13 money-saving tricks I used when I moved to New York City for graduate school

In addition to the cost of moving itself, what awaits is a mind-boggling process of finding an apartment, exorbitant rent, and myriad hidden fees.

Then there's the actual cost of living. In a city that encourages spending, particularly in social situations, it's easy to live beyond your means and get yourself into financial trouble without even realizing it.

That is, until your credit card bill shows up.

I moved to New York in August 2015 to start my Master's degree at NYU's journalism school. I left behind a legal career in New Zealand after a short stint in law made me realize that I wasn't suited for it long term.

Generous financial help from my parents, combined with personal savings and cash flow from my husband's online business allowed me to take the opportunity - which was always my secret childhood dream - for which I feel extremely fortunate. But the transition from a lawyer's salary to being a graduate student in a much more expensive city meant that I had to be extremely vigilant about my spending.

Here are the 13 tricks I used to save money when I moved to New York with no income of my own: