It’s easy to see why so many transplants flock to large urban areas like NYC and Los Angeles. In addition to having abundant job opportunities in creative fields, these areas have quite a bit to offer recreationally. Unfortunately, this can be a bit of a double-edged sword. While residing in such areas is certainly enjoyable, reveling in the nightlife and taking in other local attractions are liable to eat up your personal finances. So, if you’ve recently relocated to a big city – or will soon be doing so – the following pointers can help you conserve funds when living in an expensive area.
How to Save Money When Living in an Expensive Area
Dine Out Sparingly
When it comes to the restaurant scene, few small towns can hold a candle to large cities. Regardless of what type of food – or even what particular dish – you’re hoping to dine on, you can find ample options in virtually any major metropolis. As such, there’s little wonder as to why so many big city residents dine out with so much regularity. Whether it’s a workday lunch break or a leisurely after-hours meal, dining out is the name of the game for people living in large cities.
While this approach to dining can certainly prove beneficial to your taste buds, the same can’t be said for your wallet. Even if you make a point of sticking with relatively affordable eateries, dining out or ordering takeout multiple times per week stands to obliterate your personal finances.
Of course, this isn’t to say that you should never let yourself enjoy the fantastic restaurants found in most major cities; you should simply take care to do so in moderation. For instance, turning takeout orders and trips to restaurants into once-a-week affairs, you can turn dining out into a special occasion and give yourself something to look forward to.
If you’ve grown accustomed to eating most of your meals at restaurants, cutting back is liable to take a bit of adjustment. However, instead of viewing this as a punishment, you should regard it as an opportunity to hone your culinary skills and try your hand at a bevy of fun new recipes. While this may initially strike you as bothersome, you’re liable to change your tune after seeing how much money you save after one month of limiting restaurant visits.
Seek Out Free Local Activities
You’d be hard-pressed to find a large city in which local activities aren’t abundant. However, as is the case with dining out, enjoying local attractions on a consistent basis is liable to chip away at your finances. Luckily for people looking to save money, most major cities are absolutely rife with free activities and attractions.
Walking tours, art museums, ferry rides, theater in the park, and botanical gardens are just a handful of the fun-filled activities you can enjoy free of charge in many big cities. So, if you think conserving financial resources has to involve staying home, you clearly haven’t been looking for fun in the right places while living in an expensive area.
Make Smart Investments
You don’t have to be a market genius to make smart investments. Nor does investing need to entail putting forth enormous amounts of your own money. In some cases, smart investments are few all it takes to provide yourself with a comfy financial cushion.
Of course, if you have little to no experience investing, you’d do well to enlist the aid of a knowledgeable investment advisor. You can also benefit from working with a good stock recommendation and investing education service, like The Motley Fool. Anyone curious about what this service has to offer is urged to check out this helpful Motley Fool review.
There’s a lot to be said for living in a major metropolitan area. For starters, no matter what time of year it is, there’s sure to be plenty to do. Furthermore, if you work in a creative field, your odds of finding gainful employment in a large city are substantially higher than in a small town or rural area.
Still, living in densely populated metropolises comes with a high cost of living – which can prove particularly shocking to transplants who have never resided in a large city. Big city residents looking for effective ways to keep their finances intact can benefit from the measures discussed above when living in an expensive area.