NEXT UP: Frugal Living in NYC

Recently I moved from Beantown to the Big Apple. A bean to an apple. I guess that's an upgrade, no?

While NYC is an exciting place to live, it can also be quite expensive. Not only do you pay over $1,000 for an apartment, but that apartment is probably the size of a closet...and it may not even have a closet.

All these new costs mean I'm trying to save up my money. Luckily, I've always been a fairly frugal person. Just thought I'd share a few money-saving moments that have already occurred during my first week here!

1) Be alert to random giveaways. The other day, I noticed the following on my Twitter feed:

Immediately my no-spendy sense starting tingling. "FREE"?? "All day long" aka after I get out of work? Sure enough, Georgetown Cupcake has a location in the city and it was giving away cupcakes until 10 pm! I treated myself to a white chocolate raspberry cupcake without ever opening my wallet. Now to figure out how to make cupcakes free of calories...

2) Be a smart traveler. One ride on the subway is a whopping $2.50. I quickly did the math (shocking for a communications major, I know) and knew that just taking the subway to and from work 5 days a week would add up to over $100 per month. Add in weekend/night excursions, and my wallet starts to have panic attacks. Luckily the 30-day pass costs $105. It feels like a lot to put down, but ultimately, it saves cash and now I never feel guilty when I make an extra stop for groceries, etc on the way home.

3) Avoiding cable costs? No problem! Okay, so not having cable (aka internet and tv) in your apartment is not good. Thank goodness for smartphones. However, if you're procrastinating on buying cable or just waiting for it to be set up, you can always hit up a local cafe for some wonderfully free wi-fi. My friend actually just wrote a hilarious blog post outlining her feelings toward free wi-fi, which you should read. In fact, I am typing this very blog post while sitting in a Starbucks. Which leads me to my last money-saving moment of the week....

4) If you wait for it, a free thing will come. That's probably bad advice, but I couldn't not mention how I just received a free goody without any effort on my part. While blogging away in the wonderful world of free wi-fi (Starbucks), a barista came by with a free sample of the Vanilla Bean Frappucino! She was handing them out to everyone, although I'd like to think she simply sensed my love for all things low-cost. 

So there you go, some frugal moments from my first week in NYC. Have any other Manhattan money-saving tips? Feel free to share them with me!! (See what I did there?)

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NEXT UP: My May in Photos

And just like that, May has come to an end.

Sometimes it seems that the busiest months go by the fastest. A lot happened these past few weeks, but here a few snapshots of what happened during my May:

In case you missed it last month...My April in Photos.


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NEXT UP: Read "Girls in White Dresses"

Some celebrate the end of school by swearing off reading. Finally, a chance to toss aside the books.

I'm the opposite. A break from school (an indefinite break, I suppose) means I get a chance to read more books for pleasure - books that I can consume in less than two days while sitting on the back porch or flying home or chilling in a bookstore.

Girls in White Dresses by Jennifer Close is one of those books. I first picked it up at an independent bookstore and spent the next 2 hours reading up to p. 133 right then. Being a frugal fiend, I walked out of the store without purchasing it, vowing to come back the next day. Well, that didn't happen, but my mom was nice enough to pick it up for me when I came home a week later.

The book focuses on a few girl friends who have recently graduated college (like me!) and are pursuing jobs, apartments, and--of course--serious boyfriends. It examines how friendships change post-college, how women are often attracted to the most perfect or most awful men, and how everything seems a little better when you can laugh about it with your girl friends.

What I Liked: Having just graduated college, I could relate to a lot of these issues. Which friends will tie the knot first? Who will end up with the right guy? The wrong guy? How will I survive in a teeny tiny NYC apartment? What tasks will my first job bring? Some of the characters even reminded me of certain friends. It was an easy, enjoyable, light read that I would actually read again for fun.


What I Didn't Like: There are a lot of female characters. I'm not revealing a hidden sexist attitude; I'm revealing that I am bad with names. There were so many girls flitting in and out of story lines that I had a hard time keeping them all straight. That might be partially due to the fact that I took a week-long reading hiatus mid-book, but still.

Should you read it? Yes! Well, if you can relate to it. I'm not sure it's for the men or high school girls out there, but I think college students/grads would get a kick out of it. I finished it in a mere two reading sessions, so it was a quick read.


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NEXT UP: Commencement Address

Three days ago, I graduated from college. 

As they say on Mad Men...isn't that "swell"?

It was a happy, overwhelming occasion, filled with lots of hugs and high fives and only a couple tears. I'm not sure what moments I'll really remember down the line, but I do hope to remember some of the things mentioned by the commencement speaker.

My university had the honor of having Google CEO Eric Schmidt speak at the ceremony. I just want to share some blurbs from his speech that I found particularly interesting. Enjoy!

This generation–your generation–is the first fully connected generation the world has ever known.
What’s the first thing you do when you get up? Right? Check your phone? Your laptop? Read some email, comb through your social networks?
I’m awake, here I am. You are connected, you’re online …
Some of you are probably texting your friends right now. Tweeting this speech. Changing your status. Smile, you’re on camera.
There’s this joke about the college kid getting mugged, who says, “Hold on—let me update my status, letting my friends know I’m getting mugged, then you can have my phone.” That didn’t happen, but it’s also telling — a stark depiction of just how essential technology has become to your generation’s identity and your ability to connect with the world.

Remember to take at least one hour a day and turn that thing off. Do the math, 1/24th. Go dark. Shut it down. Learn where the OFF button is.
Take your eyes off the screen, and look into the eyes of the that person you love.
Have a conversation–a real conversation–with the friends who make you think, with the family who makes you laugh.
Don’t just push a button saying I “Like” something. Actually tell them. What a concept!
Engage with the world around you … feel … and taste … and smell … and hug what’s there, right in front of you–not what’s a click away.
Life is not lived in the glow of a monitor. Life is not a series of status updates. Life is not about your friend count–it’s about the friends you can count on.
Life is about who you love, how you live, it’s about who you travel through the world with. Your family, your collaborators, your friends. Life is a social experience first, and the best aspects of that experience are not lonely ones–they are spent in the company of others.

Find a way to say “Yes” to things.
Say yes to invitations to a new country, say yes to meet new friends, say yes to learning a new language, picking up a new sport .
Yes is how you get your first job, and your next job.
Yes is how you find your spouse, and even your kids.
Even if is a bit edgy, a bit out of your comfort zone, saying yes means that you will do something new, meet someone new, and make a difference in your life–and likely in others’ lives as well.
Yes lets you stand out in a crowd, to be the optimist, to stay positive, to be the one everyone comes to for help, for advice, or just for fun. Yes is what keeps us all young.
Yes is a tiny word that can do big things.
Say it often.

His full speech can be found here.

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NEXT UP: College Thank You Notes

As my college graduation approaches at a terrifying speed, I would be remiss not to make some public thank you announcements. Of course, the most important thank you goes to my parents and other family members for being incredibly loving and supportive. But here are some thank you letters to those less-often recognized things that helped shape my college career:

Dear Single Serving Mac & Cheese Microwave Bowls and ABJ Sandwiches.
   Thank you Mac & Cheese for always being there freshman and sophomore year fter a late night out. You were easy to prepare in my dorm room, and always a satisfying way to end my night. Thank you Almond Butter & Jelly Sandwiches for becoming my new late-night, quick-fix meal junior and senior year, when my palette obviously became more sophisticated.

Dear Freshman Year Room Location,
   Thank you so much for being located directly across from my floor's common room. It was so easy to hear when people were hanging out there. I stayed up late many nights when a quick glance through my door's peep hole confirmed that I could go hang out with my floormates chilling in the common area. It made for many late nights and procrastination feats, but it also made for great bonding sessions with my now best friends.

Dear Policeman Who Pulled Me Over in the Boondocks of Virginia,
   Thank you for pulling me over when I was driving home from visiting UVA during a break my first semester of college. I was feeling unsure about my decision to go to school in Boston instead of at a Virginia school with my hometown friends. This visit to see my friend was to help me decide if I should transfer to UVA. On the drive home, you pulled me over for staying too long in the passing lane (seriously?) and commented on my BU sticker, saying you were a BU alumni. I don't know how you became a sheriff in VA post-grad, but it sure seemed like a sign at the time.

Dear Housing Committee,
   Thank you for stressing me out about my freshman year housing. Merely two weeks before moving to college, you still had not given me my housing assignment. I pleaded and begged to be put in a certain popular dorm building, and you finally placed me on 8A. I met most of my college best friends on that floor. I'm proud to don "8A" on my graduation cap.

Dear Maluken Karaoke Sushi Restaurant,
   Thank you for always being the perfect go-to restaurant when my friends and I wanted to eat out. I have yet to see karaoke ever occur in your space, but I don't doubt it exists. Thank you for all the cheap miso soups, salads drowning in dressing, and California Rolls. I celebrated friends' birthdays here, ended semesters here, and bonded with roommates here. I don't care what Yelp says, you're a gem.

Dear Mass Ave Bridge,
   Thank you for providing a path for countless runs and contemplative walks in Boston. Thank you for connecting me to MIT, where I was able to ease homesickness by hanging out with my one hometown friend who also came to Boston for school. Thank you for providing breathtaking views of this beautiful city. Oh, and thank you for helping my dad walk to class every day when he went to school up here too.

Dear Hand-Holders, Heart-breakers, Former Friends, and Lifelong Friends,
   Thank you for making me laugh when I was stressed. Thank you for making me cry when I was hurt. Thank you for teaching me who and what makes me be a better person. Thank you for making me think about the kind of friend/daughter/girlfriend I can be. I don't care that some of these points sound bad; they all made me the person I am today, and for that, I am so grateful. Live and learn.

Dear Facebook,
   Thank you for making it easy to stay in touch with friends from home, look up people I met during class/parties/activities, procrastinate on papers, put off studying, and find stupid viral videos. You came along at such a great time. Now time to delete all photos from my college experience off my Facebook Page. (Just kidding!)
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