www.dotcomhunter.com New York City on a Budget It Can be Done Despite common misconceptions, it is quite possible to enjoy many of the great things that New York City has to offer even on a rather mod est vacation budget. It is important to remember when planning your v acation that your budget is often the most important deciding factor as far as which activities should or should not be included in your f amilies plans. The beauty is that you can still present many fun and wonderful optio ns to your family while following a rather strictest of budgets. Firs t of all, if you pay for your lodging ahead of time that is one worry you won't have during your stay. Finding a hotel room that has micro waves and refrigerators can go a long way towards limiting expenses. You can also save money by filling your bottles with waters at your h otel rather than purchasing new water bottles, bringing snacks from h ome for the kiddies, and eating at nice restaurants that offer lunch menus at lunchtime and hitting less expensive or fast food restaurant s in the evening. Another thing to remember is that you do not need to purchase every p hotograph that is taken of your children while in New York. Consider carefully which photograph will be the most meaningful to your child years from now and let that be the photograph you purchase. Use your camera to record other memories of your time in New York for a fracti on of the cost. Be sure to bring plenty of extra film (if you're stil l using a camera that requires film) and batteries with you from home , as these are likely to be more expensive to replace in New York. Other great money saving ideas for your time in New York would be to purchase The New York Pass. It may seem rather expensive but you ca n purchase a 3 or 7-day pass that will actually grant you free admis sion to many area attractions. You will easily make up your investme nt if you were planning to visit the attractions that this provides free admission to. You will find wide selections of museums and zoos are offered as well as discounts in some of the gift stores. New York is a great city in which to shop. It's not such a great city in which to shop on a budget. If shopping presents too great of a temp tation for you avoid it. While there are some wonderful and interestin g shops to see and experience if you can't go in and out without spend ing money, then it would be in the best interest of your vacation budg et to skip them all together. If you can resist the temptation there a re many malls and stores that offer not only delightful merchandise bu t are also a sight to behold in and of themselves. If you have children there are many activities for children that are a vailable for free in and around the city. Search the Internet while in A gift from www.dotcomhunter.comwww.dotcomhunter.com the planning phases and I'm sure you'll find many activities that you can all enjoy as a family that fit into the fabulous freebie category . Many of the museums in the city also offer free admission on certain days of the week or at certain times. Other museums offer a pay what you will type of admission so that no one is actually turned away from the wonderful experience that awaits them inside. New York City also has many national parks, some of which have profou nd historical significance. The admission to these national parks, in cluding the Statue of Liberty is absolutely free and the family can e njoy their time there as well as gaining a profound sense of history in the process. No matter what your budget, you can afford to have a good time in New York City if you take the time to carefully plan the events you will a nd will not participate in based on your budget. Keep in mind to allow for a few really nice events and reward yourself for being so budget conscious throughout your trip. It is a vacation after all, even if yo u are limited to expenses. PPPPP 694 A gift from www.dotcomhunter.com