New York City can be an expensive town, as most people know. However, this does not have to be the case. There are many ways to travel, eat, and enjoy yourself in New York that won't disembowel your wallet.

Eating

There are several widely known restaurants in the big apple, and if you are looking to not spend a small fortune, avoid them. You know those little fliers that seem to be handed to you every five feet when you're walking about the city? They contain lots of good deals on food and drink, read them over before you throw them away, they may house a good deal.

Breakfast

Bagels are your best bet for breakfast, as they are incredibly cheap. Dependant on what you are craving, a bagel could be as cheap as 25 cents. The more expensive varieties of bagels(honey walnut, cinnamon raison) will break the bank at a whopping 75 cents to a dollar. Two of these along with a juice or milk should not run up a bill of more than 3 dollars, a good start.

Lunch

There are more street vendors than can possibly be counted in New York, and these are your lunch tickets. The food sold at these convenient little shops ranges from hotdogs to the occasional curry. Other notable wares are kebabs, steak wraps (somewhat more pricey), and an assortment of sodas and juices. The key here is to not buy your beverage at the vendor, a fast food restaurant will give you a 21 ounce cup of water for the low, low price of nothing. The actual price of the food the vendors sell is greatly varied and should be investigated throughout your travels. The average price of a free water and street vendor meal, 3-4 dollars.

As a side note here, it may be beneficial to hold on to your beverage cup, and return to the fast food joint later. If it is a 'fill your own drink' establishment you can easily just walk in and refill your cup with anything you would like, and no one should say a thing.

Dinner

Now here is the tough part, dinner, the most expensive meal of the day. However, This meal can also be curbed to a minimal price, this can be done in one of two ways: delhis or buffets. A buffet dinner can get pricey dependant on where you are. A Chinese buffet in China Town is most likely one of the lower prices you'll find. If you are not a fan of Chinese food, a deli or gyro¹ shop is your ticket. These places have a pretty good variety of foods and can accommodate most pallets. The cost of a solid meal from any of these places, 5-6 dollars, maybe less if you keep your beverage cup from lunch.

Travel

Want a good way to get around New York for cheap? Walk! Remember we're on a budget, not a timer. It may take a bit longer, and work your legs a bit more, but its free. Furthermore, you get to see a lot of things you would normally miss if you were riding a subway train or trying to survive a cab ride.

Entertainment

Remember the fliers? They don't just talk about food, they also advertise cheap entertainment. Plays, movies, music, any number of forms of entertainment can be found just by looking around these small shreds of paper. Also if you really don't want to spend money, there are thousands of people who simply wander the street entertaining other pedestrians. Small musical groups may set up shop and begin to play a small concert on a street corner, break dancers can be found about the subway stations, and there is of course the occasional street preacher. These are to be avoided under normal circumstances, but if you like to hear semi-sane people rave about the Bible or other religious texts, stop to give them a listen.

Another simple form of entertainment can come from the simple act of sight seeing. Due to recent terrorist activities, some of the more prominent landmarks are difficult to get into, however there are still plenty of free public areas where one can soak up the history. Central Park is always a good stop, Times Square is a sight to behold (if you can resist the shops), and St. Patrick's Cathedral is an absolutely breath taking, even if you are not Christian/Catholic. The number of things to see in New York is astronomical, so you will not be short on sights to see.