Everything is Getting Hotter (Except Us)

Being in your twenties right now can feel disappointing.

This decade of our lives is supposed to be about meeting new people and making memories so we can discover who we are. Every decision and action is supposed to be about maximizing our time while minimizing any damage to our lives, while we don’t have knee pain and our livers are functioning at full capacity.

When we were younger, we were sold a picture of adulthood that looked like life-changing lively parties, last-minute flights, and spontaneous hangouts galore.

But for a generation entering adulthood amid rising living costs, and a time when warm summer nights have turned into boiling hot evenings, having a good summer as a young adult looks much different now than the picture sold to us when we were younger.

You’ve probably seen the meme online of how you can’t step outside without spending $40, which for some, may amount to half a bag of groceries. When having to choose between a fun activity and needing to eat, the choice is obvious. 

So how do we actually enjoy our city without just consuming it?

Before you even step outside your single square foot apartment, you’ll need an outfit first.

Influencer culture and social media have convinced people that new outfits for every occasion—brunch, a rooftop party, vacation, or dinner—is the move. And dressing while looking like the same algorithmic feed becomes a sore sight quickly.

But being an outfit repeater is so chic, especially when no one thinks about others enough to be an outfit rememberer.

Instead of dropping another $100 dollars on “going out tops” from Amazon, hosting a clothing swap with friends, shopping secondhand, or even borrowing outfits from roommates can expand your options a whole lot more than you think.

Learning how to tailor clothes can also breathe new life into older pieces and give you a chance to flourish creatively, especially when having a revitalized appreciation for fashion after rewatching The Devil Wears Prada.

Instead of buying the same trend everyone else will donate in six months, maybe your next statement piece that will last you years is sitting in a thrift store in the Lower East Side. You don’t need to own more stuff; you just have to love what you own already.

It’s a blessing to live in a city where public transportation is so deeply integrated as much as it is.

Even though we’ll have to wait a bit for the Brooklyn-Queens Interborough Express, you can already include the subway into your plans. Instead of everyone calling separate Ubers after a dinner or a night out, organize a carpool.

Four people sharing one ride can cut costs and emissions while also giving everyone more time to catch up and send the digicam pictures before tomorrow begins.

You can ride the ferry to watch the sunset, and then later meet your friends downtown and hop between neighborhoods and boroughs. Walking between bars or restaurants instead of hopping on and off the subway also lets you discover places you'd never have glanced at twice on a moving train.

Before I began blowing some $20 sum on cocktails to feel like I had a social life, some of my most memorable summer evenings have been free.

Having a picnic in the park with a cooler and games instead of brunch. Watching an outdoor movie instead of bootlegging the same one online again. Taking a fling to every pier I can find at dusk instead of rotting inside.

Even just walking around in circles with a cup of gelato and exploring neighborhoods I would otherwise not have a reason to step into was a blast.

Where you spend your money also matters, and instead of defaulting to yet another Blank Street, look for neighborhood cafés, bookstores, immigrant-owned restaurants, and more local music venues.

Supporting small businesses keeps money circulating within the community while making your corner of the city feel a little more unique. Besides, the day a café knows your order is the day you can finally feel like a part of the city.

Sometimes, if you want to genuinely spend no money at all, the healthiest places might be spaces where nobody is trying to sell you anything. There are tons of volunteer opportunities to find in the city, like joining a neighborhood cleanup or working at a community garden.

You could consider spending a Saturday with organizations like New York Cares and Lower East Side Ecology Center and meeting people from different industries and neighborhoods while contributing to the city you love so much.

Community is best built through sharing something.

Start borrowing and lending within your circle of friends instead of everyone buying the same items they’ll rarely use.

Someone might have a projector; another might have power tools. One person has the space for a backyard; another has the extra chairs to host there.

It’s cheaper and less wasteful, plus it gives you another excuse to see your friends.

Especially in this economy, the biggest flex has never been spending. Constantly buying into new trends is a money pit that ends up feeling so unrewarding. But being able to find pockets of life amid all the price tags can make your summers feel richer.

To be environmentally conscious isn’t about being perfect, but you have to be willing to pay attention.

Paying attention to your community and your consumption can leave you with stories years and years into the future instead of just another pile of stuff.