You can find whatever you want cheaper in different location. The only thing you will not find cheaper is the MTA cards, because it is the same price everywhere and if you want to use subways you better pay full price or grab a cab, but we all know how much a cab ride can cost.If you want to buy fashion clothes and you know they cost a lot, I advice you to go to Marshalls or T.J Maxx. They are everywhere in NY and the country, they even have T.J Maxx in England. You can find Polo shirts for under $30 and much more.
When I go there I always see tourists shopping, because they know how much does clothes can cost in their country. A polo shirt in Sweden will not go under $180 but like I said they sell them at Marshalls for $30.
Not only clothes, they also have sneakers such as Converse, Nike, Adidas etc... for a magnificent price.
So get the most out of your money and maybe College life might not be that tough.
