• People aren’t as mean as you think, just understand that they’ve got places to be and you’re in their way.
• Not all of NYC is like Manhattan; the 5 boroughs have very distinct vibes and attract different types of people. Try out all of them and decide which one you like best.
• Hollywood has likely skewed your perception of NYC. We came here thinking that every street would be wall to wall people and cars just like in the movies, thankfully it’s not.
• NYC pizza really is great, providing you find a good slice.
• Forget what you know about grocery shopping, it doesn’t apply here. Unless you have a car you cannot do your shopping for more than a few days at a time.
• Forget about getting a street vendor hot dog, you’ve got to get the chicken and rice! They’re called Halal trucks and they serve the Muslim equivalent to kosher food.
• Getting around the city takes a surprising amount of time. The island of Manhattan is only 22.7 square miles (13 miles long x 2 miles wide) and it will take you about an hour to travel from end to end.
• You can’t turn right on a red light, ever. There are a few rules that you just have to know if you choose to drive in the city. I’ve never seen them posted anywhere but I’m told they exist. You can’t turn right on a red light anywhere in the 5 boroughs, the speed limit is 35mph unless otherwise posted, and all other traffic laws are suggestions.

And to keep with the theme of this blog here’s a money-saving tip: avoid driving in NYC.

I was able to monitor my retirement savings in my Mint.com account and I watched it grow like crazy. However, after I left my higher ed job in order to move to New York, I found myself unable to add more money to that account, and I remained unsure about what to do with it for several months.

I finally decided to open a Roth IRA.

I won’t lie, it’s been a bit of a convoluted process. First, I had to decide what kind of account to open and find a financial institution to use for my retirement account. Then I had to figure out how to move the money over from my old account. I learned that this all takes time (the transfer is still pending as I write this). I also learned that I have to roll over the 403(b) account into a traditional IRA and only then can I convert that account to a Roth IRA (don’t ask me why, because I don’t have a clue).

In a nutshell, here’s some help to get you started (because that really is the hardest part):

• Stop thinking about how you should set up a retirement account and just do it. I promise it’s pretty quick and painless, and once you’ve set it up, you don’t need to think about it again (until you switch jobs, of course).
• If your employer offers a match, max it out. Accept your new paycheck amount as your expendable income and never look back. You won’t miss this money, and you will thank yourself later.
• Ask people who know more than you do for help. When I was setting up my employer-sponsored retirement plan, I found that HR wasn’t able to give me their opinion on a lot of stuff (like which plan to choose). I spoke with a friend who is a financial advisor and some of my other contacts in the higher ed industry to figure out which plan to choose and how to divvy up my money within the account.

I feel like I understand the basics of saving for retirement, but I am far from being an expert. How did you learn about saving for retirement? What steps are you taking to ensure that you can retire comfortably? Let me know in the comments!

Another thing I forgot to mention is that you should check with your health insurance provider to see if they offer partial or full reimbursement for gym memberships. Corner and I have different policies through our employers, and both of our carriers offer some sort of reimbursement. You may have to jump through a few hoops (for example, I have to prove that I attend the gym at least 50 times in a 6-month period), but it’s worth the effort.

Now that the weather is warming up, we’ve been supplementing our time at the gym by riding our road bikes. Last weekend we rode in the Five Boro Bike Tour, and it was well worth the $75 registration fee. We’re now hoping to participate in the NYC Century Bike Tour in September, so wish us luck!

Kristen at the starting line for the Five Boro Bike Tour

Life After College: The Complete Guide to Getting What You Want is a portable life coach for 20-somethings and beyond — and I’ve got a copy to give away to one lucky reader!

I’ve been following Jenny’s blog for a couple of years now, and her book is a compilation of tips, quotes, and exercises trimmed to the essence, divided into chapters for every major life area. In addition to a great section about money and managing your finances, there are chapters on life values & goals, work, organization, home, friends & family, dating & relationships, health, fun & relaxation, and personal growth.

The best part? It’s a workbook — yes, you are supposed to write in it.

While the book is geared toward recent college graduates, the rapid-fire tips, quotes and interactive coaching exercises are perfect for anyone looking to find some clarity and direction in their life. You can purchase your copy on Amazon (for less than $9, this purchase can definitely fit into even the smallest of budgets!).

You can learn more about Jenny on her blog or by following her on Twitter (@Jenny_Blake).

How to Enter

In order to enter, please leave a comment on this blog post responding to the following prompt (borrowed from Jenny’s book): What’s your philosophy when it comes to saving and/or spending money? Best tip?

For a bonus entry:

• “Like” Small Budget Big Apple on Facebook.

That’s 2 really easy ways to enter! The contest is open until Friday, April 8, 2011 at midnight EST. The winner will be chosen randomly and contacted via email, so make sure the email address included with your comment is correct.

UPDATE: Congratulations to Shana on winning the copy of Life After College! Stay tuned as we plan more fun giveaways in the future.

The bulk of anyone’s trip, regardless of the destination, is hitting all of the bullet points on the ‘to do’ list.  Some travelers are against the touristy NYC spots, but you really just have to hit all of them.  I still have quite a lengthy ‘to do’ list for my future trips to the city.

An October evening view of New York City

A few of the fun New York City things to do are more easily enjoyed during certain months, depending on the season.  For example, going up to the Empire State Building Observation Deck may be more feasible when the weather is warm.  I went up for my view of the city with my mom in the end of October and it was unbearably cold and windy.  Adult tickets for the observatory are around $20 for adults and the views are well worth the price of the ticket.  I viewed the city at night and the lights were breathtaking.  I’ve never been up there during the day, so deciding when to take the trip up is up to you!

After our NBC Tour. It was freezing outside, but well-worth the photo ops.

If you’re a fan of Late Night television and the likes of Jimmy Fallon, SNL, Tina Fey or Dr. Oz, the NBC Studio Tour is perfect for you.  Tickets are $20, but the NBC Pages are great tour guides.  It was so overwhelming to see the sets of some of my favorite NBC shows and learn about the history of the famous network.   One of my bucket list items is to try to be in the SNL studio audience!  We learned how to do just that during our tour.  We’ll see how the next trip goes.

Don’t the Obamas look so real?

Times Square: An intersection in New York City formed by the juncture of Broadway, Seventh Avenue, and 42nd Street in midtown Manhattan. Long noted as a center of the city’s entertainment district, it is the site of annual New Year’s Eve celebrations.

…if you’re in New York and you don’t go to Times Square, you’re definitely missing out.  From the big lights and broadcasting screens to the hustle and bustle of shoppers and tourists, this Manhattan landmark is the best place for photo ops and celebrity sightings.  My roommate and I have seen Page Davis from TLC’s ‘Trading Spaces’ twice in NYC during two different trips.  This is the hub for all subway lines, so head here to shop, grab coffee, take pictures or even see a Broadway show. 

Broadway Shows

The culture of Broadway is hands down my favorite thing to experience in NYC.  I’ve seen 6 shows in the city and I’ve paid anywhere from $30-$130 for a ticket.  Ticket prices seem to be the largest setback for any tourist in the city.  I have some tips to settle those woes!

TKTS—this is one of the main Broadway show ticketing box offices, located in Times Square.  The link will provide you with more information about box office hours.  The earlier you get in line the more likely you are to get great deals on tickets.

Sometimes, you won’t be so lucky with the TKTS box office and same-day rush tickets for shows can get you better deals.  For example, my roommate and I wanted to see Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark the last time we were in the city.  Same-day tickets from the Foxwoods Theater were $30, cash only.  We got in line the morning of the show at 8 AM (in -7 degree weather) and waited for the box office to open.  We were 24^th in line and got one of the last sets of tickets for the show we wanted.  Trying to save money on Broadway tickets is a gamble, sometimes.  Calling the specific box office for the show you want to see is your best bet for the same-day rush deals.

My roommate and I stuck around after seeing Spider-Man to meet the lead cast members, Reeve Carney and Jennifer Damiano. There’s so much talent on Broadway.

New York City is one of my favorite cities in the world and I love that I’ve found a way to get there and experience some of the greatest tourist spots in the nation on my tight college budget.  I’ve found that personal expenses like shopping and spending money at the bar are where money is spent without even realizing it.  If you’re careful with your money, but do things that you want, you can have a great experience in a wonderful city and still have money left over in the end.  Best of luck to you with your traveling endeavors and I hope you’re able to have memorable experiences.

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about student travel in NYC, Chicago or Europe!

Amelia Germain
ameliagermain@gmail.com
Twitter: @ameliagermain

If you’re really trying to stick to a budget for a weekend trip, sometimes it’s a great idea to eat a simple, cheap breakfast and/or lunch.  My roommate and I typically go to the Walgreens around the corner from the hostel to buy cereal bars for breakfast and a case of water to cover our breakfast for the entire weekend.   We’d also settle for Subway or even McDonald’s or other fast food restaurants, which were great for really cheap lunches.  Sitting in a cute café with a bagel and coffee is also a fun thing to add into the budget, these are just some suggestions for easy ways to save money.

Dining on the Cheap

A view of the ‘ristorante’ outside on Mulberry St.

Amici II Restaurant—I’m always looking for a good Italian restaurant anytime I travel.  My roommate and I decided to head to Little Italy during our last trip to cure our midday hunger pangs.  We were on our last day of travel and almost out of money.  Luckily, we found Amici II that had a lunch special for $7.95.  This place had the best olive oil to dip the bread into!  It was filled with a delicious garlic flavor and held me over until my plate of Chicken Parmesan came out.  It was the perfect amount of food and kept us from emptying our wallets before returning home.  There are a lot places like this in that area, so feel free to try anything that looks delicious or suits Italian food fancy.

Worthwhile Splurges

New York City is known for having some really great places to eat.  I can’t say that I’ve been to them all, but I have a few recommendations based on the experiences I’ve had.  I would encourage anyone to step outside of their comfort zone and try a non-chain restaurant or ‘mom and pop shop’ place over any Olive Garden or PF Chang’s.  Here are some NYC goodies that I suggest you try if you’re in the neighborhood:

Lunch or dinner:

Great city location near NYU. I can’t wait to go back and try a margarita!

Murphy & Gonzalez Pub & Cocina—I came here with my mom after my NYU college visit and we had a great lunch.  I think the specials change from time-to-time as I was unable to find what I had for lunch on the menu.  If it happens to pop up again, my mom and I had the tuna wrap and the corn chowder soup.  It was fresh, reasonably priced and delicious.  They’re known for their margaritas!

After devouring my lunch with my mom. I had a burger with Muenster cheese and fries. SO good.

Cozy Soup n’ Burger—I also came here with my mom for a late lunch.  It’s a famous burger joint in Manhattan that is always filled to the brim with people from New York natives to tourists just like you and me.  The food was amazing and there are so many options.  The atmosphere is lively and a great place if you’re really in that Empire State of Mind and looking for an original place to satisfy your hunger for a really good burger.

My cousins, who own a Victorian-esque design company in the city, outside of Junior’s near Times Square

Junior’s—This is a deli located near Times Square that has amazing corned beef, pastrami, other deli meats and amazing cheesecake.  My cousins and I came here for lunch during my last trip and had amazing service along with a delicious meal.  The restaurant is another place well-known for its celebrity sightings before and after Broadway shows.  A must-try if you’re in Times Square!

Dessert:

Photo snapped during my last trip. It was a beautiful night. Isn’t it so cute?

Café Lalo—Have you ever seen ‘You’ve Got Mail’?  It’s one of my all-time favorite movies!  Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks plan to meet and this famous NYC café is the feature location.  They have amazing desserts, coffees and the wait staff serves the customers well.  This place is well-worth the splurge and I recommend the mocha and a slice of Snickers cheesecake.  The atmosphere is close-knit and the music adds to the overall romantic ambiance.  Tip:  this place accepts cash only, so make sure you stop at an ATM before heading there for some post-dinner treats!

Before my delicious dessert disappeared.

Ferrara Cafe—Another Little Italy favorite of mine.  My roommate and I actually stopped here after our trip to Amici II, per the recommendation of a friend.  I had the most delicious chocolate chip cannoli and a mocha latte.  I was full from lunch, but there was plenty of room for this amazing dessert.  The price of the goods is well-worth the product they serve.

Paying a visit to The Concrete Jungle on a student budget..there really IS nothing you can’t do.

“What are you doing this weekend?”

“I’m actually going to New York City for the weekend with my roommate!”

“I am SO jealous!  I wish I could afford that..”

YOU CAN! I’ve been to New York City 4 times since my sophomore year of college.  I don’t have a high-paying job; in fact, I have credit card debt and monthly bills to pay.  I figure, I’m young, I won’t be able to take trips like this after undergrad, and I love traveling and experiencing the cultures of other cities, states, countries and continents.

Want to know how I do it?  You have to give a little to get a little, but I’ve had some of the best experiences of my life during my weekend trips to NYC on a student budget.  There’s a lot to think about in terms of transportation, lodging, food and the ‘to-do’ list, but in the words of Alicia Keys and Jay-Z, there’s nothing you can’t do, especially in the Big Apple.

Reservations

Flights

What people think is the most expensive part of a trip can really be one of the cheapest if you’re smart about it: airfare.  I go to school at Michigan State University, so the Detroit Metro Airport is in an accessible location for me to fly out of.  I fly Spirit Air from DTW to LaGuardia (LGA) in New York using the $9 Fare Club.  This is a great offer from Spirit that allows you to receive e-mails about flights for fares as low as $9, no gimmicks.  You can sign up for a free trial membership for 60 days, and if you want to continue your membership, you can sign up for around $50 per year.  It’s a great deal and pays for itself in the end.  They also offer great credit card deals and promotions that you can sign up for allowing you access to free flights.  When traveling on a budget, free is always good.  My roommate and I flew round trip DTW to LGA from a Friday morning to a Sunday afternoon for a total of $120…that’s $60 per person.

Tip: Spirit is a cheap option, but it’s smart to book your flights early. Also, be careful with the carry-on and bag-checking procedures/fees online because the airline will charge you for checking bags and/or having several carry-ons.  Much like most airlines, extra baggage costs a bit extra these days.  To be honest, a weekend trip to the city can fit in one carry-on, overhead suitcase.  Save your money and pack lightly!

Lodging

While traveling, I’ve never been accustomed to staying in a glamorous hotel.  My roommate and I found a great youth hostel in the Upper West side of Manhattan that’s convenient, affordable, clean, and safe and the staff is accommodating for all of the guests.  It’s called the Broadway Hotel and Hostel and it can be found at the corner of Broadway and 101^st St.  The rates vary depending on the length of your stay and whether or not you stay in a room with several people or if you choose to have a private room.  I’ve stayed in a room with 8 people (all from different countries) and I’ve also stayed in a private room with two twin beds.

A sample photo of a private room for two at the hostel. Ours was a bit more drab, but had a sink and a nice view of 101st St.

One thing you have to consider when you’re thinking about a place to stay is that you’re really only there to sleep.  If you keep that in mind, you’re likely to look past the less-glamorous qualities of a youth hostel.  This particular one usually requires an upfront payment, which used to only be accepted in cash, but I believe they now accept credit cards.  There is a key deposit for $5 that is returned upon check-out.  Bathrooms are ‘community’ but shower, toilet and sink are in an individual bathroom that is cleaned daily.  They also offer luggage storage, internet access, city information, and there’s also a great lounge to sit in that allows you to mingle with other city visitors.

Tip: book your stay relatively early, especially if you’re traveling during the summer months.  The cheap rates and popularity make the rooms sell out quickly!

Transportation

To the Airport

Getting to the airport to start your travel day along with parking can be a bit of a hassle, but if you’re interested in a place to park for cheap in Detroit with a free shuttle, I’ve had nothing but success with US Park.  It costs $10 per day to leave your vehicle in a secure lot and they even have great coupons for a buy one get one free day of parking!  Have a few dollars on hand to tip the driver and don’t lose your lot number reference ticket and they take you straight to the terminal and pick you up when you arrive–great service.

To the City

$2.25?! SUCH a steal.

Now, the fun part: getting to the city!  When your flight arrives at LGA or whichever airport you fly into, there’s bus service that goes through Manhattan that is 97% cheaper than taking a taxi, which could cost as much as $45 before the tip!  From LGA to the Broadway Hotel and Hostel, I suggest that you take the M 60 Bus.  The 30-45 minute trip costs just $2.25 per person and tickets may be purchased inside the airport at the ticketing machine or with exact change upon entry to the bus.  Once the bus gets into the city limits, be on the lookout for 113^th street, where you’ll request your stop and walk about 12 blocks.  If you’re unsure of where to get off, giving the hostel address to the bus driver isn’t a bad idea because he can tell you the best location to get off.  If you’re lucky, your transit authority employees will be very helpful, as they know you’re a tourist.

There’s a lot of information on NYC transit that you can read up on so that you’re pretty much an MTA pro by the time you return home.  Buses and Subways are great ways to get around the city, so utilize them if the distance you’re traveling is too far to walk.  Tip: from the Broadway Hotel and Hostel, get on the Subway 96^th street going Downtown.  The Redline No. 3 is an express train that will get you to Times Square at 42^nd St fairly quickly.  The No. 1 train is a local Redline train that also goes Downtown, but may take longer due to more frequent stops.

Tip: Metro cards can be purchased down stairs at any Subway station by inserting cash or dipping a Debit/Credit card.

Tip: Taking a cab is another option for city transport if it’s a longer traveling distance or if taking a cab is more realistic due to inclement weather.  Never mention the word ‘hostel’ to your cab driver.  It screams ‘tourist’ and you will run the risk of being haggled by your driver.

And by painted it, I mean that when we moved in, every room was a different hideous bright color, and we wanted to cover those walls with something nicer ASAP. I really hate painting, so I try to get it done as quick as possible with minimal fuss.

We’ve now painted every room in our house. We experimented with different qualities of paint, taping vs. not taping, good brushes and cheap brushes, cheap rollers and nicer rollers. Here’s what we learned from our experience.

The Painting Process in a Nutshell

1. Pick the color: multiple opinions makes this difficult
2. Get ready to paint: moving everything around makes the room an obstacle course
3. Detail work: Painting all those pesky edges and corners
4. Actually painting: which can take days!
5. Touching up: this can take additional days or weeks because you’ll keep noticing those “spots you missed”

Before & After Photos

Lessons Learned

Do all the prep work first.

Pull out all the nails, fill all the holes and cracks with spackling paste, and clean all of the molding before you even think about opening the can of paint. Use painter’s tape to tape everything you need to tape.

Kristen and I have different opinions about taping; Kristen likes to tape “just in case”, and I think taping never works as well as I expect it to. A good brush and a steady hand are way better than carefully taping everything in the room only to have paint bleed over. Kristen also took care of all the cracks in the baseboard molding using some wood filler, and then we painted the baseboards with a fresh coat of white paint, which made the whole room look brand new. Since the wood filler only cost $2.99, I would recommend never skipping this step!

The type/brand of paint matters.

We painted 3 of our rooms (the kitchen + 2 bedrooms) with Martha Stewart paint. It’s nice paint with lots of color options and sells for around $26/gallon at Home Depot. But what we found is that the Martha paint usually needed two coats and some additional touch ups here and there. For a 10′x12′ room we needed 1.5 gallons, and for a 12′x12′ room we needed 2 whole gallons.

For the main portion of our house (and the room we painted last), we decided to try Behr Premium Plus Ultra, which claims to be a paint and primer in one. It’s around $30/gallon at Home Depot depending if you get the eggshell or flat finish.

I was of the opinion that “paint is paint”, so why should we purchase one of the pricier brands? On a whim, I decided to get a few samples ($2.94 @ Home Depot) of the Behr Premium Plus Ultra paint and try it out around the living room. To my surprise the paint covered up our disgusting yellow walls without a second coat! It’s hard to tell in the photo below, but even the lightest shade of gray didn’t require a second coat of paint in order to cover up the yellow paint underneath it.

These little paint samples were also useful for helping us choose a final color since we were having trouble envisioning what the color would look like in the room (those little color sample cards just don’t cut it sometimes). It’s such a big portion of our house that it was worth $10 for us to take our top 3 colors for a test drive.

We decided to buy 2 gallons of the Behr paint and only used a little over 1 gallon to finish the living room (12′x15′) and used the rest to finish the weird little hallway in the middle of the house.

Quick Tips

• Get the best paint you can afford, like the Behr Premium Plus Ultra. Honestly, it’s worth the extra $5/gallon.
• Splurge for one nice 2″ chiseled tip brush to do the edges — the rest of the brushes can be cheap.
• Buy a painting starter set (something like this) so you have a tray plus basic brushes/rollers.

Last year, my employer sent me to the conference and it was a great experience. However, they also paid for it, and I made my arrangements months in advance. This time, I’ve been trying to plan the entire trip with less than 3 weeks to spare. And I’m paying for everything out of my own pocket. So how am I doing it?

Conference Badge

Purchase a badge from someone looking to sell theirs. It seems like many people purchase badges early on and later find out they are unable to attend the conference. These folks can easily transfer the badge into someone else’s name. As the date approaches and people are getting more anxious to offload their badge, they will often deeply discount the price and/or offer to pay the $100 transfer fee. I found several folks on Craigslist, Twitter, and Facebook who were looking to sell their badges for a few hundred dollars less than walkup rate.

2010 SXSW badge

Airfare

I’ve always been pretty good at checking for discount flights, but usually I have at least a few weeks (or months) to do so. To find my flight home to NYC, I scoured sites like Kayak, Sidestep, Orbitz, and Tripeedo. This time I found the best deal on Kayak, but that’s not always the case, so I think it’s worth checking around if you want to potentially save a few bucks.

Lodging

This has been the toughest part by far. The official blocks of SXSW hotel rooms have been sold out for months. Hostels have been booked for years. First, reach out to friends and relatives in the area and see if they can host you (or if they have any friends who can). Get in touch with the local chapter of your college’s alumni association and see if some kind souls from your alma mater will host you. If all else fails, find some other people in the same boat as you and share accommodations. Renting a house might be a good option since at this point most of the hotels nearby are completely booked — check out sites like Airbnb and HomeAway.

Food

I’m planning to take lots of snacks and baked goods for the busride there. I’m hoping I can barter baked goods for other goodies brought by my fellow buspreneurs. I’m also planning to bring a case of Clif bars and a water bottle that I can refill. With any luck, I won’t have to purchase any breakfasts or beverages while I’m in Austin.

Packing Light

Baggage fees are getting ridiculous. Thus, I am attempting to take only a carry-on bag (which should be possible since I won’t need bulky outerwear in Austin). If you must check bags, use a site like Luggage Limits to help you figure out how much it will cost you.

Asking Friends & Family for Help

Help Kristen ride the Startup Bus to SXSW Interactive

Finally, there’s no shame in asking for help. What’s the worst that can happen?

I’ve set up a fundraiser on EduLender asking for help and I’ve raised quite a bit of money for my trip in a relatively short amount of time. To encourage donations, I decided to turn the fundraiser into a giveaway of sorts. I am going to use a portion of the funds to purchase a new MacBook Pro (which was just released TODAY!!) and give it away to one of my donors after the trip is over. This tactic seems to be working so far.

Think about how you could incentivize donations, even if it’s just by offering a small handmade gift, a thank you note, or 30 minutes of your time.

Additional Advice

If you’re interested, I’ve got lots of travel links tucked away in my Delicious bookmarks. Who else is going to SXSW? How do you save money when traveling to SXSW or other conferences?

I haven’t been able to afford a gym membership since my internship at Purdue University during the summer of 2008. Well, I suppose I could afford a gym membership if I made it a top priority, but I’ve been doing my research, and gym memberships in New York City are expensive.

I fell in love with spin classes this past summer while we were still living in Monterey. I found a spin place around the corner from my new office that looks super cool (and you can reserve the bikes online!), so I was really disappointed when I found out that classes cost $30. Each. I just about peed my pants.

But I like working out and being in shape. It makes me feel good. Plus, Corner and I are registered for the Five Boro Bike Tour, and even though the ride is only 42 miles, I need to stay physically active before then if I want it to be more fun than exhausting.

Flickr photo credit

So…how to do that when you don’t have $100-200/month to spend on a gym membership (or $30 for a single 45-minute spin class)?

Work-related gym discounts

You might qualify for special gym discounts based on your health insurance or place of employment. If you’re lucky enough to work in higher education, see if you are eligible for a discount at the gym(s) on campus. Since Corner works for the government, they will subsidize part of a gym membership for him.

Exercising at home.

Clearly, working out at home is always an option. Running around your neighborhood is completely free (although it’s been way too snowy/cold/icy to do that here as of late). Exercisetv.tv lets you stream free exercise videos online. I’ve also found some workout videos that you can stream instantly on Netflix.

If you can, I recommend investing in a set of weights. I know weights and other workout accessories that you can use at home take up precious space in NYC-style living conditions. We have a small set of adjustable weights at our place, and they take up considerably less space than a set of various-sized hand weights. Corner and I have also been doing the P90X Ab Ripper routine a few times a week, which requires no accessories at all.

Gym-hopping?

Earlier this week, I discovered Buns of Steal — the blog of a Columbia law student who successfully worked out 5 days/week for a year without ever paying for a regular gym membership.

Flickr photo credit

While gym-hopping is interesting (and do-able) in theory, I have no problem becoming a loyal customer and shelling out money to a place that meets my needs (and fits my budget). However, as I mentioned, I’ve been struggling to find affordable fitness classes or gym memberships in New York City. I’ve even been scouring deals from sites like Groupon and LivingSocial, but have yet to find something that’s both affordable and convenient (and that appeals to my interests…there seems to be a lot of belly dancing and pole dancing class deals as of late).

Also, I’m scared of trying a place and liking it so much that I get sucked into purchasing a pricey membership or class card.

What are your tips for working out on the cheap?