Where to grocery shop in NYC?

[Runnergal]

NYC mom of 4 here. I recommend a gc for a delivery service like Fresh Direct or Peapod(stop & shop), or to the supermarket closest to where they live. I use fresh direct(I have unlimited delivery so I use it 1-2x per week), and fill in with the food emporium across the street or specialty grocers like citarella. Fairway is great and I have heard people rave about Trader Joe's, but neither are convenient for me. I have a car but would never drive to NJ for groceries.

 

[LisaR]

They put in an application for a place on E. 75th street. Their realtor doesn't see any reason why they won't get it, but they won't find out until Monday. Her work is on Madison Ave around 30th, I believe. Apparently there is a new line opening on January 1st that will get her there fairly quickly, or so she was told.

 

[BrinkofSunshine]

They put in an application for a place on E. 75th street. Their realtor doesn't see any reason why they won't get it, but they won't find out until Monday. Her work is on Madison Ave around 30th, I believe. Apparently there is a new line opening on January 1st that will get her there fairly quickly, or so she was told.

Woah- we might be neighbors! If they have any questions about the neighborhood, let me know

She can take the 6 train from 77th to 28th.. shouldn't take her very long to get to work at all!

 

[wilkeliza]

They put in an application for a place on E. 75th street. Their realtor doesn't see any reason why they won't get it, but they won't find out until Monday. Her work is on Madison Ave around 30th, I believe. Apparently there is a new line opening on January 1st that will get her there fairly quickly, or so she was told.

30th and Mad is my neighborhood. Getting here is pretty easy depending on where on east 75th that place is. If it is way close to the river then she'll have to walk to the subway. No one here actually believes the 2nd avenue line will be up in January haha. It was suppose to be up and running back when I was in college and that was 4 years ago. The city is kind of like Disney, believe nothing until you see it open and operating haha. She'll be able to get the green line down pretty close to there and just walk a couple of blocks to work.

I would buy them some good duck boots/snow boots. Water proof shoes will be a big help with all that walking to and from subways since we'll get snow/slush off and on until March or April. Some people like the ones that has a removable liner so they can wear them for just rain and when it is cold/snowing.

 

[LisaR]

Change of subject if any New Yorkers are still reading this. If you have to send your laundry out, how much do you pay? We found a place close by that says $8 for 1 - 8 pounds. I started to weigh my last batch of laundry to get an idea, but being in FL I didn't have a single pair of jeans, sweatshirt, or anything heavy at all. That was their one compromise. They really wanted laundry in the building, but they also discovered that that wasn't free anyway so either way they would be paying. I'm guessing they'd have a weekly batch of sheets, towels, and their regular clothing (dress clothes plus casual stuff and their unmentionables ). They want to add that line item to their budget and I just don't know what to tell them.

 

[rlk]

Change of subject if any New Yorkers are still reading this. If you have to send your laundry out, how much do you pay? We found a place close by that says $8 for 1 - 8 pounds. I started to weigh my last batch of laundry to get an idea, but being in FL I didn't have a single pair of jeans, sweatshirt, or anything heavy at all. That was their one compromise. They really wanted laundry in the building, but they also discovered that that wasn't free anyway so either way they would be paying. I'm guessing they'd have a weekly batch of sheets, towels, and their regular clothing (dress clothes plus casual stuff and their unmentionables ). They want to add that line item to their budget and I just don't know what to tell them.

I have a washer & dryer on my floor, so don't know off hand the going price per pound for laundry service. I will check the price at my dry cleaner (they do by the pound laundry too).

 

[sasywtch]

I don't know about others who have never lived in a walkable city but this is so interesting to me, frightening but exciting experience. It's so foreign to me not to have laundry in the house or be able to drive a few blocks to a laundrymat or to not be able to drive a few blocks to WinCo or Walmart. My ex neighbor in OKC is on the train right now with her family to Chicago then to NYC. I'm jealous and wish I had done that before I moved back to CA. Hopefully you will post and let us know how it goes when they move.

 

[wilkeliza]

Change of subject if any New Yorkers are still reading this. If you have to send your laundry out, how much do you pay? We found a place close by that says $8 for 1 - 8 pounds. I started to weigh my last batch of laundry to get an idea, but being in FL I didn't have a single pair of jeans, sweatshirt, or anything heavy at all. That was their one compromise. They really wanted laundry in the building, but they also discovered that that wasn't free anyway so either way they would be paying. I'm guessing they'd have a weekly batch of sheets, towels, and their regular clothing (dress clothes plus casual stuff and their unmentionables ). They want to add that line item to their budget and I just don't know what to tell them.

The fact they are going straight to wash and fold makes me think it is time to have the real budget talk with them. Sit down and look at apartment prices, food costs, etc and then consider the fact they will now be paying income taxes which correct me if I am wrong is not a thing in Florida. NYC and NY state taxes take a nice chunk out of pay checks.

To answer the question the few times I've sent a bag to wash and fold it has never been just the $8. Usually it is 20+.

 

[LisaR]

The fact they are going straight to wash and fold makes me think it is time to have the real budget talk with them. Sit down and look at apartment prices, food costs, etc and then consider the fact they will now be paying income taxes which correct me if I am wrong is not a thing in Florida. NYC and NY state taxes take a nice chunk out of pay checks.

To answer the question the few times I've sent a bag to wash and fold it has never been just the $8. Usually it is 20+.

They have a budget all set up and both have money left over at the end. Now, I'm not saying it won't be tight. They won't be doing anything extravagant for awhile, but they have all the essentials covered like subway, rent, electricity, internet, eating out, groceries, renters insurance, etc. They guessed at $10 a piece for laundry per week. If it's $20 each, they have the spare money. The other apartments they looked at had laudry in the building but it wasn't free. If sending it out is ridiculously priced, I'm sure they'll find a place to take it instead. No biggie.

As the poster above said, it's an adventure. I think it will be a good thing to get out of their comfort zone. I've lived in medium sized cities, the country, and suburbia but never a large city. Wish I would have given that a try.

 

[BrinkofSunshine]

They have a budget all set up and both have money left over at the end. Now, I'm not saying it won't be tight. They won't be doing anything extravagant for awhile, but they have all the essentials covered like subway, rent, electricity, internet, eating out, groceries, renters insurance, etc. They guessed at $10 a piece for laundry per week. If it's $20 each, they have the spare money. The other apartments they looked at had laudry in the building but it wasn't free. If sending it out is ridiculously priced, I'm sure they'll find a place to take it instead. No biggie.

As the poster above said, it's an adventure. I think it will be a good thing to get out of their comfort zone. I've lived in medium sized cities, the country, and suburbia but never a large city. Wish I would have given that a try.

It's going to be an awesome experience for them, for sure. Even if they decide to return home, they'll always have NY on their resume.

I do agree with wilkeliza that budgeting is extremely important. If they're planning on grocery shopping in the neighborhood (like at Gristedes and D'Agostino) food is about 3x what it is in FL. I still get sticker shock in there. But Trader Joe's prices are the exact same as they are in FL, which has been a godsend for me. Also let them know that Duane Reade often has great sales on toiletries and stuff, and will most likely be really convenient to them.

 

[mjkacmom]

30th and Mad is my neighborhood. Getting here is pretty easy depending on where on east 75th that place is. If it is way close to the river then she'll have to walk to the subway. No one here actually believes the 2nd avenue line will be up in January haha. It was suppose to be up and running back when I was in college and that was 4 years ago. The city is kind of like Disney, believe nothing until you see it open and operating haha. She'll be able to get the green line down pretty close to there and just walk a couple of blocks to work.

I would buy them some good duck boots/snow boots. Water proof shoes will be a big help with all that walking to and from subways since we'll get snow/slush off and on until March or April. Some people like the ones that has a removable liner so they can wear them for just rain and when it is cold/snowing.

Looks like it just might happen on the first, according to the news.

 

[wilkeliza]

Looks like it just might happen on the first, according to the news.

I saw that this morning too. I just hope it isn't like the one downtown (I think world trade center) where the first rain came and the dang station flooded. I think I'm at that point as a transplant where I need to leave the city because I'm becoming jaded haha.

 

[Imzadi]

Looks like it just might happen on the first, according to the news.

I saw that this morning too. I just hope it isn't like the one downtown (I think world trade center) where the first rain came and the dang station flooded. I think I'm at that point as a transplant where I need to leave the city because I'm becoming jaded haha.

Well, I had been hearing about it for about 3 DECADES, so when I read about it by the OP, I was super cynical. And when you gals confirmed it, I STILL had to look it up. Saw a pic of Gov Cuomo at a subway stop, so I guess it really IS going to be really happening this time!

I was shocked when they extended the 7 trains down to the Javitz Center. Like everyone else, news about "plans" for that kind of stuff goes in one ear and out the other, until I finally see it finished and working. But, that one makes more sense that the city would make it a priority as that stop brings in a lot of business & tourism to the Javitz Center.

I think that is the station that got flooded though. Unless the WTC had a flood too. I do remember the Metrocard booths weren't working right at the Javitz Center stop. I was one of the people trying to get my card refilled and there were a lot of angry people ahead & behind me. I ended up walking to 8th Ave to catch the subway.

 

[lila]

I pay about $25 for my regular wash and fold. No idea what it weighs - I bring it when it reaches my max carrying capacity (average sized compared to the other bags I see). I am in the east 80s.

 

[LisaR]

I pay about $25 for my regular wash and fold. No idea what it weighs - I bring it when it reaches my max carrying capacity (average sized compared to the other bags I see). I am in the east 80s.

Thanks! I'll let them know. They'll likely have to make time to go to a laundromat if it is going to be that expensive per person.

 

[Imzadi]

Change of subject if any New Yorkers are still reading this. If you have to send your laundry out, how much do you pay? We found a place close by that says $8 for 1 - 8 pounds. I started to weigh my last batch of laundry to get an idea, but being in FL I didn't have a single pair of jeans, sweatshirt, or anything heavy at all. That was their one compromise. They really wanted laundry in the building, but they also discovered that that wasn't free anyway so either way they would be paying. I'm guessing they'd have a weekly batch of sheets, towels, and their regular clothing (dress clothes plus casual stuff and their unmentionables ). They want to add that line item to their budget and I just don't know what to tell them.

They have to be careful with those wash and fold places. First, they usually aren't at dry cleaners, they are at regular laundromats which do bulk loads the way the post office handles an overflow of Christmas cards. I suppose there are also at dry cleaners which do it too but they'd be a lot more expensive. Those services may or may not be worth the extra expense of not doing laundry themselves. First: they will not sort out the laundry. If they give them a big bag, a big bag will go in the wash, unsorted. Blacks will wash with whites and even if they see a red sock going in with whites, it's not their job or their care to take it out. I'm not even sure you get to choose the detergent. They also will not sort for delicate cycles or for different drying temperature. It all goes in the hottest setting in those industry dryers so they dry the fastest so they can do the next load. It is a bulk business for them.

I've had all my elastics melt at that high temp. I've also had all my clothes come out dingy colored from being washed together, and things I wanted left out of the dryer or especially dried that hot, shrunken to doll size clothes.

If they want colors sorted, they must sort them themselves into separate bags for separate loads. If they want different wash temp, separate bags. Clothes not dried at all, different bags. You get the idea.

If they decide to go to laundromats themselves, while they can leave the washer unattended, they canNOT leave things in the dryer and leave the laundromat. Nice things end up missing when they are unattended. OR if there is a line of people for washers and dryers, the loads get rudely & unceremoniously tossed out of the washer or dryer if the owners don't come to take them out in about 5 minutes of the end of cycle and stuffed on top of the washer/dryer or in a laundry basket and someone new puts their load in.

I have a coin laundry in my building. I suppose I paid more for that initially, I'm rent controlled now. I get to stay home, not lug a luggage cart with a laundry bag & detergent perched on top and walk to the nearest laundromat, especially over snowy or rainy sidewalks. I don't have to sit there or walk around the neighborhood during the wash cycle. I can watch a movie, and when my load is done, hit the pause on the DVR, run & toss the loads in the dryer and un-pause the movie and finish it. Some of us actually do leave our clothes in the dryers unattended in our building. But, I also wash my clothes after hours, when "technically" the laundry room is closed and most people aren't washing theirs. I know a couple other people in the building who do this too. We often bump into each other.

One thing I learned to do to save money is to never just wash ONE load. While we have normal size front loading washers, we have the industrial size laundromat dryers. So I can fit about 2-1/2 size wash loads into the one dryer and dry it all in the one 45 min cycle on medium temp. (While I separate my clothes into colors for washing, I've found drying them together doesn't affect them.) Since I always have an arm load of stuff to hang dry (making up half a load,) it works perfectly to wash 3 loads at once. It costs me $8.50 for the 3 loads & 1 dryer cycle.

You have to realize while doing wash & fold is just ONE extra expense, there will be a dozen or more in a single month that are unknown or unplanned, especially when one is new to the city and all the experimenting they will be doing to get around, live, work and figure things out. It all adds up, a few extra dollars here and a few extra there.

You mentioned they are paying their own electricity. Is their heat included in the rent? Or is that extra? That first bill will shock them, especially if they keep the heat up as they are used to Fl temps. If it's included in the rent, they might not be as toasty warm, if the heat is not on a lot, especially overnight. I think the law is that the building only has to keep the temp at 69 degrees at night. They may want to invest in extra sweaters or blankets or throws to wear around the apartment. Or get an space heater, (and pay the extra electricity.) ALL of that are extra expenses, and again ONE expense of many. If they get extra sweaters, then they have to wash all those extra sweaters, adding an extra a pound or so a wash each week. Do you see how that adds on to the laundry expense now?

BTW, there is talk that the subway fare is going to be raised yet again soon. There are always protests and meeting of course. But, I've never heard of a time when the Transit Authority has ever said. "You know, because of your protesting, I guess we don't need to raise the fare after all." Expect that extra expense.

 

[LisaR]

They have to be careful with those wash and fold places. First, they usually aren't at dry cleaners, they are at regular laundromats which do bulk loads the way the post office handles an overflow of Christmas cards. I suppose there are also at dry cleaners which do it too but they'd be a lot more expensive. Those services may or may not be worth the extra expense of not doing laundry themselves. First: they will not sort out the laundry. If they give them a big bag, a big bag will go in the wash, unsorted. Blacks will wash with whites and even if they see a red sock going in with whites, it's not their job or their care to take it out. I'm not even sure you get to choose the detergent. They also will not sort for delicate cycles or for different drying temperature. It all goes in the hottest setting in those industry dryers so they dry the fastest so they can do the next load. It is a bulk business for them.

I've had all my elastics melt at that high temp. I've also had all my clothes come out dingy colored from being washed together, and things I wanted left out of the dryer or especially dried that hot, shrunken to doll size clothes.

If they want colors sorted, they must sort them themselves into separate bags for separate loads. If they want different wash temp, separate bags. Clothes not dried at all, different bags. You get the idea.

If they decide to go to laundromats themselves, while they can leave the washer unattended, they canNOT leave things in the dryer and leave the laundromat. Nice things end up missing when they are unattended. OR if there is a line of people for washers and dryers, the loads get rudely & unceremoniously tossed out of the washer or dryer if the owners don't come to take them out in about 5 minutes of the end of cycle and stuffed on top of the washer/dryer or in a laundry basket and someone new puts their load in.

I have a coin laundry in my building. I suppose I paid more for that initially, I'm rent controlled now. I get to stay home, not lug a luggage cart with a laundry bag & detergent perched on top and walk to the nearest laundromat, especially over snowy or rainy sidewalks. I don't have to sit there or walk around the neighborhood during the wash cycle. I can watch a movie, and when my load is done, hit the pause on the DVR, run & toss the loads in the dryer and un-pause the movie and finish it. Some of us actually do leave our clothes in the dryers unattended in our building. But, I also wash my clothes after hours, when "technically" the laundry room is closed and most people aren't washing theirs. I know a couple other people in the building who do this too. We often bump into each other.

One thing I learned to do to save money is to never just wash ONE load. While we have normal size front loading washers, we have the industrial size laundromat dryers. So I can fit about 2-1/2 size wash loads into the one dryer and dry it all in the one 45 min cycle on medium temp. (While I separate my clothes into colors for washing, I've found drying them together doesn't affect them.) Since I always have an arm load of stuff to hang dry (making up half a load,) it works perfectly to wash 3 loads at once. It costs me $8.50 for the 3 loads & 1 dryer cycle.

You have to realize while doing wash & fold is just ONE extra expense, there will be a dozen or more in a single month that are unknown or unplanned, especially when one is new to the city and all the experimenting they will be doing to get around, live, work and figure things out. It all adds up, a few extra dollars here and a few extra there.

You mentioned they are paying their own electricity. Is their heat included in the rent? Or is that extra? That first bill will shock them, especially if they keep the heat up as they are used to Fl temps. If it's included in the rent, they might not be as toasty warm, if the heat is not on a lot, especially overnight. I think the law is that the building only has to keep the temp at 69 degrees at night. They may want to invest in extra sweaters or blankets or throws to wear around the apartment. Or get an space heater, (and pay the extra electricity.) ALL of that are extra expenses, and again ONE expense of many. If they get extra sweaters, then they have to wash all those extra sweaters, adding an extra a pound or so a wash each week. Do you see how that adds on to the laundry expense now?

BTW, there is talk that the subway fare is going to be raised yet again soon. There are always protests and meeting of course. But, I've never heard of a time when the Transit Authority has ever said. "You know, because of your protesting, I guess we don't need to raise the fare after all." Expect that extra expense.

Thanks for all this! It should be interesting and I am curious how long they will last, but at least they can give it a try. I can definitely see things adding up. Things add up everywhere, but not at the cost of NYC. We know two girls who went there right out of high school to dance. One is still there four years later. She has random dancing jobs and works at Starbucks and somehow isn't homeless. These two will make more than her so they can make it work if they want to be frugal. If not, they will have to move somewhere with a cheaper COL.

If I am not mistaken, it is gas heat and gas is definitely included.

 

[Imzadi]

For drugstores, have them shop at Rite Aid or Walgreens. Their prices are the same as they are regionally, if not nationally. And the sales fliers are the same sales flyers as the whole northeast. Rite Aid has a 12 page sales flyer, versus CVS which has a special "NYC 4 page flyer" with NYC priced rates instead of the 12 page flyer the rest of the country gets. Duane Reade, a local NYC drugstore, (although bought out by Walgreens) is the same way.

 

[Imzadi]

Thanks for all this! It should be interesting and I am curious how long they will last, but at least they can give it a try.

One thing they have going for them is that they will be together and they have each other, to cry, to vent, to get lost, to laugh over dumb things, to celebrate. That is a LOT!

If I am not mistaken, it is gas heat and gas is definitely included.

Yay!

 

[wilkeliza]

Thanks for all this! It should be interesting and I am curious how long they will last, but at least they can give it a try. I can definitely see things adding up. Things add up everywhere, but not at the cost of NYC. We know two girls who went there right out of high school to dance. One is still there four years later. She has random dancing jobs and works at Starbucks and somehow isn't homeless. These two will make more than her so they can make it work if they want to be frugal. If not, they will have to move somewhere with a cheaper COL.

If I am not mistaken, it is gas heat and gas is definitely included.

I'm sure they will be fine. Somehow 8 million people call NYC home and I can guarantee you not all of them work in even medium income jobs. I was here on between 9 and 11 an hour up until 3 years ago when I was finally able to get into a salaried position. It can be tough and it isn't the picture you see on television but you can live here and even have fun here if you work hard enough even on a measly income. Now I don't miss those days of paying 600 in rent to sublet a bedroom in a complete stranger's apartment but hey you do what you got to do if living in NYC is a dream (or if you grew up here and don't want to leave your family). I'm sure your girls will be fine especially if they have jobs that pay more than Starbucks does they just need to have realistic goals about where they can afford to live and what extras they can splurge on here and there as well.