So it is possible to do some things in New York on a budget. Afterall, it's the city that has everything that you want, whenever you want it. Shouldn't that include "I want it cheap and I want it now?"

There are places to go to get things inexpensively, but you have to follow a few basic guidelines before venturing out into the market.

First of all, you have to except the fact that what you are about to buy will be cheap. Not just that it will be inexpensive, but that it will look cheap, feel cheap, and last about as long as cheap things do. You can't expect to buy fake diamond earings that "look real" or a fake Gucci bag that looks like a real one. It will look like a knock off. Sometimes this is okay. Sometimes you don't need a name brand item. Sometimes you need function over fashion.

OR, secondly, you can realize that what you're going to buy is cheap and you want it to be because you have a certain intention for it. Perhaps you just need a cheap glass flower vase but you don't really care what the quality of it is. Maybe you have a party to go to and you want a fun funky necklace that you'll probably never wear again.

Anyway, once you realize these realities you can head right down to areas of town where the streets are lined with these give-a-way stores. One such area is Broadway around 34th street to about 24th street - give or take a few blocks.

Go to these areas if you know what you want to buy and spend some time shopping around. You'll get a good deal. You probably can even bargain, so have fun.

Today I stopped off in one of these shops on my way back from the post office. I've been needing to buy a wallet for a while now. I've known that it didn't have to be, feel, or look expensive and that I didn't want to spend a lot of money on it. I wanted it to be black and I wanted it to be a certain size and shape. A stop into one store in particular left me with a large selection and I departed the store with a nice wallet, just like the one I had in mind, and I'm only $7 dollars poorer. Not so bad.

Now it isn't an incredible wallet. I knew it wouldn't be. But it works and it looks nice. I'm happy with it. I can take my cheap wallet and through it right in my not so cheap Coach purse and be on my way, and for that much I'm thrilled to pieces.