Things interns like.

I may or may not have mentioned that I joined an online blogging network – 20sb. I won’t lie I haven’t paid too much attention to it, because I’ve been so busy with school and work and now interning. No excuse I’m sure, but I do have a few blogs I regularly keep up with already so I was nervous I’d find more I wanted to read and no time to do it in!

Well, someone found me and before I delve into my own creative list, I’d like to give credit where credit is due: I read her list about “Things Unemployed People Like,” and I decided I should create my own twist to it. It seems interns and unemployed college grads share some of the same simple pleasures: dollar menus and addicting TV shows included.

Working this summer taking in minimal income has been killing me… killing my shoe addiction, killing my desire to see every movie I see a preview for, and killing my habit of enjoying pizza, smoothies, frozen yogurt, and all the other delicious foods I’ve been craving spending months away from Long Island.

Now, I’m one who saves money. I do have two separate savings accounts so I suppose I could have it worse. One account, I will not touch, nor do I have access to it directly on a daily basis so it makes it easier, and the other one… well, it’s been dwindling. Commuting in and out of NYC is quite expensive and despite trying to dine cheap for lunch, or pack my own, there are some things you can’t avoid. While I try to walk to and from work (3 lovely miles up and cross town) as much as possible, those 98-degree days we’ve been getting call for a ride on the subway instead ($$).

I can’t complain though, I’m getting an amazing experience, and I should be seeing some of my travel stipend soon… I hope. So for now, I’m looking into deals and sales for the things I need before I move into the townhouses at the end of next month, and keeping my splurging to a minimum. I do think I’d go crazy if I stopped doing anything because I wanted to save money, so I do spoil myself from time to time, but everything in moderation.

And this is how I came to think of my very own list of things interns like…

1. $6 dollar Tuesdays at the movie theatre, or some other variation of the sort: I’m not sure how I only discovered this recently. My life has been changed after seeing “Mr. Popper’s Penguins” yesterday. I’m making my list now, who wants to come with?
2. Value menus: Not the type to indulge or enjoy fast food, I am starting to see the benefits of the dollar menu at McDonalds…
3. Walking… everywhere: If it means I save $5.50 a day by walking to and from work from Penn Station, then bring on the earlier train into the city and the sneakers!
4. Mom or dad wanting ice cream/pizza/food that you want that costs money you don’t have: mom and dad want TCBY, sure I’ll have some, too… how thoughtful of you guys!
5. Sales, coupons and free shipping: Sale e-mails kill me because I can’t indulge in the sales, unless of course it’s something I can justify as a need and not a want.  Coupons and free shipping though… heaven! You mean I can get Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows for $8.99 and ship it to my house express for free?! Oh, Amazon, you win.
6. TV show addictions: I make no secret of my obsession with “Big Brother” which is nice because it means that 3 nights a week I have a really valid excuse to stay in and skip the bars, dinners and movies that I can’t afford…
7. Freebies at work: When you work in TV, everyone always wants you to sample their food or beverage or product with hopes you’ll talk about it on air, or let it sponsor you. Translation: free food, beverage and product. Just today I was having an internal debate with myself about not eating breakfast and being broke and starving, just then, Jamba Juice showed up with a box full of 16 oz. smoothies… win.
8. Target: Literally, anything I need, if they don’t have, I tell myself I don’t need it anymore.
9. That $5 from mom for pizza: Really mom, you feel bad I’m so broke and you want me to get pizza on you – aren’t you just the best!
10. Student discounts: 10% off here and there, and lower priced manicures, movie tickets and food… I look 12, and for once, I’m okay with it.

 

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