Dining Well for Less

Blame it on the Food Network. Blame it on irresistibly delicious new magazines like Lucky Peach. Blame it on the existence of foie gras crème brulee.  Millennials have a refined palate (as in, an insatiable appetite for expensive, exotic, challenging foods) and no kind of budget to enjoy the spoils of modern food culture. New York recently published an article about the growing number of twentysomethings who spend a quarter of their paycheck on fine foods. But we shouldn’t have to choose between eating well and living well. Here are some suggestions for enjoying nicer restaurants for less.

Fitness at your fingertips: Free classes in your city

For busy, cash-strapped young people, a gym membership can feel like a luxury. Not only is your precious time consumed by work, school, relationships (and the list goes on), but also, who can afford spending upwards of $80 per month on a gym membership? Not I.

Luckily my status as a graduate student and full-time employee of Emerson College grants me free fitness center privileges on campus. Obviously, this is amazing; but sometimes I miss being able to take classes not available at my gym (like most college campuses, the gym is pretty much a ghost town during the summer when the majority of students are gone, and no classes are held).

Charles River Esplanade
Image Source: Wikimedia Commons

That’s why I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the Esplanade Association (TEA) of Boston runs a program of free fitness classes over the summer called Healthy, Fit & Fun. Designed with working professionals in mind, most classes are scheduled after the workday, at 6:00 or 6:30 p.m. (with the exception of Fridays, on which the class takes place at 9:30 a.m.). They’ve got a running group, Zumba, yoga, and even a boot camp class. Did I mention this was free?

All the classes meet at locations on the Charles River Esplanade, and are sponsored by local gyms and athletic clubs. Don't live in Boston? Other cities offer similar programs; for example, there's also Shape Up NYC. Your city's parks and recreation department's website should list classes available near you.

Boot camp after work on Thursday evenings? Yes, please. Because nothing is more stress reducing than working out along the lovely Charles as a drill instructor barks orders at you.

It Takes a While to Heal

Sure we all have succumbed and used credit cards to get the latest gadgets, clothes, trips, gifts, or simply have relied on them to survive rough times.

A few years ago I started my first real job, I figured I'd be done with debt by the first months while I enjoyed my new well deserved income going out for food and drinks, 3-4 times a week and buying lunch everyday. As wrong as I was, it took me 2 years to finally end card debt, a few months to figure out how to do it, and several lifestyle adjustments.

Don't Go iCrazy

I admit it—I’m pathologically attached to my smartphone. I cradle and cherish it, much like I didn’t cradle and cherish the speckled egg I was given in ninth grade as an infant substitute (which my Serbian grandmother proceeded to cook that evening because I left it on the kitchen table and she, reasonably enough, figured I wanted a poached delicacy for dinner).

I mean, let’s be real. Unless someone took an Instagram or tweeted about that tree falling in the forest, that ish totally did not happen. 

Label Lovers, Eat Your Heart Out!

CAUTION: Before you start reading, you may want to sit down!

Released on Target's twitter today, the retailer announced that it would be joining forces with Neiman Marcus to release a holiday 2012 collection designed exclusively by 24 Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) members. Designers ranging from Marc Jacobs to Rodarte to Oscar de la Renta will be designing pieces for the holiday collection. This collaboration will include over 50 pieces for the budget-conscious consumer and will cover everything from clothing for humans and dogs to home decor. The retailer reported that prices will range from $5 - $500, with a majority of the pieces being priced under $60.

Walking: Free, Easy, Accessible

At the risk of sounding like a 65-year-old grandmother, I’d like to come clean. I walk for exercise.


This wasn’t always the case. In high school I did a different sport each season. When I was in college, I ran outside. Then running began to hurt my knees and I transitioned to using the gym four times a week — working out on the Elliptical and swimming.


Last fall, I moved to Boston for graduate school. My budget was strictly curtailed and I thought a great way to save money was to use my school’s gym versus buying a membership for $70+ per month. While this plan seemed like a practical one, in reality I never seemed to make it down to my school’s gym. Seriously never. Not once. In other words, I am that girl from the Tufts Heath Plan that Keira alluded to in an earlier post. So, I had to find another way to work exercise into a hectic schedule.

From Work to Night Class: Helpful Tips for Employed Grad Students on the Go

As a full-time professional and full-time grad student, I'm always short on time and looking for smart ways to transition from work to class. On the nights I have class, I rarely have a break in between to change or grab the right notebook. While it’s important to separate work from school, to find that break, it’s equally important to combine the two in a way that keeps you organized and on task. Here are a few simple tips that have kept me a presentable, responsible, and happy working grad:

1. Dress for day to evening: dress professionally for work, but bring a change of clothes for your night class. I incorporate T-shirts and blazers into most of my office wear so I can put on more comfortable pants later without changing entirely. No one wants to sit in a pencil skirt or pantsuit for that long.

2. Get yourself a weekly planner that includes a time block grid: it's important to visualize your priorities. I find planners with time grids to be the most helpful; in one glance I can see the staff meeting I have at 1pm and the group project I’m managing at 6. For those interested, Target sells great daily planners.

3. Do your homework at home: don't do class assignments in the office. It's not only unprofessional, but also unproductive. The quality of your work will suffer from dividing your attention between paper writing and what you're really supposed to be working on between 9 and 5.

4. Take a break! Whether it's during your lunch break or after class, set aside time to do something you enjoy each day. Reading and exercise do it for me, though I do enjoy a Real Housewives episode now and again.