Visiting NYC on a Budget: Transportation and Lodging

   Several months ago I was invited to a wedding near Rochester, NY. The option of going with my friend Christina and making a mini vacay out of it presented itself and I began planning a trip into the city (NYC) after the wedding on a pretty tight budget. We only went for 2 days but we hit all the highlights and had a blast. Here's how we did it:

   Getting to NY: Christina is a Delta Sky Miles member so she took care of booking the plane tickets. We had to take 3 flights - JAX to ROC for the wedding, ROC to JFK for city trip and then JFK to JAX coming home. She was able to cover 2/3 tickets for both of us with her sky miles points and we were only $116 (each) out of pocket for our flight expenses. Sweet deal!
   A coworker suggested looking into black car service from JFK to our hotel in Manhattan instead of a cab. I priced out both options and it was actually cheaper to reserve a black car for pick up through WIRO Limo (4.5/5 star rating on Yelp) than to cab it. Black car was $80 flat rate including tax and tolls if you pay cash. Taxi was average $70 + $18 for tolls + tax/gratuity. Black car wins. Plus it's much cleaner and you don't have to wait in the taxi line at the airport, which is crazy by the way.
   On the way home, our original flight had a "mechanical problem" that could not be fixed in time and we were put on another plane - thank you Jesus! When boarding the new plane, they handed us tickets that indicated we had been upgraded to first class seats thanks to Christina's sky miles. I had so much leg room I could fully extend my legs and still not touch anything. We also got free in-flight WiFi, premium snacks like brownie bark, and snazzy red blankets. My first time in first class was awesome!
 
  Getting around NYC: After our first hella expensive taxi ride from the Empire State Building to Battery Park (lower Manhattan) to take the ferry to Statue of Liberty, we knew we could not afford 2 days of taxi rides. While wandering around on foot, we found an amazing thing - bike rentals! There are CitiBike (sponsored by Citi Bank) bike rental check points all over NYC. It's $10 flat rate for 24 hours or $30 for 7 days. We only needed them until the following evening so we did the 24 hour deal. You can only rent for 30 minutes at a time but there are check points EVERYWHERE so it wasn't hard to hop around. We got to do a ton of sight seeing this way, get exercise and save money. It was also nice to stop and rest our legs every 30 min, get a snack or go in a shop. I highly recommend this mode of transportation for exploring the city. If a pregnant girl can do it, so can you!
   Next MTV special: True Life, I Biked Manhattan. We rode 7+  miles the first day, another 4-5 miles the next day, and it took us 3 hours to get from the 911 Memorial site to our hotel. But it was good fun.
 
   Where we stayed: I book nearly all my hotel accommodations on Hotwire.com now. It is the way to go for best deals on 4-5 star hotels. After my stay, I can call my credit card company and apply my accrued travel points to reimburse my travel expenses if I have enough (which I did this time to cover my 1/2 of the hotel). I planned to stay near Time Square and the Theater District since we were seeing Wicked Monday night. The best deal ($190/night, split 2 ways) landed us in the "Yotel", an uber modern hotel I would liken to a space capsule. The check-in process is completely electronic on a kiosk on the first floor, no person there. The kiosk spits out your room key and you jump elevators on the 4th floor to get to your room, by swiping your card before selecting your floors button. The first room was literally a tiny box with a full size bed for both of us and my baby bump to share. The bathroom was part of the room - studio style - with a glass shower. The lack of privacy in this room was only appropriate for an intimate couple. I understand everything in NY is compact, but this was not going to work. We found a help desk on the 4th floor and requested a different room and they "upgraded" us into a king room. It was a bit bigger in every way and the bathroom at least had a giant white curtain dividing it from the sleep area. The toilet had a "privacy" door with frosted glass. Still, very, very modern and space-like. Later, I fell in love with it. I am easily persuaded by amazing bathrooms. The shower had a rain faucet from the ceiling and essential oil bath products. There was also a mini fridge for my preggo snacks. Sold.

 We made a quick run to the CVS across the street and bought mud masks for an in-room spa treatment ($3). It was a relaxing end to a very fun day. Below: audition for Blue Man Group? :)

   P.S. By taking the lobby elevator straight to the 4th floor and then changing elevators to get to the room levels, we never saw floors 2 & 3. They were not even button options. We are still curious where those floors are and what's on them! 

   So our total, per person, for a 2-3 day vacay, round trip transportation and lodging in NYC was $406 (or less when I apply my travel cash back). Not bad! We were ONLY able to do this by using our sky miles and travel points we both have been saving diligently for just such an occasion. If you want to learn more about earning credit card points for travel and cash back, read my previous post, "Credit Card Rewards". 

Check out the sequel to this post later in the week on NYC entertainment and food on a budget! 

Stroller Steal

   Now that we are adding a new baby boy to the Lowe Family, our current stroller situation will not do. I have an Eddie Bauer travel system (stroller/infant seat) and a really nice Bumble Ride jogging stroller my mother-in-law got at a yard sale in mint condition. Honestly, once we got the jogger, I haven't touched the standard stroller. I just love the versatility of a jogger. It is a bit bigger, but I prefer it over plastic wheels and it has great maneuverability and storage.
    So, when considering upgrading to a double stroller, I set my eyes on a double jogger. Cha-ching! Those puppies ain't cheap! I did look into conversion kits for single strollers with a toddler ride-on attachment (kind of like a skateboard that fastens on to the back wheels) ...but what if his little legs get tired or we're on a long haul in a theme park or he wants to take a nap? They make a side car attachment but the only 2 brands I could find were the same cost as buying a whole new stroller. I did find this really cool tutorial for turning your standard into a double with 2 giant carabiner clips. It's pretty genius if your stroller design is similar to this one. I'm not a huge fan that the infant ends up down by your feet where you can kick dust and floor germs all over them though.
   Finally, I took to the second-hand websites. I don't underestimate the sketchfest that is Craigslist but I thought I would browse just to see. I located this Baby Trend Navigator double jogger. It has a speaker dock in the key/phone enclosed compartment, 2 cup holders for parents and 2 each for the kiddos. The back of each seat has a cargo pocket as well as a large basket underneath. Most universal infant seats snap into the snack tray making it perfect for G and his new baby brother!
   Of course, as any responsible thrifty mom does, I looked up the new retail price of the exact stroller. $260 was the going rate on most sites and here's the specs...

   The ad was asking $150. I texted the owner to make sure it was still available and to bargain. This is how it went down:

And that's how it's done folks! A $260 stroller - this thing looks brand new, out of the box - listed used for $150, took it home for $100. I'm pretty proud of this bargain find!! I mean even the warning stickers inside the cup holders don't have a scuff. They could not have used it more than once or twice. I however, will use the life out of it! Muahahahahaha :) 

 

Confessions of a Publix snob: I went to Aldi

 

   I have tried for years to convert our household to primarily organic foods. It is SO expensive. Here's a previous post of mine about the expense of going organic. I have to admit I'm a Publix snob - we exist and we know who we are - so buying Greenwise or other organic brands has deterred me from going 100% organic simply because of the cost.
   I recently heard the grocery chain Aldi was a hidden gem for great prices and affordable organic options. I procrastinated trying it for so long because of my Publix snobbery and now I'm kicking myself at the money I could have been saving. When it first came to Ocala I thought it was like a Save A Lot so I steered clear. The need to save money has overcome my snobbery. My first trip took place last Friday and I was very pleasantly surprised. Here's a run down and some price comparisons.

  First of all, it's a much smaller selection than typical Pubix/Winn-Dixie stores. There's only a couple options for what you're looking for instead of 15, and they don't carry everything you need, especially if you're a baker or food enthusiast. The whole store is only like 6-7 aisles. But you can definitely supplement here and save a ton.

Aisle 1 - Snacks and Cereal: HoneyNut Cheerios were $2.65 compared to $4.39 at Publix (P). Dried blueberries, $2.45 compared to $3.99 at P. I use these for cereal or trail-mix. Unsalted pistachios 1 lb bag, $5.29 compared to $8.99. Giant bag of popcorn kernels for air popping, $1.69 compared to Orville Red canister for $2.99. Organic animal crackers, $1.69/16 oz. box. Organic strawberry/banana fruit chews, $2.49. Similar Happy Sprout organic toddler snacks in this size box are $3.99 at P.

Aisle 2 & 3 - Can/jar items: Individual 6 pack cups of organic, no sugar added applesauce, $1.49 compared to $3.99 at P not even organic. Organic pasta sauce, $1.89/jar compared to $5.79 at P. I also snagged super fun spinach and tomato pasta bow ties Grady will love for $1.79 each.

Dairy - Organic 2% milk 1/2 gal., $2.95 compared to $3.99 at P. Greek organic yogurt, $.75/cup compared to $1.25+/cup at P. An entire circle of Brie cheese, $2.99 compared to $5-6 and an 8 oz. block of creamy Havarti cheese for $2.99 compared to $4-5 at P. They also had an interesting juice selection including this delicious all natural, no sugar added watermelon juice that was amazing, $2.49 (splurge!). Coffee creamer 32 oz., $2.19 (Aldi brand) compared to $3.63 (Coffeemate) in exact same flavors we like!

   Produce - Strawberries, $1.29 (not organic) compared to $3.99 at P. **If you can't find the produce you like in organic options, I highly recommend "Fit" fruit spray to remove dirt, pesticides, etc. from all produce.** Blueberries, $.99 compared to $2.99 at P. Organic bananas bunch of 6, $1.38 compared to $3-4.

   Another great find was the wine and beer selection. They had awesome import options from Belgium, which we are now big fans after visiting earlier this year. This Boot Tread Amber 6 pack, $6.49 compared to similar imported 6 packs at $8.99.



   The check out process is kind of cool. You have to bring your own reusable bags, which I have 500 of and brought them as I had been warned by other Aldi patrons. You also need a quarter to use the shopping cart but you get it back when you return the cart. Another genius idea to cut down on employee costs for baggers/cart collectors. You have to bag your own stuff, which I appreciate because I'm picky about the way it's packed and the young bucks at Publix never do it right anyway. The cashier puts all your items in another cart that's already waiting for you while you unload yours. You then take this cart to a bagging station with lots of counter space to spread your stuff out and pack it without feeling anxiety from the shopper behind you breathing down your neck. Again, genius. Overall, the price and experience was pretty great. The staff was eager to help with any question I had. The only thing I didn't care for was that you must pay with a debit card so I don't get points by doing a credit card purchase, similar to Sams Club :(

If you haven't been, check it out!