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Everyone's feeling cash-poor, and when we say "everyone," we mean everyone. There are the basic, no-duh ways to save money, like downgrading your Netflix and changing your New York Times subscription from every day to weekend-only. But you should also be taking advantage of the thin silver lining to the recession: anyone who sells you anything is just as spooked as you, which means you are a fool for paying full price. Shameless ways to save abound, after the jump.
- Food & Alcohol: If you're not already a bar- or restaurant-regular somewhere, you should be! You'll pay less. We've already discussed the importance of flasks. (But don't bring a flask to the bar that's treating you nicely! Save that for the douche-bars.) We hear HuffPo co-founder and backer Ken Lerer gets a 50% discount at Lure Fishbar in SoHo 'cause he's a reg.
- Cable & Internet: Blind item: Which milionaire blog mogul recently called up Time Warner and threatened to cancel his account—-all so he could save $40 on his monthly bill? No, really. If you threaten to quit your Internet provider, they typically have an entire retention program that will almost certainly guarantee you a discount if you want to play chicken with your cable or 'net fairies.
- Gym: Many of you probably joined your gym in January, when deals abounded. Don't even think of renewing your membership until they start making offers. We hear Equinox is already offering steep discounts to people with memberships that are about to expire.
- Prescription Meds: Don't go through this under-medicated: I signed up for my insurance company's mail-in program, which means I get three months of mood stabilizers for the price of two! Who's winning now.
- Groceries: Clip coupons for the grocery and drugstore, just like Polish studda-bubbas! If you live in Brooklyn you can just pretend you're being ironic. You know, "the colorful things that come in the Post and on your doorstep that you normally throw out."
- Clothing: My girlfriends are doing a clothing swap. And also, you know how every single clothing or cosmetic website you visit has those e-mail lists you can "sign up for and SAVE"? Do that. For example, if you were already on American Apparel's mailing list, they're having a rare 20% sale. As a tipster put it, "I have never known them to do anything so déclassé as have a sale." Oh, and Anne Taylor is having a "Friends and Family" e-discount sale next weekend.
