The People’s Transportation Program Helps People Ride for Free During the Recession

Oh, MTA, you make it remarkably easy for the collective New York City populace to demise you with much fire. When you aren’t jacking up fares, you’re slashing service. While you’re crying broke, you’re digging massive tunnels for new subway lines. Though we begrudgingly recognize that you do get us to work on time at I would assume is a pretty high clip, we’re fed up with your shenanigans. Read more

Monthly Mashup: November Edition

One major holiday down, one to go.  We hope all of you LifeStyler readers had a fantastic Thanksgiving Holiday (and long weekend), complete with home cooked meals and family gatherings.  Ours consisted of alternately inhaling baked macaroni and candied yams while watching old Twilight Zone re-runs on the tube.  But then we got down to business and compiled our favorite posts from the month of November in our monthly mashup of cheap, thrifty, and fabulous articles from LifeStyler and beyond the blogosphere.  Keep reading for our November Editor’s Picks.

Don’t Be a Gift-Giving Dunce – We’ve all gotten those gifts for Christmas — the ones you’re not so sure what to do with, or even somewhat repulsed by.  The LifeStyler staff recalls some of their most sucky presents of their childhood and share how you can avoid being a gift-giving dunce.

Saving on Transportation Costs in NYC – With NYC’s cost of living still at a peak and jobs being slashed in all industries, it’s important to cut costs wherever possible in your budget.  Read on for our tips for saving some dough with on your daily commute.

53 Inexpensive Christmas Gifts – David over at Money Under 30 rounds up 53 easy and inexpensive Christmas gift ideas for the cash strapped or just financially conscious consumer.

What I Learned from Damon Dash – We lowly, under-paid office drones aren’t the only ones getting ourselves into financial trouble.  Even multi-millionaires screw up sometimes!  We take a deeper look into Damon Dash’s recent financial pitfalls and see how he could have avoided this serious cash blunder.

5 Ways to Save Daily – Small steps can go a long way.  Along with making drastic changes in your lifestyle, it’s important to make small adjustments as well.  By taking a closer look at where you spend money every day, you can save hundreds of dollars a year with barely an afterthought.

Avoid the Workplace Monkey Suit - Hate the ‘ole suit and tie shebaggle every day?  Our men’s style expert, Jeffrey Wilson, shows you how to slowly integrate your own personal style — complete with t-shirts and tennis shoes — into your work wardrobe and still look polished and professional.

Cyber Monday Deals – Ditched the Black Friday madness for some Cyber Monday deals? The Budget Fashionista is keeping up with deals and will be updating this page all day to reflect new sales and incoming deals.

Lauren Unplugged – Living in a society that is hugely focused on being “plugged in” 24/7, it’s easy to forget what pure, unadulterated solitude is like.  So, when my old, tired Blackberry crapped out it’s last signal earlier this year, I vowed to end the madness and trade in the intrusive PDA lifestyle for a simpler solution.

5 Mistakes Young Professionals Make at Work – Assimilating into the workplace for the first time is no easy feat.  In a whirlwind of office culture and subsequent politics, it’s easy to make simple blunders that will spotlight your greenness.  Keep on reading for a list of the 5 most common mistakes that young professionals frequently make and how to stay on top of your game and ahead of the curve.

MTA Proposed Fare Hike (AGAIN)

Get ready to be bludgeoned once again with a ridiculous increase in public transportation costs. It looks highly likely that the MTA will once again be digging deep into the pockets of New Yorker’s to fill their ever-increasing budget gaps. The Daily News speculated that the MTA will likely increase the base fare from $2.00 to $2.50 or $3.00, all the while cutting evening service down and possibly nixing Z,G, and M service. Read more

How To Save on Transportation Costs in NYC

I heard recently that the MTA is set to start increasing their advertising revenues even more with the emergence of new ad covered trains, neighborhood-targeted video ads on buses, and wrapped ads around some of the turnstiles (which I’ve already seen in the 42nd St Q station). With the talks of hiking the MetroCard up EVEN MORE, alternative transportation has been on my mind a lot lately. Since lowering the fares (or at least keeping them frozen) is most likely not an option, here are four ways to save some of your cash from being wasted on transportation.

1. Always buy monthly Metro cards. If you work a full-time job and you take the train or the bus every day, there is no reason why you shouldn’t be buying monthly Metrocards, instead of the assortment of other options. This card is by far the bigger savings. I plead my case to everyone I see purchasing weekly or per ride cards, and the biggest perpetrator is our own Jeffrey Wilson. I am forever trying to persuade him to buy the $81 cards, but he insists on paying $24 for a Weekly pass. He could save an additional $15 a month if he’d only plan ahead and buy the monthly card in advance.

2. Car Pool. This doesn’t resonate with every New Yorker, but out in the bowels of Brooklyn, lots of people drive. I suppose it’s the same for the other boroughs too. When you live in such close proximity to your neighbors, have kids that go to the same schools, and work close to each other, it doesn’t make sense to drive individual vehicles to work and back. Check with your neighbors and start a neighborhood car pool by getting together people who work near you and whose schedules are similar. You’ll save a ton on gas, and you’ll have extra time when you aren’t driving to focus on something other than traffic on your commute.

3. Walk instead of taking cabs. We all wish that we had the sort of disposable income that allows one to hail cabs to dinner three nights a week with friends or home from work, but the reality is that cabs are freakin’ expensive. And, are a good majority of the time, unnecessary. But what about when you’re running late, you may ask. Well, if you’re running late to something ten or fifteen blocks away, and it’s between the hours of 5pm and 8pm, chances are you’re going to be late either way. And walking may even get you there more quickly. I’m always surprised at how fast I can trek from 42nd to 14th Street (and trust I am no athlete).

4. Bike. This is everyone’s favorite — and my least favorite. I haven’t straddled a bike seat in a good decade, so the chances of me forging onward with this one are pretty minimal. It does, however, have its perks. If you live in a borough, you get to bike over one of the bridges in the morning. I can only imagine how breathtaking and beautiful a way that must be to start your day. If you’re located in the city, you’re pretty much guaranteed a swift commute home, away from the annoying quirks of buses and trains. And, you’re also out in the brisk air, getting exercise — and for New Yorkers, that’s some serious multi-tasking.