Exclusive | A great day out in NYC for $0 in this economy? Meet the cash-strapped New Yorkers turning no-spend into an art form

Almost every New Yorker is feeling the financial strain these days — it’s like you can’t step outside without being slapped with a $50 tax nobody voted for.Where does it all go? Mostly, we’re just existing — inflated Uber rides, $20 salad bowls, $9 iced lattes on our way to work.

Some of us have that money to spend — many more of us do not.In that latter camp of cash-strapped Gothamites, a growing number are embracing the concept of “no spend days” — or “$0 itineraries”.

They’re challenging themselves to explore and enjoy the five boroughs without opening their wallets — beyond, perhaps, a tap or two at the turnstile.They’re brewing coffee at home, wandering museums that never charge admission, picnicking in underappreciated city parks — all the while discovering that some of New York’s best experiences have been free all along.Ally Gibson loves her life in the Big Apple — but she also loves sticking to a budget.She’s been planning her own “no spend days” for years — long before social media gave the idea a name.“The real New York, the one eight million people actually live in every day, runs almost entirely on free or low-cost experiences,” the Yorkville denizen, 36, told The Post.

“The parks, the architecture, the energy —all of it is accessible to everyone.”“I likely saved thousands of dollars a year over my thirteen years here,” she said.“My perfect ‘no spend day’ in New York City starts with coffee or matcha made at home, then a morning walk through Central Park — ideally before the tourists arrive,” she said.From there, she heads to the New York Public Library’s iconic Rose Main Reading Room — and the building’s little-known free museum, where she loves saying hello to the original Winnie-the-Pooh stuffed animals — before wandering her favorite cutting-edge Chelsea galleries, dodging crowds on the High Line, and hopping aboard the Staten Island Ferry for skyline views and bri...