The Polar Bear Club Swims For The Kids On New Year’s Day

A thin layer of snow has befallen NYC this New Year’s Eve, but that isn’t stopping a few intrepid individuals from prepping for one of the area’s most time-honored winter conditions: taking a dip into the icy Coney Island waters. Read more

5 Cheap Ways to Spend New Year’s Eve in NYC

As most of us already know, New Years Eve in NYC can be a stress inducing, pocket draining event that can force even the most levelheaded of New Yorkers to flip out at the sight of 600 glittery eye-glassed visitors packed into a Q train car at 3am.  So to ease up on at least one thing that you can control (expensive events), we’ve rounded up five free and cheap events all over NYC where you can ring in the new year with some cash still in your pocket. Read more

Important Lease Vocabulary that all New Yorkers Should Know

Unless you studied real estate in college, signing a lease can be extremely overwhelming. There are so many new phrases and terms being thrown at you that you begin to wonder if your broker is even speaking English. However, it’s vitally important that you understand everything on your lease because once you sign that paper you’re legally bound to what it says. Read more

5 Ways to Spend the Holidays that Don’t Involve Lighted Trees and Carols

Not everyone celebrates the holidays with a lighted tree, caroling and obnoxious relatives.  Sometimes it’s better to cull your own traditions.  So spice up that movie and Chinese takeout with some of these fun events — all under $15 — that you can take advantage of later today.  Read more

A Quick and Easy Dinner Party for $30: Holiday Edition

$30 Dinner Party is a Monthly Column that lays out a detailed 3-course meal (appetizer, entree and dessert) for a dinner party of four for under $30. With a detailed listing of ingredients (and their cost) and super easy recipes, along with budget wine pairings, you’ll never have to put off socializing due to budget restrictions again.  Recession be damned! Read more

Jeanette Pavini Dishes on Where to Save and Where to Splurge During the Holidays

Your credit card balance is increasing and your receipts are piling up because of the holidays. It’s the time of the year everyone expects to drop hundreds of dollars. Read more

5 Super Last Minute Gift Ideas for Less than $20

It’s two days before Christmas. Have you finished your shopping?  Don’t stress. There are plenty of last minute gifts that you can give to your family and friends without losing any money (or blood) in the Herald Square chaos. And no, you won’t see gift cards on this list. Read more

LifeStyler’s Last-Minute NYC Budget Gift Guide

It’s the holiday season again, and if you’re anything like us, you haven’t done a stitch of gift shopping.  It’s okay, though.  Laziness doesn’t always have to screw you over.  We’ve rounded up some easy last minute (and cheap!) gifts that are purchased easily and quickly from your home computer or in the nearby area — but be ready to have that shipping expedited.

Under $20

• KODAK Picture Movie DVD ($14.99) – Pull at their heart strings.  You know people love homemade gifts, so make them all teary-eyed by uploading sweet photos and adding in some sweet Marvin Gaye tracks.  The whole caboodle takes about 15 minutes, and its done at a Kiosk — can’t get much easier than that.  Once you’re done, wrap it up in some homemade paper created by your old Whole Foods bags, and voila!  DIY perfection.  *Kiosk locations here.

• Full Color Photo Book by Fast Pencil ($9.20) – Here’s another partial-DIY gem.  Fast Pencil is an online publishing tool that allows you to print your own books — but you can also use it to make a really fabulous thoughtful gift.  A 40 page full-color, saddle stitch photo book will run you less than $10 a copy.  Or you could publish a handful of mom’s best recipes, complete with glossy photos and personal anecdotes to give to everyone in the family.  The sky’s pretty much the limit with this one.

• Tenant Flash Cards ($10) – Tenant rights are always important, living in a city like New York.  Make looking up common tenant issues way easier by popping out some flash cards, instead of sifting through a hundred pages of Google search results.

Under $50

• First World Trash Brown Tote ($40) – Supporting local small businesses right now is key in helping them survive the Great Recession of ‘09.  Do your part by picking up this trendy, goes-with-everything, recycled (green!) tote bag from Queens retailer, First World Trash.

• 8×12 Fine Art Print of Macy’s at Christmas time ($39) – Remind your gift recipient that you did not have to stand in insane shopping lines with this fine art print of the crowds at Macy’s that you can purchase through Etsy, the web’s best online craft store.

• Lego Recreation of the Guggenheim Museum ($44.95) – Legos are awesome.  Lego recreations are even better.  And in a twisted sense of irony, the most unique gift I’ve seen this year is available at the cookie-cutter mega retailer, Wal-Mart.  It’s perfect for your geeky, artsy friend.

Under $100

• Quickbooks Accounting Simple Start Edition ($99.95) – Be practical. The best way to stay on top of that New Year’s resolution to finally get your finances in order is to actually make a step towards that goal.  There’s a reason why almost every small business uses Quickbooks — it’s actually a good product.  And the best thing about this version, is that it’s pretty much learning curve free — as long as you can pump out some data entry, it’ll do the rest.

• Dance Classes at Broadway Dance Center ($70) – A 5-class card at famed studio, BDC, is a way cool gift for for both the beginner or a seasoned dancer.  With 16 types of classes, you can test drive a few to find out which is your favorite.

• Transit Museum Membership ($80) – Give someone a real New York gift — a membership to the Transit Museum.  There’s all sorts of perks involved, including free museum admission for you, a guest, and four kids; discounts to museum events; and most importantly, access to train tunnel tours of old subway stations.

Free Sushi Sandwich at Bamboo 52 in Hell’s Kitchen Today and Tomorrow!

Cookies! Gifts! Santa! Lights!  And stress.  This week is one of the most stressful weeks of the year, so why don’t you treat yourself to a free sushi sandwich tasting at Bamboo 52. Read more

A Merry Mikey Rox Christmas Gift Guide

Mikey Rox is an award-winning journalist/writer and the principal of Paper Rox Scissors, a copywriting and creative consulting company in New York City. Find him at www.paperroxscissors.com.

JAM SESSION

Oprah named Sarabeth’s Legendary Spreadable Fruits one of her top 10 all-time favorite gifts – and ’round here, what Mama O says goes. But it’s no wonder why the daytime diva and her devoted minions think Sarabeth’s preserves are the bees’ knees; the NYC-based Kitchen cuts the fruits by hand to avoid bruising, and each batch is slow-simmered and allowed to thicken until it reaches peak flavor. Certified kosher by the Orthodox Union (Hellooo, Hanukkah!), these award-winning jams are available by the jar or in no-need-to-wrap gift and sampler boxes. ($10-$32; www.sarabeth.com) Read more

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