MY NYC Spending Guide: A Day In NYC
*This blog post is in collaboration with the Post Office, all opinions as always are my own.
When I was in NYC I ran a poll on Instagram to see if you guys would like me to cover what I’m spending here in New York, covering a break down of what things cost, how I’m budgeting and my top tips on saving money. 94% of you said yes, so here we go gang!
First things first, this post is in collaboration with the Post Office, I’m travelling with my Post Office Travel Money Card which has actually been a life saver as you don’t get charged fees for using it in shops etc (I get charged a transaction fee with my debit card and being here for a month it’s saved me so much in fees!). Also being a female travelling solo I didn’t want to carry cash on me so it really is the perfect travel companion as I feel much safer!
The Post Office have recently carried out their 2019 Long Haul Holiday Costs Report, which is so helpful as must people book flights and accommodation based on cheap deals they’ve found, but they aren’t aware of on the ground cost of items such as food, drink, transport etc! I thought this would be the perfect partnership for me to go exploring and work out exactly how much things cost and roughly what I’m spending in a day on average.
To sit alongside this blog post, Kat and I filmed an IGTV where we documented our day in New York, from breakfast to lunch, a trip to the Top of the Rock, a coffee, a walk along the high line, a wander through Soho and then home across the Brooklyn Bridge before some much deserved pizza (yes, we walked 31,000 steps that day!!). I noted down how much everything cost so we could look at our days spending and work out an average cost of how much things are and what I’m spending!
You can find out more about the Post Office Travel Money card and order yours HERE!
Here’s my spending diary for the day:
Coffee: $5.44
Breakfast: $10.95
Top of the Rock: $38
Bubble T: $11.41 for two
Chelsea market lunch (food and drink): $16
Subway: $2.75 per ride
Pizza: $10.50 for two slices
Total: $95.05
I actually think that’s pretty good going considering the Bubble T I bought was for both of us, and the Top of the Rock is not something you’d do every day and a one of payment to see an attraction. It can be super pricy to eat out in New York (by the time they add the tax and tip, trust me it soon adds up!).
Kat and I were on the hunt for how to keeps things to a budget without compromising from the real New York experience, for breakfast we went to our favourite Juice Generation for an acai bowl and ate breakfast in central park in the sunshine which was such a lovely way to start the day!
One way to keep costs down when eating out (and to try some delicious food!), is to visit food markets, we stopped off for some Thai food at the Chelsea Street Market, but some of my other favourite markets in New York include the Canal Street Market and Essex Street Market in Manhattan and the Time Out Market and North 3rdStreet Market in Brooklyn!
As we’d had a big lunch that day we just wanted to kick back with a couple of slices of pizza that night in our Airbnb so we stopped at a local pizzeria in Brooklyn called L’Industrie, it was $10.50 for two slices which is a darn site cheaper than eating out! Don’t get me wrong when you’re here you absolutely want to make the most of it and dine in tasty restaurants, but I find in NYC you end up walking SO much and some times you just want to crash with a beer, some yummy pizza and Netflix – plus it’s a good way to balance out your spending and opt for a cheaper dinner!
I’ve pulled together some more tips below to help with budgeting when in the Big Apple, let’s face it New York is (like most cities) an expensive city, but also like most cities it can be done cheaper if you know where to look and stay away from the tourist traps over over priced, mediocre food! Having spent some time here I felt like I’ve got my budgeting down quite well, one night if I spend $50 on a nice meal with wine, then the next day I’ll make breakfast at my apartment, it really is about balance and learning how to budget / find the best spots!
Since being here I’ve spent a LOT of time in Williamsburg which is highly underrated and honestly where you’ll find all of the best food spots, from REALLY good coffee, to brunch spot and bars – this place has it all! I’d highly recommend hopping on the L train from midday to spend a day here and spend some time living like a local!
My Top Tips for budgeting in NYC:
Tip 1: Walk everywhere! I loved walking in NYC as you stumble across gems and it's the perfect way to see the city!
Tip 2: If you're going to use transport I'd opt for the subway or ferry, both costing $2.75 per ride it's much cheaper than a taxi (I love taking the ferry it's a super scenic way to see NYC too!)
Tip 3: Food markets are a great option for food as there's always so much choice and it's much cheaper than sitting down in a restaurant! My favourites are the Chelsea food market and Essex Street Market in Manhattan or the Time Out Market and North 3rd Street Market both in Brooklyn.
Tip 4: Sounds obvious, but STAY AWAY from the tourist traps, chances are anywhere to eat / drink around Times Square / Central park / 5thAve etc etc will be grossly over priced for a VERY average meal. Google Maps / Instagram and blog posts will offer you the inside scoop of the best places to eat with GREAT food at the same price, or most likely, less!
One of the best decisions I’ve made on this trip was opening a Post Office Travel Money Card as it’s enabled me to live and spend every day without feeling the fear or carrying cash as a female solo traveller, and I’m also dodging transaction fees that I would have otherwise been charged by my bank!
It’s a prepaid Mastercard so it can be used anywhere a Mastercard can (accepted in 36 million retailers in over 200 countries!), it’s also contactless which makes it super simple, quick and easy to use!
I’ve been using the app alongside the card as I can check my balance everyday and keep track of my spending (I’ve found this super helpful as I can see when I’ve spent a little too much and know when to top my card up again!). As a travel blogger, I actually can’t believe I never used a money card before now, and I can honestly say this Post Office Travel Money Card has been a game changer for me!
I’ll be using it for all of my trips going forward, oh, and if I have any money left on the card I can just switch it to a different currency for any upcoming trips which is super handy!
You can find out more about the Post Office Travel Money card and order yours HERE!
Do you have a Post Office Travel Money card? Is this something you could see yourself ordering? I’ve found this super helpful as a female solo traveller and couldn’t imagine my travels without my card now!
*This blog post was kindly sponsored by the Post Office, all opinions are my own, all images by Kats Films.
