ILLUSTRATION BY CHARLOTTE KNOX

THE OFF DUTY SPRING 50The Cheapskate's Guide to the Good Life

If the rising costs of being cosmopolitan have you in a flap, consider these 50 pennywise ways to score affordable luxury—from style steals to décor deals to steep travel discounts that are almost as disconcerting as talking birds.

Published March 27, 2018

4 Spring Pasta Recipes: Make a Meal of the Season’s Freshest Produce

MoviePass’s All-You-Can-See Deal: The Pros and Cons

The MoviePass app lets you see a film a day for only $10 a month. So what’s the catch? (And will it ultimately improve the quality of movies?)

An Absurdly Inexpensive European Holiday: The Luxury of Krakow

One of the most underrated destinations in Europe, the Polish city is an intriguing mix of cobblestoned quaintess, ghostly history and a chance to live the high life for a song.

Hitch a Ride on a Private Jet

Score a Pair of Pearl Earrings for Peanuts

Copy the Paint Colors of the Rich and Famous

Once, only the wealthy could choose wall colors at whim. Now the same hues featured in these four famous room—color-matched by conservationists—are just a few brush strokes away.

Totally Deliver With This Denim Pie Carrier

How Carhartt Got Fashionable: A Guide to Affordably Stylish Workwear

With menswear skewing more utilitarian these days, blue-collar essentials like Carhartt jackets and Dickies pants look right—and, at $20 for a pair of trousers, you can’t beat the price.

Flake Out Fabulously: America's Best Baklava

Invest in New Masters

Escape to Tahiti—for 30% Less

Collect an Iconic Yet Economical Denim Jacket

Want Luxury Hotel Discounts? Stock Up at Costco

The big-box behemoth offers 10% to 30% savings at ritzy hotel brands, from Fairmont to Park Hyatt.

Design-Pro Tricks to Beautify Your Home for $100 or Less

Architects, decorators and landscape designers, used to lavishly spending other people’s dough, propose high-impact décor moves that cost a C-note or less.

Delight Your Kids with This Affordable Sleep Mask

My Unapologetic Splurge by Derek Lam

Discover the Wallet-Friendly Brand Bloggers Love

Tailgate at the Opera

Bake a Rainbow: Italian Easter Bread

Let There Be a Tasteful Night Light

Spread on the Splendor: Coconut Jam

Spring for Multi-Mountain Ski Passes

Pour on Pro-Grade Steak Sauce

Channel Your Inner Cheapskate

Cut Ties with Pricey China

Run Down a Good Deal

Pitch Perfectly With This No-Brainer Budget Tent

My Unapologetic Splurge by Bobbi Brown

Cheapskate Wardrobe Secrets from Ballerinas

Here’s an insiders’ fashion secret: Authentic ballet gear—from $22 bodysuits to $28 tights—is the thriftiest way to execute a streamlined base layer for au courant outfits.

Slip Into Something Less Objectionable

Spend Modestly at a Spruced-Up Lodge

Snag Some French Girl Beauty Booty

The Budget-Wine Hall of Fame

Buying wine should be about pleasure, not penury. Here, our wine columnist’s top 10 wine values for spring sipping—bottles that are easy to love and to buy.

7 Cruise Lines that Don’t Nickel-and-Dime You at Sea

Adopting a ‘more inclusive’ model, these cruises lines offer considerable bang for the buck—and put an end to sticker-shock on the open water.

Find a Youthful Fountain Pen

Ditch Your Pretentious Canvas Tote—So What If It’s Free?

While that carryall advertising your literary/artistic/culinary ambitions might be free, it isn’t as green as you think, nor is it as lasting and lovely as these under-$100 alternatives.