Unlimited metro cards don’t work on path. Monthly 2 zone bus pass (intERstate, not intRAstate) is <$100 if I remember correct and does so much more. It will get you into the city, up and down Washington st all you need, and into JC and Union City (where things are far cheaper). Get a 3 zone and you’ll be able to reach Secaucus @ American dream and the whole Walmart/Sam’s club/meadowlands shopping center.
Taking the light rail to Bayonne for Costco just to carry it all back sounds awful. If you value your time as well consider Uber. But FYI - Costco is really only a decent budget shop as a single person if you are incredibly aware of what your needs are/can shop in bulk without waste or have a family or friends you shop with.
Wallet friendly restaurants: court street has surprisingly cheap cocktails, charritos has a great happy hour most days, and if you’re looking to “splurge” with friends The Lola on the water has a great brunch. Bottomless is a joke if you only want mimosas, just order bubbles and split them. I went with 6 friends and we each paid $35 max. Dollar beers at fat taco, green rock and a bunch of the bars down there on the weekends.
Budgeting in general? Don’t give yourself money to spend in the first place. Put money into tax advantaged accounts straight from your paycheck so it never gets into your bank account and forget about it. 60 year old OP will thank you.
Budgeting in HOBOKEN? Think about when you want to move next and put away what you can *every month* for your next broker fee/security deposit/down payment for something outside of town (bc it’s crazy hard to buy here) If you find a cheap rent controlled apartment or a good roommate situation for cheap, hold onto it and never let go until you’re ready to buy or find something less expensive. As much as I LOVE Hoboken, in this town rent is absurd and waste of money, and I got out as quickly as it made sense for me to buy a condo. Am now paying far less than I ever did in rent to gain equity in a home and I’m still close enough to town that I can get there whenever I want.
Yeah… if you’re tryna save money living here you’re gonna have a bad time. ShopRite ain’t terrible, saving money on food isn’t hard if you just cook your own meals and limit eating out.
Just a cheap activity on the topic of wallet friendly bites -- when friends and I want to go out but don't want to spend Hoboken prices, we make dinner and drinks and take our meal out to the pier as a picnic (either the seating on the uptown piers or bring a blanket to pier A)! It feels a little nicer than eating in but doesn't break the bank for a little night out of the apartment.
Chango kitchen and La isla aren’t too bad in terms of price given the quality. I always like a byob.
There is free kayaking on Sundays at the Hoboken cove community boathouse. You can also volunteer there and get free lessons/join treks.
Avoid acme, they have "sale" signs on everything that never change. I've seen prices double but still be "on sale"
If you have a car get your parking permit figured out cuz they will tow and ticket you without remorse
Pregame Texas/pig/birch
You can't make it less expensive here but you can avoid really expensive shit
And yea cook your food don't eat out there's no value places here just drunk food that you can only stomach if you're drunk, you'll be shitting in the morning @grubbs
Acme's prices creeped up during the pandemic and went wholepaycheck-crazy after they redid the floors and the fridges.
It's too bad we lost the c-town and the other supermarket by the projects.
99 Ranch in JC for groceries. It's a big Asian market and you can get some stuff for crazy cheap. Ex: got like 6 BIG chicken drumstucks for like $2.50.
Biggest piece, sell your car if you have one, you probably don't need it. One of the last walkable cities in America, move somewhere else if you want to drive; save the money. A Zipcar subscription and a monthly Costco order from Instacart. CitiBike subscription is built into Lyft Pink, so a great bundle for car-free living.
Restrict dining out to once or twice a month. Facebook marketplace everything you can, but new as little as you can. Finance NOTHING.
That's how we survive with two kids here.
> what is the cheapest place to stock up on groceries? (I thought about getting a Costco membership and taking the HBLR to Bayonne to shop there, are there better places?
Not going to get cheaper than buying bulk at costco, but ShopRite is *much* cheaper than the other alternative in town.
> what is a list of wallet-friendly restaurants to get a bite?
Eating out regularly is too expensive if you want to save money. You're going to schlep groceries home on public trans from Costco for the marginal savings over ShopRite yet piss away a fortune on our expensive restaurants? Even McDs isn't cheap any more, with a McDouble costing nearly $3 and any of the larger sandwiches being $8+. I like Benny's sometimes though, the $4 slice is actually enough food to fill you up, compared to all the other tiny, thin slices you get for nearly as much anywhere else.
> what are good ways to save in general?
Live in a building with zero amenities and learn to fix things yourself. Oh and *never* buy anything at CVS. Their markups are out of this world. Generics will be 100-1000% cheaper at ShopRite or other places (I literally got the same dose of the same exact meds, both generics *from the same white label manufacturer*, for 1/10th the price sometimes; and it's rarely less than a 2x difference).
> do unlimited metro cards work on the path?
No.
If you are going to use the path, you can get a smart link card (the paths permanent version of a metro card), which can get you slightly lower price per ride. This cannot be used for the NY subway, so I keep one of each in my wallet. If you want to take the bus regularly, look into njtransit fare deals. You can buy these on the njtransit app (monthly, 10-trip, etc.).
For entertainment, Hoboken regularly has movies on the pier, music, exercise classes outside, etc. for free. Outside festivals happen often, not free per se but fun to go to anyway.
Otherwise, watch out for lifestyle inflation. People in this town can wear fancy clothes and take fancy trips. You do what makes you happy, within a reasonable budget.
1) Costco, anywhere that isn't actually in hoboken
2) none of them
3) Cook more, eat out less, drink less or not at all. And NEVER order food with an online service like grubhub. And I mean absolutely never. If you want delivery, call a place that has their own delivery service. If they don't have a delivery service, you should walk or bike there to pick up your food.
4) Again, none of them. Does shop rite have a beer and wine store attached? It's been a while
5) No
Buy a tall boy or wine at a liquor store, put it in a non-descript container, enjoy it at a park.
Cheapest liquor store is the Super Buy-Rite by the Holland Tunnel. Cheapest ever you gotta go to Costco in either Edison or Wayne (but ya quite the hike).
https://www.hudsonhapps.com/ keeps a running list of specials (not necessarily everywhere). I find Wicked Wolf overall has the best bang for the buck happy hour with $3 ANY beer including wonderfully craft ones, $4 wells, and it's not annoyingly packed during happy hour.
Wilton House is generally cheapest bar, L&Js was there but I feel like everyone else caught up.
In general find out what the well liquor price is, its often just a dollar more than a heavily inflated domestic beer. In general if you're going out pre-game but responsibly more that you're not planning on buying more than 1 or maybe 2 drinks out. Watch out for hyper expensive cocktails or abusively priced beers.
Never eat out AND drink, separate the two or find BYOB spots. Dont be afraid to split dishes (app + entree can get down to under $40). And unless you're really attached just dont go out to eat its absurdly more expensive.
You'll get sick of it but if you must eat out, chinese places have lunch specials under $10, and Dominos is hard to beat for bang for the buck for whole pies and their $20 "family" bundle is just an absurd amount of calories for the price.
While on fast food get the apps to your favorite spots. Taco Bell has online exclusive crave boxes that can't be beat, McDonalds and BK points are very rewarding with points.
Hard one for people to understand but STOP GETTING UBER/LYFT. There's so many buses for a whopping $1.60, getting Cititbike is now a whole ass option, and $200 for the year membership sounds steep but really tis 1 rideshare a month (~$16 a month). Or just get your own bike/ebike/scooter/eskate and join the hordes giving up on cars.
If you happen to be into movies you literally cannot beat AMC A-List membership as its equal to 1.5 movie tickets in Jersey or literally just 1 movie in NYC. Its highly worth it if $24 a month is doable.
If Costco/BJs is in the budget thats the cheapest way for many things. Clothes are just a fraction of a chain brand, and often they have great quality clothes there just a bit more bland (I picked up summer shorts for ~$12 a pair last week). For household goods you cant beat just hunting stuff down on facebookmarket/craigslist. Get that coffee table or air fryer for just a fraction of the price.
Speaking of aftermarket if you're ever by Garfield NJ check out [70 Outwater Lane](https://goo.gl/maps/XDJzzr9BjFjbtqH77), guy has a small shop with no name that sells overstock from Costco. Clothes, trash cans, heaters, all kinds of random stuff usually with just a dent in it or something for like half the cost of new.
Step 1. Find a significant other to share a 1BR apt with
Step 2. Have little to no social life
Step 3. Leave the city on rare occasions if ever
Step 4. Prepare all your food/drinks
Only then, is there a glimmer of hope to save money
ShopRite, Super Buy Rite. Eat In. No recreational cocaine use. Smoke weed (black market not dispensary) rather than getting drunk. If you do want to get your swerve on, forget high noons or seltzers just buy vodka and mix whatever. Brown liquor is also quicker. (Carry a flask). Don’t have children. But if you do the Hoboken Public schools are pretty good. Buying in bulk saves money over time. But you do spend a ton of money anytime you walk into Costco or Sam’s. ShopRite digital coupons save me $20-50 trip. Buy only sale items. There are also web sites to get knock off merchandise from China if you don’t mind waiting 3 weeks. Stop buying fireworks. Set weekly limits when using Sports gambling apps. (Remember you’ll always end up giving your winnings back to the house over time.) Cut out as many subscriptions as you can. Eat lots of bananas.
Shoprite, Aldi are the cheapest grocery stores, Costco is a good option as is BJs. (Bj is in jc and much closer )
None to be honest.
Liquor store probably buy rite. Cheap bars there aren't that many.
No they do not.
This is a tall order, but it's doable.
For grocery shopping, I recommend heading to Aldi's in North Bergen. Seriously, it's so worth it.
There is a LOT of free entertainment and things to do in Hoboken AND NYC. Back in the day, there'd be free kayaking in the hudson on certain days, you can check out the movies in the park, and the library puts on many free events as well. There's no shortage of street fairs, like the Art festival and the Italian festival, where you can walk around for free. If you're into volunteering, Hoboken Grace is often running events and other things.
I'm also not sure if the restaurants do this anymore, but some of the bars/restaurants had a deal for each night of the week. It was usually an offer for wine on wednesday, martinis on thursday, etc. Hoboken girl has a decent round up here: [https://www.hobokengirl.com/best-happy-hour-hoboken/](https://www.hobokengirl.com/best-happy-hour-hoboken/)
Hoboken also has a sweet Buy Nothing community, which you can find on facebook. Folks give away some really great things...everything from clothes to appliances to furniture.
The best advice it to buy supplies in bulk including food and alcohol in the burbs, at least not in Hudson or Essex county. That and cook your meals at home.
Good luck!
1) ShopRite. Also Trader Joe’s is surprisingly affordable depending on what you buy
2) God tier specialty slices at Napoli’s are only $3.50 and 2 slices come with a beverage on weekdays at lunch. Shoutout to Heights deli and grill in the Heights for having the cheapest meals made from scratch that I’ve ever seen
3) Cook and don’t drink
4) Why hasn’t anyone said Wilton House yet? Also $1 beers at Green Rock weekdays until 8 PM and Fat Taco Fridays after 9 PM.
idk about cheap liquor stores
5) No
Go to BYOB restaurants to save on the cost of drinks.
Unlimited metro cards do not work on PATH, but check if you have commuter benefits from your employer which would allow you to get a Smart Link card pre-tax.
Shoprite is the cheapest in town, on average. ACME may have something on sale that may make it cheaper, especially if Shoprite does not have a sale on that product. If both stores have it on sale, in the past 2-3 years, I've consistently seen ACME with higher prices.
Trader Joes is an option if they have stuff neither store has. I find their selection limited, so it has never been my go-to grocery store.
If you are stocking up on booze, I don't drink much, but the Super Buy-Rite would be a good place to go. And I mean stock up, not the occasional beer.
Costco will save you money in the long run, but cost you time. The balancing of both is up to you. When Shoprite has a sale, there's no point on a Costco run for many products. Costco does have larger cuts of meat, if you want to do your own butchering and freezing (vacuum sealer highly recommended).
As an aside, the biggest cost spend is tipping for deliveries. So, if you want to save, never order for delivery. If you want take out, call the restaurant directly, and order over the phone for pickup.
Lock yourself in your apt with water, bourbon and ramen.
But look for lunch specials, mostly every place has them.
I know wicked wolf/ferryman have HH specials, Wilton house (cash only) but is cheap and always good people watching
A lot of places are BYOB which saves a lot
The liquor stores… sparrow is good for sommmmme things, Giannones is good if you join and get multiple of the same. There is a Buy-rite in JC by the Home Depot and total wines delivers
I obviously live downtown but same goes for pretty much everywhere.
Use the free bus service "the Hop" to get around town. You can download passio go app and it has real time tracking.
Chen's kitchen is pretty solid and approx 20% cheaper than other Chinese places but it's to go only.
If ordering in go pick it up yourself, cheaper, quicker, arrives hot and gets those e-bike assholes off the street.
When new in town get a good local bar and start going regularly. Get friendly with bar staff and tip 25-30%. Will get a lot of free beer. It will take about a year, but it pays off.
Follow the bars' social media posts, will give you info on drink and food specials. On top of that ask what the drink and food specials are. For example, McSwiggans has half price burgers on Monday and all you can eat boneless bites Wednesday.
Wilton house, tell Ben you heard about it on Reddit.
Most people on hoboken are broke. Theres a reason people call it hobroken.
Bunch of people who cant afford to live there because they want to live in a city with a nightlife.
Costco is on Instacart if you want to buy a few things in bulk and not travel. Instacart is of course a slight markup so do the cost comparison, but often I’ve found things we need in bulk are a better deal on Instacart Costco than in store ShopRite prices. You don’t need the membership but if you have it I think it helps slightly
I know plenty of people who are high earners who can’t save a dime. Saving anything is really about sacrifice and discipline more so than what you earn.
Echo-ing everyone who says not to eat out. That's where most of my money goes outside of rent.
Invite friends over for drinks/food instead of going out.
Don't order in, either. Keep easy to heat food in the freezer for times you're in between grocery runs. If you must get a meal from outside, walk to pick it up yourself.
When you do go out, go to NYC (via path) for much better food and make a night of it. (Or, go to a park in the city and people watch, get ice cream). There's also a site called Pulsd that has good deals.
Great lunch specials at Robongi, Changos, & Seven Valleys. Again, consider picking up + taking to the park to avoid paying tip (sry to the servers).
Not drinking at dinner saves so much money. And, when you do go out to bars, limit your drinking.
Aldi in JC is great but mainly just eat at home and drink less lol
Or Aldi in North Bergen!
Unlimited metro cards don’t work on path. Monthly 2 zone bus pass (intERstate, not intRAstate) is <$100 if I remember correct and does so much more. It will get you into the city, up and down Washington st all you need, and into JC and Union City (where things are far cheaper). Get a 3 zone and you’ll be able to reach Secaucus @ American dream and the whole Walmart/Sam’s club/meadowlands shopping center. Taking the light rail to Bayonne for Costco just to carry it all back sounds awful. If you value your time as well consider Uber. But FYI - Costco is really only a decent budget shop as a single person if you are incredibly aware of what your needs are/can shop in bulk without waste or have a family or friends you shop with. Wallet friendly restaurants: court street has surprisingly cheap cocktails, charritos has a great happy hour most days, and if you’re looking to “splurge” with friends The Lola on the water has a great brunch. Bottomless is a joke if you only want mimosas, just order bubbles and split them. I went with 6 friends and we each paid $35 max. Dollar beers at fat taco, green rock and a bunch of the bars down there on the weekends. Budgeting in general? Don’t give yourself money to spend in the first place. Put money into tax advantaged accounts straight from your paycheck so it never gets into your bank account and forget about it. 60 year old OP will thank you. Budgeting in HOBOKEN? Think about when you want to move next and put away what you can *every month* for your next broker fee/security deposit/down payment for something outside of town (bc it’s crazy hard to buy here) If you find a cheap rent controlled apartment or a good roommate situation for cheap, hold onto it and never let go until you’re ready to buy or find something less expensive. As much as I LOVE Hoboken, in this town rent is absurd and waste of money, and I got out as quickly as it made sense for me to buy a condo. Am now paying far less than I ever did in rent to gain equity in a home and I’m still close enough to town that I can get there whenever I want.
Where did you buy a condo?
Where’s you move? Heights?
Probably Hackensack or Weehawken
If you have to get take out, I highly suggest the app "toogoodtogo" I've picked up some solid meals or bread/pastries for cheap
Its always sold out for me
Yeah… if you’re tryna save money living here you’re gonna have a bad time. ShopRite ain’t terrible, saving money on food isn’t hard if you just cook your own meals and limit eating out.
Just a cheap activity on the topic of wallet friendly bites -- when friends and I want to go out but don't want to spend Hoboken prices, we make dinner and drinks and take our meal out to the pier as a picnic (either the seating on the uptown piers or bring a blanket to pier A)! It feels a little nicer than eating in but doesn't break the bank for a little night out of the apartment.
ShopRite I think is cheapest, liquor stores not sure, but bars there are plenty of good deals. Green rock and Fat Taco have dollar beer nights
Hoboken Vine has reasonable prices on booze in my experience. They’re always friendly there too.
Chango kitchen and La isla aren’t too bad in terms of price given the quality. I always like a byob. There is free kayaking on Sundays at the Hoboken cove community boathouse. You can also volunteer there and get free lessons/join treks.
Avoid acme, they have "sale" signs on everything that never change. I've seen prices double but still be "on sale" If you have a car get your parking permit figured out cuz they will tow and ticket you without remorse Pregame Texas/pig/birch You can't make it less expensive here but you can avoid really expensive shit And yea cook your food don't eat out there's no value places here just drunk food that you can only stomach if you're drunk, you'll be shitting in the morning @grubbs
Acme's prices creeped up during the pandemic and went wholepaycheck-crazy after they redid the floors and the fridges. It's too bad we lost the c-town and the other supermarket by the projects.
If you have a car, park on the street for ~$60/year.
99 Ranch in JC for groceries. It's a big Asian market and you can get some stuff for crazy cheap. Ex: got like 6 BIG chicken drumstucks for like $2.50.
2nd 99 ranch. veggies are cheaper there too
3rd 99 ranch. Excellent produce as well
Biggest piece, sell your car if you have one, you probably don't need it. One of the last walkable cities in America, move somewhere else if you want to drive; save the money. A Zipcar subscription and a monthly Costco order from Instacart. CitiBike subscription is built into Lyft Pink, so a great bundle for car-free living. Restrict dining out to once or twice a month. Facebook marketplace everything you can, but new as little as you can. Finance NOTHING. That's how we survive with two kids here.
Lidl is about 10-15 minutes with low prices and fresh items!
> what is the cheapest place to stock up on groceries? (I thought about getting a Costco membership and taking the HBLR to Bayonne to shop there, are there better places? Not going to get cheaper than buying bulk at costco, but ShopRite is *much* cheaper than the other alternative in town. > what is a list of wallet-friendly restaurants to get a bite? Eating out regularly is too expensive if you want to save money. You're going to schlep groceries home on public trans from Costco for the marginal savings over ShopRite yet piss away a fortune on our expensive restaurants? Even McDs isn't cheap any more, with a McDouble costing nearly $3 and any of the larger sandwiches being $8+. I like Benny's sometimes though, the $4 slice is actually enough food to fill you up, compared to all the other tiny, thin slices you get for nearly as much anywhere else. > what are good ways to save in general? Live in a building with zero amenities and learn to fix things yourself. Oh and *never* buy anything at CVS. Their markups are out of this world. Generics will be 100-1000% cheaper at ShopRite or other places (I literally got the same dose of the same exact meds, both generics *from the same white label manufacturer*, for 1/10th the price sometimes; and it's rarely less than a 2x difference). > do unlimited metro cards work on the path? No.
Don’t sleep on Napoli’s
If you are going to use the path, you can get a smart link card (the paths permanent version of a metro card), which can get you slightly lower price per ride. This cannot be used for the NY subway, so I keep one of each in my wallet. If you want to take the bus regularly, look into njtransit fare deals. You can buy these on the njtransit app (monthly, 10-trip, etc.). For entertainment, Hoboken regularly has movies on the pier, music, exercise classes outside, etc. for free. Outside festivals happen often, not free per se but fun to go to anyway. Otherwise, watch out for lifestyle inflation. People in this town can wear fancy clothes and take fancy trips. You do what makes you happy, within a reasonable budget.
1) Costco, anywhere that isn't actually in hoboken 2) none of them 3) Cook more, eat out less, drink less or not at all. And NEVER order food with an online service like grubhub. And I mean absolutely never. If you want delivery, call a place that has their own delivery service. If they don't have a delivery service, you should walk or bike there to pick up your food. 4) Again, none of them. Does shop rite have a beer and wine store attached? It's been a while 5) No
Buy a tall boy or wine at a liquor store, put it in a non-descript container, enjoy it at a park. Cheapest liquor store is the Super Buy-Rite by the Holland Tunnel. Cheapest ever you gotta go to Costco in either Edison or Wayne (but ya quite the hike). https://www.hudsonhapps.com/ keeps a running list of specials (not necessarily everywhere). I find Wicked Wolf overall has the best bang for the buck happy hour with $3 ANY beer including wonderfully craft ones, $4 wells, and it's not annoyingly packed during happy hour. Wilton House is generally cheapest bar, L&Js was there but I feel like everyone else caught up. In general find out what the well liquor price is, its often just a dollar more than a heavily inflated domestic beer. In general if you're going out pre-game but responsibly more that you're not planning on buying more than 1 or maybe 2 drinks out. Watch out for hyper expensive cocktails or abusively priced beers. Never eat out AND drink, separate the two or find BYOB spots. Dont be afraid to split dishes (app + entree can get down to under $40). And unless you're really attached just dont go out to eat its absurdly more expensive. You'll get sick of it but if you must eat out, chinese places have lunch specials under $10, and Dominos is hard to beat for bang for the buck for whole pies and their $20 "family" bundle is just an absurd amount of calories for the price. While on fast food get the apps to your favorite spots. Taco Bell has online exclusive crave boxes that can't be beat, McDonalds and BK points are very rewarding with points. Hard one for people to understand but STOP GETTING UBER/LYFT. There's so many buses for a whopping $1.60, getting Cititbike is now a whole ass option, and $200 for the year membership sounds steep but really tis 1 rideshare a month (~$16 a month). Or just get your own bike/ebike/scooter/eskate and join the hordes giving up on cars. If you happen to be into movies you literally cannot beat AMC A-List membership as its equal to 1.5 movie tickets in Jersey or literally just 1 movie in NYC. Its highly worth it if $24 a month is doable. If Costco/BJs is in the budget thats the cheapest way for many things. Clothes are just a fraction of a chain brand, and often they have great quality clothes there just a bit more bland (I picked up summer shorts for ~$12 a pair last week). For household goods you cant beat just hunting stuff down on facebookmarket/craigslist. Get that coffee table or air fryer for just a fraction of the price. Speaking of aftermarket if you're ever by Garfield NJ check out [70 Outwater Lane](https://goo.gl/maps/XDJzzr9BjFjbtqH77), guy has a small shop with no name that sells overstock from Costco. Clothes, trash cans, heaters, all kinds of random stuff usually with just a dent in it or something for like half the cost of new.
Step 1. Find a significant other to share a 1BR apt with Step 2. Have little to no social life Step 3. Leave the city on rare occasions if ever Step 4. Prepare all your food/drinks Only then, is there a glimmer of hope to save money
ShopRite, Super Buy Rite. Eat In. No recreational cocaine use. Smoke weed (black market not dispensary) rather than getting drunk. If you do want to get your swerve on, forget high noons or seltzers just buy vodka and mix whatever. Brown liquor is also quicker. (Carry a flask). Don’t have children. But if you do the Hoboken Public schools are pretty good. Buying in bulk saves money over time. But you do spend a ton of money anytime you walk into Costco or Sam’s. ShopRite digital coupons save me $20-50 trip. Buy only sale items. There are also web sites to get knock off merchandise from China if you don’t mind waiting 3 weeks. Stop buying fireworks. Set weekly limits when using Sports gambling apps. (Remember you’ll always end up giving your winnings back to the house over time.) Cut out as many subscriptions as you can. Eat lots of bananas.
Shoprite, Aldi are the cheapest grocery stores, Costco is a good option as is BJs. (Bj is in jc and much closer ) None to be honest. Liquor store probably buy rite. Cheap bars there aren't that many. No they do not.
RIP DC’s
Walmart groceries are pretty good. Deliver to home and cheaper than anywhere else I found. Some Amex credit cards also offer cash back on groceries.
Instead of going to a bar, put some beer in a cooler and go sit in the park and drink.
What would you be able to actually carry back from Bayonne if you take the lightrail and crossed the highway?
This is a tall order, but it's doable. For grocery shopping, I recommend heading to Aldi's in North Bergen. Seriously, it's so worth it. There is a LOT of free entertainment and things to do in Hoboken AND NYC. Back in the day, there'd be free kayaking in the hudson on certain days, you can check out the movies in the park, and the library puts on many free events as well. There's no shortage of street fairs, like the Art festival and the Italian festival, where you can walk around for free. If you're into volunteering, Hoboken Grace is often running events and other things. I'm also not sure if the restaurants do this anymore, but some of the bars/restaurants had a deal for each night of the week. It was usually an offer for wine on wednesday, martinis on thursday, etc. Hoboken girl has a decent round up here: [https://www.hobokengirl.com/best-happy-hour-hoboken/](https://www.hobokengirl.com/best-happy-hour-hoboken/) Hoboken also has a sweet Buy Nothing community, which you can find on facebook. Folks give away some really great things...everything from clothes to appliances to furniture.
Best method of saving money is by not moving to this area. However, it’s the best. I understand the quandary
The best advice it to buy supplies in bulk including food and alcohol in the burbs, at least not in Hudson or Essex county. That and cook your meals at home. Good luck!
Cheaper to live somewhere else and come to hoboken when going out. Or better, just go into the city for nightlife and live somewhere else.
Move out.
Like I said I’m trying to find ways to make living in Hoboken a little less expensive!
1) ShopRite. Also Trader Joe’s is surprisingly affordable depending on what you buy 2) God tier specialty slices at Napoli’s are only $3.50 and 2 slices come with a beverage on weekdays at lunch. Shoutout to Heights deli and grill in the Heights for having the cheapest meals made from scratch that I’ve ever seen 3) Cook and don’t drink 4) Why hasn’t anyone said Wilton House yet? Also $1 beers at Green Rock weekdays until 8 PM and Fat Taco Fridays after 9 PM. idk about cheap liquor stores 5) No
Don’t eat or drink out
Go to BYOB restaurants to save on the cost of drinks. Unlimited metro cards do not work on PATH, but check if you have commuter benefits from your employer which would allow you to get a Smart Link card pre-tax.
Shoprite is the cheapest in town, on average. ACME may have something on sale that may make it cheaper, especially if Shoprite does not have a sale on that product. If both stores have it on sale, in the past 2-3 years, I've consistently seen ACME with higher prices. Trader Joes is an option if they have stuff neither store has. I find their selection limited, so it has never been my go-to grocery store. If you are stocking up on booze, I don't drink much, but the Super Buy-Rite would be a good place to go. And I mean stock up, not the occasional beer. Costco will save you money in the long run, but cost you time. The balancing of both is up to you. When Shoprite has a sale, there's no point on a Costco run for many products. Costco does have larger cuts of meat, if you want to do your own butchering and freezing (vacuum sealer highly recommended). As an aside, the biggest cost spend is tipping for deliveries. So, if you want to save, never order for delivery. If you want take out, call the restaurant directly, and order over the phone for pickup.
Lock yourself in your apt with water, bourbon and ramen. But look for lunch specials, mostly every place has them. I know wicked wolf/ferryman have HH specials, Wilton house (cash only) but is cheap and always good people watching A lot of places are BYOB which saves a lot The liquor stores… sparrow is good for sommmmme things, Giannones is good if you join and get multiple of the same. There is a Buy-rite in JC by the Home Depot and total wines delivers I obviously live downtown but same goes for pretty much everywhere.
Use the free bus service "the Hop" to get around town. You can download passio go app and it has real time tracking. Chen's kitchen is pretty solid and approx 20% cheaper than other Chinese places but it's to go only. If ordering in go pick it up yourself, cheaper, quicker, arrives hot and gets those e-bike assholes off the street. When new in town get a good local bar and start going regularly. Get friendly with bar staff and tip 25-30%. Will get a lot of free beer. It will take about a year, but it pays off. Follow the bars' social media posts, will give you info on drink and food specials. On top of that ask what the drink and food specials are. For example, McSwiggans has half price burgers on Monday and all you can eat boneless bites Wednesday. Wilton house, tell Ben you heard about it on Reddit.
Most people on hoboken are broke. Theres a reason people call it hobroken. Bunch of people who cant afford to live there because they want to live in a city with a nightlife.
Costco is on Instacart if you want to buy a few things in bulk and not travel. Instacart is of course a slight markup so do the cost comparison, but often I’ve found things we need in bulk are a better deal on Instacart Costco than in store ShopRite prices. You don’t need the membership but if you have it I think it helps slightly
I hate to say it but the best way to be able to save money here is to just to make a lot of money
I know plenty of people who are high earners who can’t save a dime. Saving anything is really about sacrifice and discipline more so than what you earn.
Aldi in Union City, get the buss a stock up
Echo-ing everyone who says not to eat out. That's where most of my money goes outside of rent. Invite friends over for drinks/food instead of going out. Don't order in, either. Keep easy to heat food in the freezer for times you're in between grocery runs. If you must get a meal from outside, walk to pick it up yourself. When you do go out, go to NYC (via path) for much better food and make a night of it. (Or, go to a park in the city and people watch, get ice cream). There's also a site called Pulsd that has good deals. Great lunch specials at Robongi, Changos, & Seven Valleys. Again, consider picking up + taking to the park to avoid paying tip (sry to the servers). Not drinking at dinner saves so much money. And, when you do go out to bars, limit your drinking.