The $6 Movie

I still use my college ID without shame to get discounts. I applaud the folks at my alma mater who neglected to put a date on my ID and I plan to use it until my hair turns gray. But my ID hasn't helped me with the steep movie prices in NYC. Ticket pushers laugh when I ask if they offer a student discount. So the next best thing is the A.M.Cinema program at select AMC theaters.

Shows before noon on Friday, Saturday and Sunday are only $6. Double check before you go to make sure your location participates. Last Sunday morning I saw The Darjeeling Limited during its opening weekend at 11:50 am for $6, almost half of what it would have cost for me to see the flick 10 minutes later. Now my only challenge is to keep myself from blowing my discount on popcorn and candy in the future...

Bottom Line: Same movies, for less
check www.amctheaters.com for A.M.Cinema participating locations

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Better than a man with a van...

The only thing worse than searching for a cheap apartment in NYC is finding a moving company that won't rip you off. Usually you start by thinking you can bribe some friends to help you load up a rental truck and move in DIY fashion. Then you start thinking about the five flights up to your new walk up and that heavy couch you inherited. Next, you search craigslist. Stop right there.

Using a legitimate mover has perks. They offer insurance, have a big truck (not a shady beat up van) and know how to move heavy furniture without breaking it. I've used UM Moving (ummoving.com) for my past two moves and they are one of the cheapest options around. They charge $89 an hour, with a minimum of three hours plus between 30 minutes to one hour of travel time. Sure, it all adds up, but that price includes two free wardrobe boxes (meaning you can basically transport anything hanging in your closet without even taking things of the hangers). Now, don't forget to tip! Bottom Line: Take a load off and get a (cheap) mover already!
www.ummoving.com

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Free museums for the healthy, not-at-all-wealthy, and wise

It may be 80 degrees outside, but New York's fall season is here in full force. The vacations are over, our coworkers are back in town, and school's in session.
Hello, depression.

I'm missing the summer; I'll admit it.
I'm already reminiscing about half-day Fridays and all of my vacation days and BBQs and afternoons spent frolicking at the beach.

Don't get me wrong; fall's got its own rewards. There's Central Park foliage. And contemporary art at the Met. eBay's giving out free listings through September 31, and New York Mag's three-month culture orgy would make even the most sullen lamenting-the-end-of-summer New Yorker look forward to cooler days.

Another reason to feel good about the fall? The brilliant minds over at NewYorkology have compiled a list of museums offering free admission hours throughout the season.

So maybe we do have to trade our beer garden outings and picnics in the park for scarves and indoor culture, but thankfully, New York has some of the best museums in the world. And when they're free, they're better than ever.

Here's NewYorkology's master list:

Mondays
Brooklyn Botanic Garden - Free every weekday from mid-November through February (normally $8)

Tuesdays
Brooklyn Botanic Garden - Free all day Tuesday, all year (normally $8)
Wave Hill gardens - Free all day (normally $6)
Morgan Library & Museum - Free access to the McKim rooms (Mr. Morgan’s library and study) from 3PM to 5PM (full museum access $12)

Wednesdays
Bronx Zoo - Admission by optional "donation" all day (normally $14)
Museum of Jewish Heritage - A Living Memorial to the Holocaust - Free from 4PM to 8PM (normally $10)
Brooklyn Botanic Garden - Free every weekday from mid-November through February (normally $8)
NY Botanical Garden - Free grounds access all day (normally $6)
Van Cortlandt House Museum - Free all day (normally $5)

Thursdays
Museum of Arts & Design - Pay-what-you-wish from 6PM to 8PM (normally $9)
Brooklyn Botanic Garden - Free every weekday from mid-November through February (normally $8)

Fridays
Museum of Modern Art - Free from 4PM to 8PM (normally $20)
Whitney Museum of American Art - Pay-what-you-wish from 6PM to 9PM (normally $15)
Guggenheim - Pay-what-you-wish from 5:45PM to 7:45PM (normally $18)
International Center of Photography - "voluntary contribution" admission from 5PM to 8PM (normally $12)
Morgan Library & Museum - Free from 7PM to 9PM (normally $12)
New-York Historical Society - Free from 6PM to 8PM (normally $10)
Museum of the Moving Image - Free from 4PM to 8PM (normally $10)
Rubin Museum of Art - Free from 7PM to 10PM (normally $10)
Folk Art Museum - Free from 5:30PM to 7:30PM (normally $9)
Bronx Museum - Free all day (normally $5)
The Noguchi Museum - Pay-what-you-wish on the first Friday of each month, all day (normally $10)
Asia Society - Free 6PM to 9PM (normally $10)
NY Hall of Science - Free 2PM to 5PM (normally $11)
Brooklyn Botanic Garden - Free every weekday from mid-November through February (normally $8)

Saturdays
Jewish Museum - Free from 11:00AM - 5:45PM (normally $12)
NY Botanical Garden - Free grounds access from 10AM to noon on Saturdays (normally $6)
Brooklyn Botanic Garden - Free from 10AM to noon (normally $8)
Wave Hill - Free Saturdays from 9AM to noon (normally $6)
Brooklyn Museum - Free First Saturdays of most months from 5PM to 11PM (normally a suggested $8)

Sundays
NY Hall of Science - Free 10AM to 11AM(normally $11)
Frick Collection - Pay-what-you-wish from 11AM to 1PM (normally $15)
Museum of the City of New York - Free from 10AM to noon (normally a suggested $9)
Morgan Library & Museum - Free access to the McKim rooms (Mr. Morgan’s library and study) from 4PM to 6PM (full museum access $12)

Bottom Line: R.I.P., summer. It's time to embrace a new season.

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