How to feel really rich

Move out of the most expensive city in the country.

Now that I have returned to LA and am back to spending only $1.50 on my daily Starbucks versus the $1.79 in NYC, Newsday has announced that workers in Manhattan make more money than anywhere else in the country. That may be true: I mentioned yesterday that I took a slight pay cut when I moved here, but I also point out that I have more money in the bank now than I ever did in New York in part because I am not spending $5 on a box of cereal anymore. I'm also not going on six-hour Saturday night drinking binges and paying upwards of $6 per drink. Thank God.

The downside of course is that I am also not able to spend my money here this year. I actually can't think of anything clever to say about this one -- I'm genuinely disappointed.

I would think that now, most of my money is spent on gas, as it takes about $30-$35 to fill up my tank, which I do every 4-6 days or so. I kind of felt frivolous about that until this weekend, when I saw that one 70-block (3.5 mile) cab ride in New York cost $11 - the equivalent of a THIRD of a tank. Imagine, having to fill up on gas every time you drove 10.5 miles - I wouldn't even make it to work! Sure there is the cost of having a car and insurance and all that, but at least I own the vehicle. I can keep it free of other people's trash and odors. And I don't even have to tip myself.