Many thousands of tourist flock to New York City for a break every year — and with the number of attractions this city offers, it’s easy to see why.
The Big Apple is known for having the best food scenes, theaters, museums, art galleries, and skyscrapers in the world!
Traveling to New York is one by the books but visiting the city isn’t cheap. You need to save money to ensure that you can enjoy everything New York has to offer. The more activities you want to try out, the more money you need to save for the trip.
Here are some easy yet effective ways to save money for your upcoming trip to New York City:
Set A Firm Budget
Your first step in saving money for your NYC trip should be setting a firm budget. This budget should include estimates of your round-trip tickets, lodging, meals, activities, local transportation, and meals.
It should also cover expenses for unforeseen emergencies.
To know how much is a bus ticket to New York, the average rates of accommodations and meals, and other relevant information for your trip, research as extensively as possible.
Use various online resources so you can come up with a ballpark figure and set a realistic budget when traveling to NYC.
Cancel Nonessential Subscriptions
Assess your lifestyle and determine if your subscriptions are eating up most of your monthly budget. When you have too many bills to pay, saving money for your upcoming NYC trip can be challenging and frustrating.
If your paycheck has become hostage to nonessential subscriptions, such as print magazines and streaming services, you may cancel them immediately. Doing this might be difficult, especially if you’re used to receiving these products and services every month, but your life will go on even without these subscriptions.
By canceling nonessential subscriptions, you’ll find more reasons to visit New York and possibly go camping too — and that’s a great trade-off, right?
Eat Out Less
Dining in fancy restaurants or having your food delivered to your home or office is convenient but can take a toll on your budget. Eating out is always more expensive than preparing your meals at home or within self-catering holiday accommodation.
Before you start saving money for your vacation, commit to dining out less frequently within a week. For example, if you regularly have dinner at an expensive restaurant every Wednesday and Friday, limit your visit to once every week. If possible, prepare all of your meals at home and don’t eat out or have food delivered to save more for your trip.
This simple change will help you save money, especially if you start to eat out less a few months before your trip.
Cut Your Grocery Budget
Cutting your grocery budget doesn’t mean starving yourself or compromising the quality and freshness of the products you’re buying. This simply means implementing strategies to ensure that you can still get the best deals when grocery shopping but still save money.
Take note of these tips so you can cut your grocery budget easily: Look for cheaper products: Why buy button mushrooms when you can get shiitakes? Why stick to a specific brand if there are cheaper alternatives? Making these changes might require some adjustments in your sophisticated palate, but your bank account will later thank you.
Never shop hungry: You’ll likely tend to buy more products if you shop hungry. When your stomach is growling from hunger, everything on the shelves will look good. Ensure that your craving doesn’t control your shopping habits by visiting your grocery only when you’re full.
Use coupons: There are apps and websites online that offer free grocery coupons.
Check these platforms and use coupons on your next grocery trip. You’ll be surprised how coupons can reduce the total amount of your groceries!
Get A Part-time Job
If your time allows it, consider getting a part-time job to save money for your next trip. If you’re working at an office from 9-5, look for a part-time job that offers flexible working hours and pays decently well.
With the rise freelance industry, you won’t have any problems finding a part-time job and earn in the comforts of your home. Remote working is also on the rise meaning you can work while traveling and roles like this are often flexible.
Your part-time job won’t make you rich, but the few hundred dollars you can earn from it will help fund your NYC vacation.
Enjoy NYC soon
You’ll need to make certain sacrifices to afford traveling to New York. Sure, this can be challenging at first, but when you think of the rewards — frolicking around Central Park, shopping at the largest Harry Potter store, and getting drinks at Gallow Green — you’ll realize that these sacrifices will be worth it in the end!
