“Yesterday we told you about free dry cleaning for the jobless, and today there’s more good news for out-of-work New Yorkers. Eric Slayton, owner of New York Underground Fitness, says that anyone who shows him proof of lost employment will be welcome at his gym–free of charge. “I feel an obligation, and am in a position to help people through this tough time,” Slayton says. “There’s more to this business than just counting how many memberships you can sell. I’m not forgetting why I own a gym and train—it’s because I have a sincere belief in what I do, and what establishing a healthy and fit lifestyle can do for the other parts of your life,” he adds. What a guy. Bet you never thought unemployment could work wonders for your waistline! New York Underground Fitness, 440 W 57th St between Ninth and Tenth Aves (212-957-4781, nyundergroundfitness.com)”
via Time Out NY
“As jobs are so damn hard to find these days, it’s nice to see that local businesses are doing their part to help out-of-work New Yorkers make a great first impression. Last week, we told you about Privé Salon’s interview prep package, now NPR is reporting that First Professional Cleaners on the UES wants to help too. A sign in the window reads: “If you are unemployed and need an outfit clean for an interview, we will clean it for free.” First Professional Cleaners, 345 E 72nd St between First and Second Aves (212-327-0625)”
via Time Out NY
Hello! So no time wasting, we have an amazing calendar this week. A Sample Sale that’s sure to impress, Brazilian Pool Party, Free Colt 45’s, Free Bikes, a WuTang Party, Free Comics, car rides and so much more. With the warm weather comes a lot of fun activities. So check them all out when you click that link right here: read more…
Here at The Recessionaire we try and let you know about the best deals in the city, but we also want you to know when that deal is not what it seems. The Virgin Megastore on 14th street Union Square, has a great selection of discount movies from $5 to $10 dollars. I have gotten some great films for $10 or less there and have have made this a monthly ritual for the past few months. But, yesterdays visit was a little different. As I was going through the bargain bins I noticed employees pulling the $10 sale stickers off the movies, so i asked, “What’s going on? Are these movies still $10?”. The employee informed me that the price is still $10 until tomorrow, then they will no longer be and then would not tell me if they be cheaper or more expensive if I came back tomorrow or the reason for the sudden change. This perked my interest and after asking a few more employees the same question, a loose lipped associate informed me that a liquidator is coming that night, which means the store will be shutting down. So, I went back today and saw the massive signage outsite the store confirming my suspicions, the store is liquidating and closing for good. I entered the store expecting a madhouse of slashed prices and saw nothing of the sort. The $10 DVD bin that I was rummaging through the previous day was marked 20% off original price. Well, the original price of the DVD was $15.00 and 20% off, equals $3.00, which brings the total of the movie to $12.00. WHAT? This $10 movie is now more expensive during a liquidation? This whole sale is a sham. All the previous sales were nixed and discounts are now being offered on the original prices which are higher than the previous sale price. So if you see the signs for liquidation, DON’T GO! Wait a few days till the acutal deals start being posted. With a liquidation the discounts get steeper as the store moves closer to closing. So check back in afew days and save your money for the real deals.
Now I know what I have been doing wrong … Strathmore Stock business cards.
Did you see the re-cap video from our last calendar? If you didn’t you can see it HERE. The video is a re-cap of a few events we went to and totaled the cost up in the end to $42.00. This included food, activities, drinks and lots of fun. This weeks calendar is loaded with lots of stuff, mostly free, a few small tickets prices, but overall recession friendly. So, here is this weeks installment of The Economic Enjoyment Calendar, just click that link right here: read more…
So, being laid off has given me time to re-consider my life options and whether or not going back to an office is really what I want to do, or if it was even what I wanted to do in the first place. The answer to both…probably not. So, I have been checking out some of my options and thought that culinary school would be worth researching. I have always been passionate about cooking, so why not get some info on turning it into a career and that’s what I exactly did. So, one of the best programs I found in New York was The French Culinary Institute and I went for a little visit. It was an hour long tour of the school, talking briefly with some staff, hearing about the amazing chefs they produce and it wrapped up with my admisions rep saying, “So, let me know when you want to have dinner at the restaurant…it’s all complimentary.” Wait….what? You see the FCI operates a 4 star eatery on the ground floor that the students cook at in the final stage of their training and if you are a prospective student, they give you a complimentary meal for you to taste the result of the education you receive. So this week I shall be getting a full 5 course fine dining meal for free, for basically an hour’s worth of my time. Just think about what you get paid or got paid for an hour worth of your time at a job and then think of the price of a 4 star dinner for two in New York…see what I’m saying? So, if you got that fine dining craving and your wallet just isn’t cooperating, take an hour, act real interested and reap the rewards.
Hey creatives, fast food foodies and lovers of that dunkin crack coffee, Dunkin Donuts is giving away $12,000 to someone who design their next donut. Just go to their website HERE and get started. It takes about 10 minutes and hey, “it’s Friday, you ain’t got no job, you ain’t got shxt to do”. <—Name that movie. So I just finished my personalized donut, it was a strawbbery chocolate cheescake donut. I figured I probably have a better chance winning this than that lotto ticket I spent the last bit of my unemployment check on and hey, this one is free. Now I’m hungry…damn.
So, I’m scraping money together to fly to one of my best friends wedding and since being laid off, I’m no longer reaping the rewards of those work travel miles. When I was researching flights, I got to thinking there’s gotta be a way to hustle this, to still get some ameneties without breaking the bank. Even if I had to pay a small amount, I’d make that back by ordering double whiskeys as fast as they will serve them, because the best part of being in first class, free booze. Also, they give you a meal, like a real one that doesn’t have to be unwrapped AND there’s no middle seat, excuse my language, but fuck the middle seat. Having a middle seat, is like being the kid who smelled bad in grade school, nobody wants you around. Hence, I want a upgrade and being jobless and broke should not stand in the way of needless luxury. So after some research I found two really good leads, the first is from Wikihow.com and is 16 great tips on how to get an upgrade and I’ve actually used a couple of these tips before and they have worked. The second is insight on how to get Y-up’s and Q-up’s which is airline code for certain upgrades that were created for frequent travelers to get around the corporate guidelines and get unsold 1st class seats, sometimes at coach prices. I figure hey, if I’m already spending money on the ticket, might as well try it. Check them both out by clicking on that link right here: read more…
Brooklyn Restaurant Week is back! Bigger and better than the year before, over 200 eateries are dishing up 3 course pre-fix specials for the recession friendly price of $23. You can get dinners, brunches, lunches at every kind of restaurant you can imagine. Some of the places are even giving away 2 meals for the $23. Go to www.visitbrooklyn.org and click on the Dine In Brooklyn icon on the home page to get the full listings off all the participating establishments. Now’s your chance to dine like royalty on a unemployment check budget. See you out there!
Here’s a money saving tip: Don’t buy Uggs! They make you look like you have eskimo feet. Might as well wrap a couple wild animal pelts around your feet, so you can effectively trek through the artic tundra you fucking yeti. I don’t care how comfortable they are, there’s no excuse. Especially when it warm outside, it’s just going to result in a nasty case of stank foot. Plus, why would you wear something that sounds like sorority sister slang for ugly? It’s like buying denim from a company that’s called, “Yes! You do look fat in those jeans!”. Save yourself the $150 and roll down to Canal Street and get a pair of those flats for 5 bucks, you know, the one’s that look like there are made of chicken wire with a flower on top. Save this footsy faux-paux for the mid-western tourist girls who strut around the city acting so “New York” while quoting ‘Sex in the City’ and deciding if they are more of a Carrie or a Miranda. Next stop, Magnolia Bakery! But, I will say this…those cupcakes are pretty dope.
So me and a couple of people rolled out the the sketchbook tour at 3rd Ward, here in Brooklyn. The show consisted of work done by 2,785 artists from the U.S. and 44 other countries, who filled 3 ½ in. x 5 ½ in. Moleskine® sketchbooks for Atlanta’s Art House Gallery’s mobile exhibition. 3rd Ward was the seventh stop on a nine-location tour. The theme of the show was “everyone we know”. There was some really great stuff there and some books….meh. But the music was fresh, the people were cool and there was loads of free beer. Well not loads, they did run out near the end…whatever, it was free. On the way out we stopped by the guy doing free matchbook portraits of people, I got one, so every time I like a smoke it’s like teamwork with my cartoon self. But, I digress. 3rd Ward does tons of events, parties and cookouts, which are most of the time free and always open to the public, I highly suggest getting on their events mailing list. 3rd Ward itself, is an artists space that runs like a co-op, with computer labs, photo studios, metal/wood shop, gallery etc. Learn more about them and how to become a member on their website. Until next time, watch the video…I make them for you.
They paid. I didn’t. Simple enough. Getting in was the easy part and so was snacking on all the finger foods. But, there’s was a holy grail, the white whale, the shangrila…a huge buffet of delicious wild game concoctions. Only trouble, you needed to turn in a ticket that was given at the door to receive a plate. No matter, just watch the video.
