A. Ready

Giving up Manhattan for Riverdale involves some compromises: longer commutes, not-so-many restaurants, no Whole Foods (at least yet). But with the median rent for Manhattan one-bedroom apartments (excluding Upper Manhattan) being $2,900, the rent relief found in its northern neighbor may be alluring.   

Want to clean out your closets and help the environment at the same time? Try starting a textile recycling drive in your building. As BrickUnderground noted in June, Wearable Collections (a for-profit company) sends gently used items to countries in Central and South America to be sold by the pound, and recycles the materials from non-usable items into new textiles.

While it is true that there are generally fewer apartments for rent in the dark days of winter, what is available can sometimes be had for less, as the pricing for this FiDi alcove studio [lobby pictured left] demonstrates. Though $1,950 isn't exactly cheap, it's in a full-service Art Deco building (La Rivage at 21 West Street) and priced almost 15% below the M unit that rented in May. 

Is real estate keeping you in a loveless marriage? "There's a reason so many miserable couples stay together," notes an UrbanBaby.com commenter about the difficulty of supporting two households on a one-household budget.  

This one-bedroom, one-bathroom at The Aldon (200 West 54th Street, between Seventh and Eighth Avenues) boasts a brand-new kitchen with Viking range and a renovated bathroom.  Initially listed in January at $549,000, it is now offered at $425,000 after a change of broker and a couple of price reductions. That's $60k less than it last sold for in June 2007 for $485,000. According to StreetEasy.com, about 80% of Midtown one bedrooms are more expensive.