Our school is known for being incredibly expensive. A world-class education in the center of New York City comes with a price. So, what does an average week of spending for a NYU student look like? Here’s just one example.
Name: Zoë
Occupation: Office Assistant at NYU’s School of Social Work, paid biweekly
School: CAS, Journalism and Dramatic Literature 2019
Day One
10:00 AM – Up and at ‘em for work at noon! I have absolutely no food at home, so I mobile order Starbucks on my way to campus. I live in the Lafayette Res Hall so the bus rides allow me to order (tall iced vanilla soy latte and a vegan bagel so good you’ll cry) and then just pick it up while I walk to work. $10
4:00 PM – Off of work! I stroll through Washington Square Park on my way to Kimmel for our Her Campus Meeting.
5:30 PM – Meeting adjourned! I love hanging out with the Her Campus ladies. I always leaving feeling really inspired! I’m supposed to be meeting my boyfriend in the park, but his train is delayed so I head to American Apparel.
6:00 PM – Spent a little more than I planned to at AA, but that 75% off was calling me! I grabbed a bunch of cute panties, a t-shirt bodysuit, and a sweatshirt for my boyfriend. $42
6:20 PM – While walking home from campus, my roommate texts suggesting that we get Shake Shack delivered. You don’t have to ask me twice. I order through Postmates for everyone and get reimbursed later. $30
7:30 PM – My friend gives me the total for some snacks she picked up for a panel we’re going to later. I Venmo her my share. $8
8:00 PM – The blog NYU Local hosted a panel for real journalists to come and talk to us inspiring ones. It was scary, but incredibly inspirational. Gotta love journalism!
11:00 PM – Sleep!
Day Two
2:00 PM – My boyfriend and I decide to go to Dimes, in the LES for brunch, but it’s packed and we’re too starved to wait. Instead, we grab donuts from Donut Plant (delicious and vegan) and browse the Hester Street Market. BF pays for the donuts, but I buy a sheer, cropped jacket with bell sleeves from the 60’s at the market. $5
3:00 PM – After walking around the Lower East Side for what seemed like forever, we head back to Tribeca. I stop to buy strawberries from a street vendor in Chinatown. They’re an amazing $1.25 a box. $2.50
3:30 PM – We pass a million different delicious restaurants and end up at…Popeyes. They don’t have the fast food joint on the Upper West Side, where my boyfriend lives, so I indulge his cravings since he pays.
5:00 PM – While lounging around watching Married at First Sight, I remember that I need to refill my vitamins. I take Vitamin D3 and Folic Acid daily. Well, I try to. A quick click over to Amazon and they’ll be here in two days! $21
9:30 PM – Finally, we look up from the laptop and realize that it’s almost ten and we’re starving. I online order a chipotle bowl to share and my boyfriend and I pick it up right before they close for the night. $9
Day Three
10:00 AM – I need to do a major clean and rehabilitation today. I run over to Duane Reade for some essentials (nail polish, laundry detergent, cuticle gel) then head back home to clean. $17
2:00 PM – Or so I thought. The laundry machines are full and I get engrossed in the new Netflix original “Girlboss” while painting my nails and touching up my eyebrows. I still have no food so I beg my roommates to go to Target with me.
3:00 PM – I’m hoping these groceries will last me to the end of the semester. I bought a lot of new stuff since I plan to start eating a plant-based diet in May. Wish me luck! $43
4:30 PM – I change and start my Sunday walk to campus. Another student publication I work for meets at Bobst every Sunday evening.
6:00 PM – Home! I finally get some cleaning done while watching “Girlboss” and finish some homework.
11:55 PM – I get an assignment in literally with seconds to spare. Who makes a deadline 11:55 and not midnight? I realize that I haven’t eaten dinner and I can’t sleep on an empty stomach so I boil some pasta to eat with pesto.
1:00 AM – Sweet dreams!
Day Four
7:45 AM – I toss and turn until my alarm rings, then hop right into the shower. I have a big day. Interview at Refinery 29 at two and then a phone call with Marie Claire. It’s very “pinch me, I’m dreaming” so I’m stressed about how to make the jobs stick.
8:35 AM – I run out to meet the NYU bus and mobile order Starbucks. Today, it’s an iced soy caramel macchiato and a cheese danish. I’m going to miss cheese danishes like crazy once I become vegan. $6
9:00 AM – Work! I spend a lot of it stress-Googling interview tips and rereading my weekly horoscope.
1:05 PM – I take the NYU bus back to Lafayette to print out 6 copies of resume. They technically asked for 3-5, but I don’t want to take the chance. Then, I walk downtown to the offices!
1:45 PM – Stop at a food cart to buy a bottle of water. I’m really just procrastinating walking into the building, but it helps! $2
2:35 PM – I’m free! The interview went well and I am officially obsessed with the R29 office. Wish me luck!
3:30 PM – Phone call with Marie Claire Features. It was way harder than I expected–most phone interviews are a little lax.
4:00 PM – I head to class early half to get some work done and half because the next bus would make me late. Shout out to the NYU bus.
5:35 PM – While searching my email for an assignment I see one from Marie Claire! I got the job!
6:15 PM – I congratulate myself with a 75% off bag of M&Ms. It was only $1 so I added on a Red Nose, my third one. $2
7:00 PM – Home, sweet home. I drown in homework and head straight to bed. Today was a little crazy.
Day Five
10:00 AM – Bus to class, then bus right back home at noon.
2:45 PM – I’m meeting with a friend to find hot water to take to a Proustian tea party in one of our classes. Gotta love liberal studies! She ends up using her Dining Dollars and throws in a super cute Starbucks mug for me.
3:30 PM – Class! We had linden flower tea and madeleines. It has changed my life.
4:55 PM – I run from 12th Street to 4th Street to get to my Spanish class on time. I consider it my workout for the week.
6:10 PM – Catch the bus home!
7:00 PM – I’d like to say that I did homework all night, but I really just binge-watched Youtube videos.
Day Six
9:00 AM – Starbucks is my best friend. Today is a vanilla sweet cream cold brew and a sprouted grain vegan bagel. It gets me through work in a flash. $6
1:30 PM – I catch up on the homework I should’ve done last night and snack on hummus. Guys, you’ve got to try hummus and hot cheetos. You won’t be disappointed.
5:55 PM – I text my friend who’s in the same class as me tonight, “Will the world end if I don’t go to class?” She replies, “Listen…I’m not going,” and that settles that. I use the time to study and catch up on Teen Mom OG, my not-so-guilty pleasure.
Day Seven
9:40 AM – I usually try to keep my Starbucks indulgences to the days I have work, but my professor says he wants to take class outside, so I’m going to need a cold brew to get me through. $3
11:40 AM – Oops. We totally didn’t go outside, but I’m all fired up so I walk home!
12:00 PM – I decide to be a total creep and walk by the offices of my favorite style blog. Sometimes they take photos outside and I would die to see the writers in person. No such luck!
2:35 PM – I do some homework for Spanish on the bus and on my way to class. Then, the next four hours are a blur of education.
6:10 PM – My roommate and I decide to walk home. On our way back, we grab Chipotle for dinner. $9
7:30 PM – I relax for the rest of the night! The semester went by so fast. I couldn’t be more thankful.
TOTAL: $188.50
As far as spending this week, I’m proud of how conservative I’ve been. The trips to Starbucks are excessive, but they are an end-of-the-semester anomaly. I promise! Tracking my spending has actually been really beneficial to my financial responsibility. It’s easy to spend when it’s just swipes and not actual numbers. How do you handle your finances?
This feature is inspired by Refinery 29’s own “Money Diaries.”