1. If you've got a penchant for modern art and a bit of cash to burn, you'll definitely want to stop by Phillips de Pury (450 West 15 Street) today for Saturdays@Phillips for the Contemporary Art, Photographs, Design, Jewelry featuring Art Toys, Watches and Fashion auction. The space opens at 9am and the auctions are at 10am and 2pm. No need to be intimidated, this auction (and from what I gather the Saturdays@Phillips series) is full of amazing works (think prints, editions, pieces from series) by major artists for much less than you'd think. The most expensive pieces are a handful of works by Damien Hirst, Basquiat, and Warhols, with much of the works' estimated values falling somewhere between $800 and $3,000. Not quite for everyone, but definitely within a lot of New Yorkers' budgets. Highlights: Warhol's John Joseph H, Basquiat's Untitled (Head), Larry Clark's Ex-Libris, Jeff Koons' Baloon Dog (Blue), Jenny Holzer's The Future Is Stupid, Cindy Sherman's Lucille Ball, Araki's Untitled (from Pola eros), Noah Butkus' Swamp Thing, and AND Murakami's AND THEN Rainbow. Checkout the full catalog here and read up on how to participate. You can show up, bid by phone, via internet or with an absentee bid. Seems to me like showing up for this low-key auction would be a great way to get your feet wet and buy something you can sell off next year and make money to buy something better.