For all my love for New York, I must admit it is an expensive habit. Luckily I am fortunate enough to have extremely supportive parents that are not only paying for my 6 bus tickets a week, but also helping me out financially for groceries, etc. because my internship is not paid.
After some calculations, my parents and I estimated that bus tickets would be approximately $1200 for the five months I'm interning, which is not cheap to begin with. On top of that, I do have to eat and I had no idea how much more expensive eating in New York is. I'm lucky if my lunch is under $10. I've been working on finding some places that are a little more manageable financially, even though I do love a good Schnipper's salad that can come to around $12. Dean & Deluca's has surprisingly good pre-made sushi and that is about $8, which has become my go-to and they are conveniently located right across the street. And while packing a lunch sounds ideal, the two hour bus commute makes that logistically a little more difficult.
I'm starting to realize that I'm really going to have to start saving up if I plan on moving to New York full time in fall for co-op!
I was in the same boat when I co-oped in NY last year. I ended up spending a ridiculous amount of money in amtrak three times a week. That and buying food every day made it a very expensive 6 months with an unpaid internship. I have to say despite the expense it was a great experience and I'm so glad I did it.
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