or space to move everything they own with them to their next destination or even to donate it. These people will either set up a sidewalk sale—for you suburbia people, this is akin to garage and yard sales—or they will just leave it on the streets for anyone to pick it up. Technically, it is illegal to leave things on the streets as clutter, but usually these things, from books to furniture to clothing, will disappear in a few days.
6. Make your meals at home. One of the hardest temptations to avoid in the city is the unlimited number of amazing restaurants surrounding you. Save these restaurants for special occasions with friends or better yet, when your family comes to visit and they want to take you out to eat.
7. Pay your bills first before spending your money on anything else. If thrift store shopping is the quintessence to cheap spending, budgeting is the key to making your money last. Late fees are not only a complete waste of your precious money but they also lower your credit scores making you less eligible for a better job or a better apartment in the future.

Tips & Warnings

• Many of your friends, co-workers, and people you live with are also struggling to make ends meet. Try to help a friend when you can and the favor will come back to you ten-fold.
• Avoid picking up off the street anything made of cloth-like materials, such as mattresses, couches, blankets, or pillows. It is almost impossible to get any of these items fully clean of fluids, insects, or other debris that may be fully imbedded.
• Avoid picking up off the street any electrical appliances. You do not want to plug in anything that may have been sitting in the rain and potentially start a house fire.