January 23, 2008
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Cost of Living
How do 3 million people function in a city where the following is true:
One 5 oz cappuccino: $3.50
One ginger cookie (3 inch diameter): $3.00
One single serving of fruit juice: $4.90
Box of 40 tampons: $9Granted, there are cheaper spots. I am learning. Here is what I’ve learned:
1.) While supporting local indie cafes is something I believe in, it is cheaper to go to Starbucks. Usually, I don’t go to either (I am a fan of the thermos brought from home), but last night before my evening writing class I wanted fluffy coffee treat. Plus, it was payday and I thought that I’d do a nice, cheerful, small thing for myself. If I would have known that I was going to haphazardly eat the cost of two loads of clean clothes at the laundromat, I wouldn’t have.
2.) Tampons are cheaper in my uptown neighborhood by about 2 bucks. But when when unexpectedly menstruating in midtown yesterday, I nearly hemorrhaged when asked to fork over a tenner for a cluster of cotton wads on strings.
3.) I don’t usually buy bottled drinks (aside from beer), but after nearly passing out on the crowded subway to work on Monday, I bought an OJ to revive me. My mistake. I nearly fainted all over again when I handed the deli cashier a fiver and only got a dime change.
Sometimes products don’t have price tags or you neglect to do a thorough price check because you assume, “hey – I’m buying a perfectly normal product. I know what I’m getting into.” When this happens and you make it to the cash register, you are faced with an awkward decision. You can choose to avoid a scene and pay or you can balk: “how much?!? Never mind – I don’t want it, anyhow.” I need to start being more comfortable with the latter.
Plus, I can focus on the good. I can get a gory piece of pizza or a steam shriveled hot dog for pretty cheap. I can get an disgustingly sweet deli coffee for a reasonable price. I can take comfort in the fact that I’ve always typically made and brought my own foods anyhow, saving my money, my waist line, and my environment. I can take a deep breath and remind myself that I don’t need a car that would suck up paychecks with gas, insurance, maintenance, and tolls. I can vent a little and hope that it makes me laugh. Which it did. Menstruating in midtown is pretty funny.
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How much do things cost in your neck of the woods?
Comments (7)
You already know the prices in chicago, and you know the prices in the uk. I have been in that situation where I’ve said, “how much? no thanks.” I’ve walked away from cash registers. It’s sad. I hated saying, “30 pounds? thats sixty bucks!”
I don’t know about the cappuccino. At Starbucks the tea is about that for a cup, but it seems bigger than 8 oz.
You can get two bags of organic ginger snaps for about three bucks and nonorganic you can get three bags.
A bottle of juice from a vending machine is about 1.25.
Pons are about 2.50- 4.00 depending on brand.
So yeah, it blows there. I just watched a video of a dude with a 3$ burger. A micro burger in NYC.
Bringing your own is smart. I am glad you can laugh. I don’t know how I would feel being caught that way. Big props to you. I walk away from cash registers here when prices are out of line.
They talk of an 800$ tax refund, but with prices what they are, it might not go that far.
Wow, those prices are steep! If you were being paid three times as much as you would be elsewhere, you might not mind paying three times as much for consumer items, but I assume that you are not being paid 6 digits for your writing center job.
Here in northern NY, we are paying about what Boo says for juice, pons, etc.. Housing costs, both for rent and for homeownership, seem to be pretty reasonable. Other costs, though, can be steep: you MUST have a car, or two, with all the costs that come with owning your own transportation. And incomes are lower than in most other regions of the state. I’m making half at best what I could make with my knowledge and experience if I were living in an urban area.
It does seem that where ever we live, having something left over to stash in savings is a challenge.
When I went to Japan to visit, it cost around $5 for a can of pop, and $ 20 for a watermelon!
Water in Europe costs around $3 for a small bottle, beer is cheaper there.
Juice-bout 1.50. tampons-5.75 for a box of 40.
re: tampons. I don’t like the big warehouse shopping places. BUT, they’re good for buying huge quantities of some things. For example, I went to the warehouse store recently and bought something like a pallet of tampons for $11. Now, this doesn’t do anybody any good if they’re at home and you’re in Midtown and you need one, of course. I’ve gotten around this by cleverly stashing a tampon (or two) in every conceivable place I can so I’ve got one if I need one. Every bag, every purse, my desk drawers … you get the picture. The line was drawn when BF was cleaning out his car one day and found 2 tampons in his glove box. Then I reminded him we’re married and that his car is just as much mine as it is his, and that I’d hate to foul his leather seats. Begrudgingly, he agreed and the tampons stayed. Heh.
There are actually 8 million people functioning in that city. Terrifyingly.
New York has a major shortage of independently owned coffee shops. Starbucks is often the only option—that or the corner deli. Which was always my choice (can’t beat a 55 cent cuppa joe when you’re looking for caffeine on the go, even if it tastes like ass and you have to smell the milk before pouring to determine if it’s still good). Also, ask for “half a sugar” or “one sugar” and it will be less sweet. Their default always seems to be two heaping teaspoons (“two sugars”). Oh! I miss New York sometimes.