5 TIPS FOR MOVING TO THE BIG APPLE, NYC!

 

I’ve been living in NYC for about 4 years now. I moved here with my husband after we graduated from college. I’ve definitely learned a lot from being here in the city. For those who would love to up and move to NYC, the big apple, the city of dreams, well it ain’t easy, but I will give you a few pointers on how to SURVIVE.

 

1. MONEY MONEY MONEY!

It is very important to make sure that you have a good cushion of funds saved up before moving to NYC. Since this is a whole new environment, the unexpected might happen or something may cost more than you thought. So just to be safe, it’ll probably be best to save up a couple of thousand dollars to make things easier for you. If you can’t save that up, then you should try and save what you can, then plan out your spending as much as possible.

My go-to stores that have really good deals are: 99 cent stores, Dollar Tree, Family Dollar, TJ Maxx, and Marshalls. Find one of these stores near you and you will be amazed at what great deals you’ll find!

Put money aside for transportation. If you don’t drive, you will have to take the train, bus, or Metro North to get around. Or if you’re a big baller, you can just Uber it around town. And you’re last resort is to use the legs that you were blessed with and walk to your destination (depending on how far you’re willing to walk LOL).

 

2. J-O-B

Secure a steady flow of income by finding a job. LinkedIn is recommended to make your job search much easier. If having trouble, don’t be afraid to look into temp agencies. Asking around won’t hurt either.

With multiple copies of your well written resume, go into local facilities and kindly introduce yourself and ask if they are hiring. Just remember to look presentable when dropping by (you’ll want to set a good impression and you never know, they might ask you for an interview right then and there!) I dropped off my resume at a few places when I was looking for a permanent job (I was working with a temp agency at the time) and I got called back a few days later from one facility to set up an interview. And guess what?! That ended up being my first permanent job position! You may get a hundred No’s, but It only takes one supervisor to recognize your potential and welcome you to be a part of their team. So don’t give up.

 

3. FINDING A PLACE TO STAY

Living in New York City can be very expensive, so depending on your budget and what you are will to spend, 3 options are to rent a room, find an apartment and if you want to cut cost, find a roommate. Almost forgot that buying a house is an option too if you have the dinero. When my husband and I were searching for an apartment, we found a few good on Zillow  and Trulia.

 

4. WHAT’S YOUR NET-“WORK”?

It’s crucial to network with the people around you. Now I’m not recommending you walk up to a stranger out of the blue and start sharing your aspirations. Talk to people that you feel comfortable having a conversation with. Maybe someone that you see regularly at the gym or at the local coffee shop. Spark up a conversation and let them know briefly that you just moved here and that you are still trying to get settled. Many times, the person you’re talking to may offer to help you. If not, don’t be afraid to ask for recommendations anyway.

 

5. EXPLORE!

Explore NYC! It has so much variety of things to offer. Go for a run, talk a nice walk through the city, join a cooking class, make new friends, go to outdoor concerts/festivals, and enjoy the nightlife! There are a lot of activities that are free to participate in. Remember to have fun and enjoy every moment!

Let me know if you have any questions! If anyone has anymore tips on how to survive moving to NYC, feel free to comment below!

 

 

 

3 TIPS TO EAT & STILL LOSE WEIGHT!

You might think that I’m crazy when I say that I lost weight without working out right? Well I guess I’m crazy because it really happened! Let me tell you how!

So I was in my freshman year of college, and there is this saying of “the freshman 15” which means you’ll gain at LEAST 15 pounds and by golly I sure did! haha! It’s bad enough that I love to eat on top of this phenomenon of gaining weight as a freshman. Anyways, we had 2 cafeteria facilities on campus. So I would alternate eating at both and since I loved food, I would always pile my plate super high or would get like the deluxed size deli sandwich ! I had a meal plan for each semester so I didn’t have to pay out of pocket for each meal, I would just swipe my card and that’s it! I’m ready to chow down! NOM NOM! I noticed that my cheeks were becoming chubbier and my stomach had a few more roles than normal, and my skin was breaking out like crazy! I told myself, “I need to get it together before it’s too late and I’m more than 15 pounds overweight”.

Being in college, you tend to get lazy, well lazier than normal LOL. I wasn’t really motivated to go to the gym we had on campus, even though it was like a 5 min walk from my dorm (laziness to the extreme!) and on top of the fact that it was snow everywhere at the time so I wasn’t going anywhere. I had the idea of trying to eat better and then start going to the gym when I muster up the motivation ha! And lo and behold, I began to see results, my cheeks weren’t as chubby, my belly was getting flatter, and I had more energy. This is what I did:

1. SMALLER PORTIONS!

I started to see a big change once I started making my portions smaller. I still ate the things that I wanted to: pasta, burgers, pizza, fries,etc… but I would eat half of those portions instead of the whole thing.

2.  EATING GREENS!

Once I started shrinking my portions, I was realizing that I liked how this felt. You know taking care of my body and what not! My plate looked so bland so I decided to start eating salads to add some color!

Salads are not for everybody, I know! But the trick is that you have to add all the good stuff to it! Experiment with grilled chicken, nuts (almonds, walnuts, peanuts), fruits (mandarin oranges, apples, raisins, cranberries), cheese, other vegetables (corn, tomatoes, carrots), different types of salad dressings or whatever you feel like adding! Make it your own and make it fun and enjoyable to eat!

3. H2O!

Water can be your best friend if you learn to love it! I started drinking more water and cutting out juices and sodas. I would make rules for myself. If I wanted to drink juice or soda, I would  tell myself that I can drink juice/soda but I would need to drink at least x amounts of water that day. By doing this, I was still able to enjoy myself and still do the right thing by drinking water too!

Now yes I know water can be very boring but you have to spice that up too! Add different fruits to your drinks, citruses are always a go to for me! I usually add lemon or lime to my water which helps add a more pleasant flavor. Plus lemon water is good to aid in digestion, boosts energy, and has a lot of other benefits as well.

 

Once you start improving the way you eat, you will be motivated to want to eat better, so that means cutting back on the greasy foods, eating more fruits and vegetables and actually enjoy it, and eating leaner meats. Another suggestion if you can’t make it to the gym is to try and walk more: park further from the entrance, take the stairs instead of the elevator, etc. I hope this helps! Leave a comment below of what type of salad recipes you tried or if you have any other suggestions on how to lose weight!

*Remember everyone has to start somewhere so keep your head up and keep pushing forward, you got this! =)