Living on the Cheap

NYC on the Cheap is a member of Living on the Cheap, a network of websites published by frugalistas, journalists and consumer advocates. Find practical advice on saving money on groceries, travel and shopping, plus tips from our experts on how to live the good life for less at Living on the Cheap.

Uniqlo shops pop up around Manhattan, in Flatiron and UWS

@NYCCheap

Uniqlo is opening several temporary pop-up shops in Manhattan to build buzz and interest until the two new superstores in Rockefeller Center and in Herald Square open later this fall.  One of the low-priced Japanese chain’s mini-shops already has  opened — at 155 Fifth Avenue, at 21st Street — and two more [...]

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Free vodka sampling and wine tasting Thursday in Village and UWS

Try before you buy.

Warehouse Wines & Spirits, at Broadway and Astor place, has tastings nearly every Thursday evening.   Tonight, it’s vodka.  Free taste tests of Bison Grass vodka and Poland’s primium Vesica vodka, 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.. Whole Foods is celebrating August with  wine tastings nearly every day, at the Upper West [...]

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Free street fairs, parades, concerts this weekend

Enjoy the last weekend of July with these free and frugal family events in NYC –

Saturday street fairs –

Festival of the Americas, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sixth Avenue between 42nd and 56th Streets Vanderbilt YMCA Festival — 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., on Second Avenue, between 46th and 57th Streets

Sunday [...]

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Final free performances of Checkov’s The Seagull in Riverside Park

This isn’t Shakespeare in the Park.  It’s  Chekov in the park, and it’s in Riverside Park, not Central Park, but it’s still FREE .  This is the last long weekend of performances by  the theater group Hudson Warehouse,  of the classic Chekov drama, set in the 19th century.  Performances are each evening through Sunday, [...]

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Free wine tastings at Whole Foods UWS weekday evenings

Whole Foods is celebrating August with  special wine tastings, at the Upper West Side Store, Columbus Avenue at 99th Street.  The free samplings are 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., with a different region featured each night.  Here’s the schedule for this week, August 1st to 5th –

Monday, August 1st — Elegant, cool-climate wines [...]

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Free performances of Checkov’s The Seagull in Riverside Park

It’s not Shakespeare in the Park, but Chekov in the park, and it’s Riverside, not Central, but it’s still FREE .  The theater group HudsonWarehouse is staging performances of the classic Chekov drama, set in the 19th century, at the Soldiers and Sailors Monument at 89th St. and Riverside Drive, on the north [...]

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Vanishing New York: H&H Bagels is closing

New York City is losing another icon.  H&H Bagels is shutting down after 39 years in business on the corner of 80th Street and Broadway.  The reasons include rising costs of everything, including wheat and rent, and the owner’s tax troubles.  It is unclear whether the H&H bakery and store on 46th St. [...]

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NYC street fairs and festivals this weekend

So much to do in NYC this weekend, with so many FREE street fairs, festivals and other fun for the entire family.  Street fairs are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted

Saturday –

Coney Island Mermaid Parade — Mermaids, mermen, floats, outrageous costumes and lots of good cheer on Stilwell Avenue and [...]

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Free family concert in Central Park on Sunday celebrates World Environment Day

posted by Evelyn Kanter

Sunday, June 5th is World Environment Day, and what better place to celebrate than in Central Park, the world’s most famous green urban environment.  Even better, celebrate with a special family event.  The Central Park Conservancy’s “A Clearing in the Forest” is a series of performances that combines eco-education [...]

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Free three day membership at Reebok Sports Club

posted by Evelyn Kanter

Just in time to get in shape for Memorial Day and the coming summer — get a free three-day trial membership at Reebok Sports Club.   I found this deal on the Urban Daddy website.  There are two Reebok Sports Club locations in Manhattan, plus one each in Boston, Miami, [...]

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NYC weekend planner for street fairs and festivals

There are so many street fairs and festivals in NYC this weekend that there is no way you can participate in all of them.  Tough choices, but choose we must.  Here’s the list of what to do and where to go this weekend –

Events both Saturday and Sunday –

The New York Public [...]

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Free cholesterol, PSA, HIV, blood pressure screenings at UWS health fair

posted by Evelyn Kanter

May 25th is National Senior Health & Fitness Day, but you don’t have to be a boomer or senior to get in line for these free health screenings When was the last time you had a medical check-up?  Do you know what your LDL and HDL levels are?  Get yourself [...]

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