<p>i currently live in manhattan and make about $62k/year. after taxes, that comes out to about $3270 per month.</p>
<p>Unavoidable costs for the time being:
Rent = $1360
Utilities = $60
Internet = $25
Phone = $70
Loans = $500</p>
<p>=$2015 expenses
-> $1255 left over each month. it feels like such a slow, slow climb and i’m constantly making excuses to friends as to why i can’t go to dinner with them or why my clothes are so worn/old etc.</p>
<p>My question: I feel like I am wasting a lot of money on food. i want to be more economical here because it feels like i’m paying anywhere from $5-20 per meal, and so i’ve been limiting myself to 1-2 meals a day. i don’t own a credit card – i just use debit.</p>
<p>i feel like i’m operating under a suboptimal financial plan here. what should i do to better my situation?</p>
<p>i’m constantly making excuses to friends as to why i can’t go to dinner with them or why my clothes are so worn/old etc.</p>
<p>In most parts of the country that salary would be well over the median.
Why do you have the sorts of friends who question your clothes?
Tell them you want to stay in for a change- I know new yorkers have the reputation for using their ovens to store sweaters but this is a new decade- cooking at home is in!
[Cheap</a> Healthy Good - Frugal Recipes, Food Tips, No Mayo](<a href=“http://cheaphealthygood.blogspot.com/]Cheap”>http://cheaphealthygood.blogspot.com/)</p>
<p>Believe me, I understand even that 62K/year job is not easy to find in this economy. There are only two options to improve: increase income and reduce expenses, sounds pretty dumb. But that is what boils down to.</p>
<p>To increase income, you may want to take on another part time after work job, which will be hard on you. Or if possible to find a better paying job.</p>
<p>To reduce cost, you may want to cut that land line phone and switch to a cell phone which is around $35. Move out of Manhattan is an option, but you have to pay for the subway or path. I don’t know how do you get around, live in Manhattan gives you the option to walk to work. Share room may reduce the rent as well. Look into New Jersey if it will cost less overall.</p>
<p>the salary may be decent, but the costs are also much higher for me. In other parts of the USA, $1360 would get you something much larger and extravagant. or, I could pay $400 for something arguably inconvenient and devoid of amenities in NYC (whereas elsewhere $400 would be very livable). $500/month in loans is no picnic either.</p>
<p>i currently use a cell phone – the monthly bill is about $70 (tmobile) – i use a phone with internet/texting/web. i use it pretty often, especially when it comes to checking mail/messages/map GPS. </p>
<p>i already pay for the subway but the commute is short. problem is that if i move closer to work, the housing prices start to increase. moving out of manhattan is something i’d like to do at some point but idk where i could find something affordable yet convenient. i have a girlfriend who will want to move in with me at some point in the next couple years, and i think that should help costs substantially too. it’s just that moving is in itself very expensive.</p>
<p>finding work is always massively difficult, too.</p>
<p>what do you guys (in nyc) do for food? cook? what do you cook/where do you shop/how much does it cost? do you eat healthily/enough food?</p>
<p>emeraldkity… I lived in the city for years and that was exactly what I used my oven for. </p>
<p>NYCFlux…Do you enjoy cooking? If not you can still eat decently with mimimal effort. If you like pasta dises go to the Barilla site. There are so many good receipes for quick easy meals. Also buy a whole chicken and roast it in your oven, make a potatoe and veggie and you have a meal. The rest of the chicken could be made into chicken salad and you would even have enough for a second meal. Are you shopping at the Food Emporium…if so you must be spending alot. It does not look like you have a car so whereever you are shopping is probably the most convenient. When you food shop think about what you can turn a meal into so that you have two nights out of it or a couple lunches. If you make 3/4 pound of pasta you should have two dinners. </p>
<p>If you have a land line think about whether you need it.
Just curious are you living in a very small studio? The rent you mention is not that high for Manhattan. It takes an adjustment period to live in the city and your friends must be getting some help if they are not feeling the crunch.</p>
<p>I guess I’m somewhat perplexed by your post because it seems to me that even in Manhattan, a young, single person with $300 a week in discretionary income shouldn’t be having problems. </p>
<p>But you’re right on the food front. Buying take out or eating in restaurants all the time will kill the budget. Take your lunch to work some days, learn how to cook quick, easy meals at home (easier siad than done for some folks, I know) and dont buy food at the high-priced places like Whole Foods or Gristedes, (Trader Joe’s, Fairway, Costco, and Best Yet are all good priced food stores in Manhattan). </p>
<p>Do you take cabs? Don’t. They add up very very quickly and should be used as a last resort when you’re on a budget. Get a monthly or two week Metro Card and make it your friend. </p>
<p>If you have both a land line and a cell phone, drop the land line. </p>
<p>I’ve always felt clothes shopping in New York is about as cheap as you can get anywhere in the country. Centry 21 for off price fashion stuff, plus bargians at TJ Maxx, Marshalls, DSW and the other big discount chains are here for everyday things. </p>
<p>Entertainment can take a huge bite but some suggestions: Make the Village Voice yr friend for low-cost music, eating, clubs and other things to do, The TKTS booth at Time Sq. or South St. Seaport for the occasional theater splurge. To find the best stuff at the best prices however you will have to plan ahead. </p>
<p>Does yr emplyer offer discounts for anything? Some have great programs so check them out if you have them. </p>
<p>i enjoy cooking (just not very good at it, haha). i currently shop at whole foods, but i hear even that is considered expensive. i am not necessarily sure what’s easy to cook and yet affordable, tasty, and/or healthy.</p>
<p>and i am living with a few other roommates but the cost is the result of splitting. my friends are receiving help, yes (i am not). their salaries are also slightly higher and they do not have loans.</p>
<p>BigAppleDaddy: Nope, i avoid cabs like the plague. i use an unlimited metrocard that is acquired through my firm as a tax-deductible expense. aka i use the trains to get around.</p>
<p>the landline, as far as i know, comes with the apartment. i don’t think it changes anything as far as rent is concerned. i don’t spend much money on entertainment like theater/music/clubs/etc. most of the money goes towards food.</p>
<p>the problem is mainly one of foresight. i currently don’t buy anything like insurance, but I worry about things like health. i worry if i’ll be able to buy a home later. i worry about being able to have fun with friends and my girlfriend. i worry about not being able to have enough to properly support kids should i choose to have any a decade from now. as an ivy league graduate, i feel like my peers are used to a certain standard of living that i have a hard time meeting. </p>
<p>i’ll have to check into century 21, etc – seems like a good place to look around.</p>
<p>You could certainly consider earning a little more money - tutoring in Manhattan pays really well, you can do as much or as little of it as you like. I think your instincts are right that you should be able to spend less on food. Here’s what I’d recommend:</p>
<p>Eat three meals a day and even consider healthy snacks between meals.</p>
<p>Have protein at breakfast. I am starving at lunch if I haven’t had eggs or yogurt. </p>
<p>Brown bag your lunch. You can eat leftovers, sandwiches, soup.</p>
<p>Learn to cook. It’s really not that hard. Get a basic cookbook like Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything, or the Joy of Cooking or The James Beard Cookbook. (I’m not sure if it’s that one, but one Beard cookbook literally starts with telling you how to boil water.) Shop the outside aisles of the supermarket - fresh vegetables, meat, eggs, milk will all be there. Don’t use convenience foods except canned tomatoes in the winter. NYC supermarkets tend to be small and pricey - I’d consider making a weekly trip up to Fairway, which has great food at reasonable prices.</p>
<p>Buy potatoes and whole grains, plus multigrain pasta, in bulk. These are the center of your diet. Add vegetables (from the cheapo carts/bodegas) and eggs/cheese and you’re all set. Fish (other than canned tuna) and meat are treats.</p>
<p>A typical meal for me would be pasta with sauteed vegetables, olive oil, garlic, and parmesan cheese…or brown rice/bulgur with stir-fried vegetables and soy sauce & ginger (tofu optional)…or browned potatoes with onions and a frittata with greens. All of these things are good in a lunch box the next day. Frozen yogurt and fruit for dessert – cereal (like oatmeal with raisins) for breakfast. Peanut butter & jelly is good for all 3 meals. If you buy what’s on sale, this diet can be dirt cheap, healthy, and easy.</p>
<p>Go out with your friends and get Coke or seltzer when they drink $15 martinis. If they go out to dinner, go with and get soup, and make sure you carry cash so that you can pay only what you owe. Anyone who takes issue with this is not your friend.</p>
<p>I’d have to recommend the book How to Cook Without a Book. It’s full of simple, fairly no-nonsense recipes that are easy to make and put your own twist on if you don’t like the ingredients the author provides. I bought it for my brother last year (he’s generally doesn’t cook much), and I know he’s picked up a few recipes out of it that he makes fairly regularly.</p>
<p>Also, if you’re eating out for quick meals, stop getting soda/coffee. Often times a simple soda can be upwards of 1/3 of the price of lunch, and there’s no reason not to get tap water that’s better for you. If you like coffee, make your own. Starbucks and that stuff is crazy overpriced, and if you wake up a few minutes earlier (or get a coffee machine with a timer) you can have your own without waiting in any lines.</p>
<p>My daughter lives in NYC and makes a lot less than you. She doesn’t have loans, however. Anyway, you should be able to make it on that salary. It seems to me that you are spending too much on food and don’t need that entire amount just for food. You should cook in more rather than eating out. You can also pack a lunch. Whole Foods is expensive. My daughter, who has a strict healthy foods type of diet, tends to cook for dinner brown rice with sauteed veggies and may add shrimp for example and other stuff. I could see how buying clothes may be tricky but maybe you can get some key pieces through the year. Also, I don’t know your situation, but if relatives ever give you gift money for your birthday or the holidays, you could use it to buy some clothes. My daughter supports herself, but for example, as a treat, I did buy her a new outfit (she picked it out, I paid) to wear to an important professional event this week, as I know that would be tight in her budget.</p>
<p>thanks for the advice, everyone. i’ll try taking all this into consideration tonight and try to budget out a new plan.</p>
<p>it just feels like when it comes to income, it’s 3 steps forward and 2 steps backward in terms of net earnings over time. is it supposed to feel this slow? i feel like so many people make money and spend little on expenses and ultimately save up thousands. at my rate i’m lucky to have $10k in my account by next year, whereas i always hear about people saving that amount up in a single summer after expenses. how people fork out tens of thousands is mindboggling to me.</p>
<p>soozievt: what is roughly the net per month for your daughter (substantially more/less than $1.2k?)? does she live outside manhattan? as an aside, that cooking routine seems very appealing.</p>
<p>If you are concerned with food cost, buy a freezer and keep bulk food(like meat and fish) in there. You should do weekly food hunt from places like Flushing or Brooklyn where there are low cost food stores, the subway ride is free to you right? Manhattan has the highest food cost in NYC. Collect coupons and find out the for sale items and buy in bulk.</p>
<p>As an Ivy graduate, you should be able to get tutoring jobs as other posters had suggested. Depends on your dicipline, you can post those flyers in NYU, CUNY, New School or Pace. I am sure you can build your business that way. If you are a strong Engineer, Cooper.</p>
<p>Just pick a strong subject you are familiar with, if you are good a Calculus, there are plenty of ppl make a living out of it. HS tutoring is also possible.</p>
<p>Get a Rachel Ray cookbook, focus on the chicken and pasta stuff - it’s really good, not filled with complicated instructions or ingredients. I lived in Manhattan for a few years and ended up moving out to Brooklyn, near Prospect Park, for about 6 yrs before we moved to Jersey and bought a place. Alternatively, if you think you might end up in that direction, look around at Hoboken and Jersey City. They have the waterfront and great views. Your rent is one big sinkhole. </p>
<p>Whole Foods is another sinkhole! Just jot down prices of staples like milk, eggs, lb of chicken and compare to a regular supermarket. Korean grocers can also be expensive, you are paying for the convenience. Hopefully, you get a bonus? For our first years out, that was the only bump to savings.</p>
<p>Do you share an apartment or are you on your own? I would consider moving in with a roommate or two in order to cut costs if you want to save money.</p>
<p>My D is in college in Manhattan and lives in a dorm, but the meal plan is small so she cooks her own food. There are now two Trader Joe’s in Manhattan - one by Union Square and one on the Upper Westside. Food there is very reasonable compared to Whole Foods. I think you can save a lot of money on food by making meals yourself.</p>
<p>i share – i was unable to find anything decent for a single that ran at the same/lower price compared to what i pay now.</p>
<p>chinatown is certainly cheap but the lack of subway access is a massive pain. it takes me quite a while to get there. </p>
<p>"I lived in Manhattan for a few years and ended up moving out to Brooklyn, near Prospect Park, for about 6 yrs before we moved to Jersey and bought a place. Alternatively, if you think you might end up in that direction, look around at Hoboken and Jersey City. They have the waterfront and great views. Your rent is one big sinkhole. "</p>
<p>I’d love to hear more about this. how did your expenses/incomes change from Manhattan to Brooklyn to Jersey? How much does it cost to do these things (especially buying a place – is that going to be difficult for me at this rate?). This is almost an exact sort of progression I am looking into. I currently have a girlfriend I’ll probably live with in a 1 BR or so in a couple of years.</p>