Fan Living on a Budget

 

 NYC is expensive to live as a student. How do you keep in budget and still have fun?

Oh, I have Ollie to the rescue. I mean, he's like something from a Charles Dickenson novel. I don't know how he gets by.

And yes, since I did use the gold card that was only for emergencies on our trip last time, he has really been showing me the ropes as of late. 

First, he says to see what your Uni has to offer. We do have a meal ticket for breakfast and lunch. And even if I don't use mine for breakfast every day..he does. We share a lot of meals together. Maybe that's how he keeps his girlish figure. He also got me a pass for the train at a student discount. On one hand, it feels like a lot, but I save in the long run. Really, we are at our chummiest just sitting in the commons reading for our assignments. Although, he knows scads of thrifty places and as he says, he networks a lot.

Thus, we walk a lot, and we eat usually hot dogs since they are the cheapest and share drinks (Funny, we haven't been sick together once..but it's bound to happen). Oh, this boy knows a cheap date and I'm just there for the adventure because after all, I like his company and really I'm not expecting anything expensive out of him. We have even made it an event to do our laundry together.  Granted, some weeks he gives me laundry to do, but once a month we go to the laundry mat and get the sheets washed. I will confess I would not go there alone. That's why I'll do his laundry. I need a fresh boy.

He seems to know when we can get into the museum for free (a very early Sunday morning) but usually, we hang out at the library a lot and get to see some free art. We go to cheap foreign films which at one time I was told was a dollar but nowadays, five bucks and Ollie believes that's a steal.

When in doubt there is always rice and beans (which good ole' ollie calls the musical fruit). I haven't had much luck growing my own greens in potted soil, but I keep trying (I can get the seeds at Dollar Tree). I am really trying to be sufficient on my own and need the 'rents less. So we know that Wednesday is when two-buck bread is available at the nearest Dollar Tree. Occasionally, the roomies and I will get some goodies from there. But it's very tricky. I have liked the bottled coffees (which are plain and have no sugar), some espresso to mix with the ground coffee which I already have for my pour-over in my room and the tea is sufficient but it makes me want EARL GREY even more!  Popcorn, tuna, pasta, canned veg..even bottled asparagus, and spaghetti sauce are other great finds. Really, this store can surprise me sometimes...but you have to be careful. And it's always great to get the roomies' advice. Always a good thing to have bread and peanut butter in my room.

At times, we have gone in on fruits and veg and sometimes even meat. Usually, it's ground meat, but most of us are possibly vegetarians. Of course, you might see us chowing down on chili or somebody's magical burritos when given a chance.

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Brookies

Make a mix of Betty Crocker Chocolate chip cookies. Spread in an 8X8 pan with a little oil on the bottom. Next make the brownie batter from a Betty Crocker packet and spread over the chocolate chip batter. Bake at 375-350 degrees for about 25 minutes. It's a sweet treat!