ynblifestyle

:: Contact Us :: Advertise :: Donate ::

FINANCE: How to Save $500 in a Month!

During a recession money-saving tips naturally rise to the surface of many conversations. Everyone can learn to cut back when necessary, be it through a ski trip upstate instead of Vail, waiting for that big sale to buy your dream flat screen 30% off or opting for a classic purse you can coordinate with year round instead of a seasonal designer bag. But real savings doesn't start with the triple or quadruple digit purchases. It starts with the smaller ones you make daily. Let's see just how much you can save on basic necessities when you look for clever ways and alternatives to cut costs on a smaller scale...{read on}

TRAVEL: Chic Yet Cheap Accommodations in NYC

New York is a great city to visit or show off to out-of-state friends, the only problem is the high cost of living (namely the excessive expense of housing and hotels). Here are some chic yet cheap options to help you plan that exciting vaykay to NYC or get your loved ones visit without involving a sleeping bag in your bathtub.

ACE Hotel (Flatiron)

:: Bunk & “Cheap” rooms starting at $149

Think hotel room meets indie rocker apartment in midtown with one of the Northwest’s best coffee shops (Stumptown) only an elevator ride away. Book now with these great promo rates and enjoy music-lovin’ amenities like gibson guitars, blank sheet music and turn tables in room.

Broadway Hotel & Hostel (UWS)

:: $18/pp starting rates for dorm style room

Voted one of the top hostels worldwide, this is New York’s 1st and only “boutique hostel”. Luxurious amenities include ecco natural bath products, hair dryers, down comforters, free linens and towels, $2/day luggage storage and daily house keeping service in beautifully modern rooms.

NY Loft Hostel (E. Williamsburg, Brooklyn)

:: $20/pp starting rates for dorm style room

This Brooklyn hostel offers some pretty drool-worthy amenities such as a PS3, hot tub, BBQ, Saturday fondue nights, free wifi, free breakfast daily and it’s right around the corner from a nice ‘lil neighborhood bar called Kings County servin’ up $2 Genesee Cream Ales!

The Marrakech (UWS)

:: $110/room starting rates, accommodates up to 4 adults

This Moroccan-themed hotel, like the Brooklyn Hostel, calls the Upper West Side home, surrounded by dozens of great restaurants and a mere 5 minutes from the Lincoln Center, an IMAX theater, Central Park and the American Museum of Natural History. The Marrakech houses the cozy Kazbar lounge in it’s lobby serving up an exquisite list of $8-11 specialty cocktails. And if you get a pad thai craving, nearby Sookk is the kind of inviting little hidden restaurant you’ll be excited to find right downstairs with a great happy hour ‘til 7:30pm (even on Fridays).

Sanctuary Guest House (East Village)

:: $100/room starting rates, accommodates up to 4 adults

The nice thing about Sanctuary Guest House is that you’ll feel at home right away. These rooms are more like a New York City apartment (complete with full kitchens) than a hotel room and you couldn’t ask for a more trendy location than the East Village with rooftop access any New Yorker would be green with envy to enjoy. Free breakfast and wifi are among the great perks of these accommodations as well.