Life in Washington can be pretty pricey. It may be no problem for the big-time lobbyists on the Hill or the bureau chiefs from the world’s largest papers. But for those of us with a “graduate school problem” things are a little different.
I lived in Chicago for most of my adult life and I never thought much about the cost. I’ve never paid more than $450 a month for rent, I love seeing $4 movies at the Logan and I’m happy to drink a $2 PBR. I’m by no means a high maintenance girl. That’s why I was shocked when I found myself burning through money like water in D.C.
So, how do you avoid waking up one day and realizing your loans are running low? You find other ways to have fun.
- Get outside – The cheapest thing to do in this city is just walk around. There’s so much to see, so many great outdoor spaces, parks and blocks and blocks of beautiful historic homes. A walk in the National Zoo can take up a whole afternoon, so can a trip to the National Arboretum.
- FreeinDC- The blog freeindc.blogspot.com has been invaluable. It pulls together listings of free (and occasionally cheap) art, music, dance, film and other cultural events going on in the city. It isn’t terribly well organized but hey, it’s free.
- Use the Daybook – You’re a reporter, you have access to a huge listing of events going on in Washington, thanks to the Associated Press Daybook of all events going on in DC on a given day. Yeah, it may technically be work to go cover a cool event but it’s free, it’s fun and hey, it’s why you’re here isn’t it?
- DC LinkTank- Sign up for the DC LinkTank e-mail list. Each week it sends a list of events happening at think tanks, nonprofits, universities and other organizations. You can usually RSVP even if you’re not a member of the press. It is a fantastic way to learn and get make contacts in the city. Plus its fun.
- The National Press Club – Free tacos are just the start. Every evening they have popcorn, cheese and crackers and fruit to go with your $2.63 Corona or Bud Light. There are also plenty of events in the evening and at lunch. Just keep up with their events listings on the website. You could easily spend several nights a week here and keep it cheap.
Now that you’re having fun on the cheap, there are other ways to stay out of the red.
- Don’t go out for lunch – I know this seems simple enough but I found myself spending $7 or $8, sometimes more, just to eat lunch. On the low end that’s $140 a month. You can spend less than that on groceries for 3 meals a day, 7 days a week for a month.
- Fill out your expense reports – Don’t forget to add up all of those cabs and Metro trips you took.
- Use the Press Club Gym- who needs an expensive gym membership when the Press Club has a decent little fitness room. Yeah it is small and doesn’t have classes but you don’t have cash and its free.
- Skip the coffee trips – there’s a coffee maker in the kitchen. Use it. Split a bag of coffee with the other people in the newsroom if you have to. The caffeine addict in me could burn through $10 or $15 a week in coffee if I tried.
- Think about getting a bike – The Metro isn’t as expensive as the “El” but it’s about to get more expensive. A rail fare increase was recently approved by the D.C. City Council and rush-hour fares will increase to $1.95 (base) and busses will go up to $1.50 (if you have a SmarTrip card). Bikes are pretty cheap on craigslist (Target even has one for under $80). It could end up saving you tons!