Century 21, the best invention since squeezable ketchup bottles

Today was a fantastic, Sarah Jessica Parker-esque day in New York City. It started at Century 21, the best discount store in the city. Ok, so I would norally cringe at the thought of a discount clothing store, but this wasn’t any normal run of the mill discount mall with discounted Ralph Lauren Polo. We’re talking Gucci, Versace, Marc Jacobs and Prada. In fact, I walked away today with a Marc Jacob’s lightweight fall coat for $129 (originally $398). Oh yeah, and don’t forget the Michael Kors silver platform shoes marked down from $330 to $99. This place is the mecca for slashed prices on designer jeans (Joes, Seven, Citzens, Paper, etc), acessories (Kate Spade and Prada to name a few) and cosmetics. I was in shopping heaven! But now I’ll have to remind myself how perfect it was every time I’m eating Ramen, which will probably be for the rest of my stay in New York. Here’s to Century 21!

 

The Really Expensive Big Apple

After two weeks, it has become obvious to me that one of the biggest differences between New York City and Columbia is price. It’s not just the cost of rent, or even the cost of food–EVERYTHING is more expensive in New York City. Even a simple hamburger at a restaurant is at least $15 and let’s not even begin on drinks. (I had one the other night for $13!) There’s no such thing as Walgreens out here. Instead, we have Duane Reade, a drugstore with everything that Walgreens has, but again, it’s more expensive. To save a little money, we became members in their buyer’s reward card. We just think it’s cool to be members. And the Columbia Mall is non-existent in New York. Instead, it’s Soho, a trendy area that includes little boutiques as well as Chanel, Prada and Burberry. None of those are cheap clothing stores.

 The best way to save money in New York City, then, is to not eat, sleep or dress yourself.