PSA

Five free SoyJoys at CVS are not a deal if said SoyJoys turn out to be made of poison. 

 

Thank you.

City Love

 

Not too long ago, one of Leprechaun’s buddies and his fiancée stayed with us for a night on their way to New Hampshire—they live about an hour outside of Dayton, OH. The four of us were sitting on our roof with some snacks when the topic of how much it costs to live here came up.

 

“Um, that’s more than our mortgage,” Buddy said, when he heard what our monthly rent is. “And we have a pool.”

 

Well.

 

Leprechaun and I have always been city kids, and overall we’re really happy with the decision to spend our twenties in an urban area. We’re surrounded by people our age, there’s a ton to do, and the noise and bustle of a city is a great remedy for the post-college isolation I sometimes feel. But it’s a trade off. Because we’ve made the decision to live where we live, everything–rent, food, a night out–costs a lot more than it might were we living in rural Ohio.

 

Also, we do not have a pool. We do, however, have a large puddle of standing water at the top of the stairs to the roof.

 

Still, I’m not about to let location deter me when it comes to streamlining my expenses—and my life. Even in a city, there are a ton of ways to save money and still live well. Here are a few that have been working for me:

 

1. Public transportation: I can’t say this enough. If you’re trying to reduce your transportation costs—and your carbon footprint—there’s no easier way to do it than by taking the train or the bus. There are months when Leprechaun pays more in parking tickets than I do for my 30-day pass. To make the most of the time it takes for me to get to work, I got some audiobooks from the library and put them on my iPod.

 

2. Dirt cheap produce: I think I mentioned last week that by switching farmer’s markets, I slashed my fruit-and-veggie budget by half. The nice thing about living here is that I do have the option to shop around, with the added bonus of a variety of international markets, as well—you’d be surprised by how much cheaper spices are when you’re not buying them at Stop & Shop.

 

3. Free entertainment: When I was in college and lived in a dorm on one of the busiest streets in town, we used to throw our windows open at 2am when all the bars let out and watch the show. Talk about low-budget entertainment. Short of taking pleasure in other people’s drunken shenanigans, however, your average city offers a plethora of free activities every night of the week, from wine tastings to movies to soccer games. Leprechaun and I have made a date night out of strolling through art galleries, or simply walking down to the beach near our house.

 

4. Crowd control: Because our apartment is not at all huge—about 700 square feet—we have to be extra-careful about what we bring home. As a result, we’re cautious about purchases big and small—if it’s not beautiful or multifunctional, it doesn’t make the cut. I try to get rid of something for every item I bring in, because if I’m not vigilant about selling or Freecycling the excess, it piles up real fast.

 

Yes, there’s a Dunkin’ Donuts tempting me on every corner. Yes, a glass of house wine can cost eight bucks. Yes, I could probably trade my puddle in for a pool if I was willing to pack up and move elsewhere. But I bring my own coffee in the morning, a I’d rather crack a beer at home with some friends than drink overpriced pinot noir at a badly-lit bar.

 

As for the pool—well, yeah, I’d like a pool. But I can wait.

 

I think I’ve mentioned before that living simply and frugally is about more for me than just saving money. It’s about getting the most out of my life as it is now, and hopefully squirreling a bit away for the future. At this point, the benefits of city-living outweigh the cost. And that’s the way it should be.

 

So what about you all? Is there something you do to save money that is specific to the place where you live?