Your Cheap Friend's Guide to NYC

You invite your CF out for an iced latte. Instead of a nice, air-conditioned cafe with music, your CF suggests the coffee at the local D’Agostino’s supermarket and a park bench. You sweat all the way down the path of least resistance.

You and your party are all the way uptown, but your CF insists it’s worth a trek all the way down to 14th street for a cheap case of vino. You end up buying a few – might as well stock up while you’re down here – but your CF refuses to contribute toward cab fare. It’s great incidental exercise for him since he’s way too cheap to join a gym. You grin and bear it.

Your CF’s brother is in from out-of-town and wants a taste of New York’s famous pizza. Does your CF take his brother to John’s? Patsy’s? Two Boots? Nope. Not a chance. Your CF knows very well that a slice of just-decent-enough pizza can be had on Ninth Avenue at 99 Cents Fresh Pizza. Well, at least it’s not Domino’s.

Even your CF’s shoestrings are donated.

Your CF will only view art if it’s on the cheap and that means you’ve got to wait until Friday night and then you’ve got to wait in line to get into the Whitney. It’s technically “pay-what-you-wish,” from 6-9 p.m. which translates to a coin or two to your CF. Once inside, you’ll see everything from Hopper to ordinary household objects encased in glass. Is all of this art? The Whitney thinks so.

Your CF is decorating his new apartment (he took the much smaller room of a two-bedroom apartment). Your CF bypasses Bed Bath and Beyond for his housing needs and heads straight for Jack’s 99 Cent Store on East 40th. With everything from flip-flops to food and cleaning supplies, your CF has found his El Dorado.

It’s Hudson River Park Trust and RiverFlicks is the scene of their summer steal: your CF knows that Pier 54 just off of 14th Street in Manhattan is where free movie screenings happen Wednesday and Friday nights in the summertime. Why pay for a new release when you can see a perfectly good movie you’ve already seen with free popcorn? He does have a point. Sort of.

Your CF doesn’t care if his vest will tear or go out of style in a few months. He’s not plunking down more than $20 on it. And if there’s even so much as a stitch loose now, he’s going to let the cashier know.

H&M is absolutely enormous and your CF can get anything from a white t-shirt to a cheap suit for your friend’s wedding. (And of course your CF loves weddings because those are paid for.)

Sometimes you just want to grab a glass of wine and talk about old times with your CF. Well plan on keeping the staff of 67 Wine entertained with your tales as well because that’s where you’re going. On Fridays, usually between 4-7 p.m. there are wine tastings, which – if you hop from region to region – can get you pretty rosy-cheeked indeed.