To Live Cheap

I was assigned two midterms today. I will do the one in statistics this weekend and the second one in management as soon as I get time for it.

This week’s edition of The Economist is extremely interesting. They have a special about American businesses and the articles really line out what people can expect in the next year or so. The main point is that the economy will recover but it goes way deeper than that.

I want to talk a little about how students can leave cheap in New York. It is a struggle for most students to afford the expensive rents in the city. Also, college tuition and living costs can be quite overwhelming sometimes.

I would definitely recommend sharing an apartment with someone. I was able to pay as little as $300 a month by sharing with three other people. I was quite lucky to find this but similar deals are out there somewhere.

Many international students are afraid of living outside Manhattan such as in Brooklyn, Queens, and Bronx. There is no reason to ignore these places even though there are some neighborhoods people should avoid.

I do not know Queens that well; Brooklyn, however, can be a wonderful place to live. Most places west of Prospect Park is good with a few exceptions.

When it comes to living expenses such as food and travelling there are plenty of good alternatives. I would definitely recommend going to Chinatown in either Brooklyn or Queens to buy fruit, lunch, and groceries if you like Chinese food.

Almost everything is cheaper in Chinatown and it is quite an experience to walk there and get a taste of another culture. I would also check out large grocery stores such as Pathmark and Target. Target offers great deals and they are many times unbeatable when it comes to prices and quality.

There is not much one can do about travel costs. I would recommend buying the 30 day unlimited metro card, which is the most valuable subway card available. It costs $81 right now but the fare will increase to $91 in a few weeks.

The unlimited card can be used on buses and subways and it allows people to travel an unlimited amount of times around the whole city. The subway is great in New York. However, I wished it were a little cleaner.

I will try to talk a little more about how to save money in these tough times. However, it looks like the dollar will weaken, which might be good for international students.

I took the picture at Governors Island. I really liked the picnic area and the weather was perfect for playing sports and getting tanned.