MM's post about how a day in Gotham creates an echo in her wallet got me thinking about my own expenditure on the other side of the Pond. OK, here goes.
- Travel on the Tube - £1.50 in to work, one-way. And may I add that this vaguely reasonable price is only because I have an Oyster card, otherwise it would be a ridiculous £4.00 - and all for the 'pleasure' of being herded into a sweaty hot train and forced to inhale someones body odour while having my personal space invaded by all and sundry. Bah. Rip-off Britain. Etc.
- Starbucks Mocha Frappuccino - £3.15 (or thereabouts). Every morning, there I am, queuing up and handing over my cash like a good consumer mug. The sad fact is that I am totally dependent on my daily Frappuccino, even though I have been told that they don't even contain much in the way of actual caffeine. My suspicion is that Starbucks Frappuccinos have a special secret super-addictive ingredient, something along the lines of Oxycontin or possibly just Crack.
- A packet of Marlboro Lights - £5.80. Yes, that is a ridiculous price. Yes, it would probably be cheaper to eat pure gold. Yes, I know I am damaging my lungs, skin, heart and every other single part of me. Yes, I am aware that I am a socially irresponsible lout who is exposing everyone within 50 yards of me to dangerous toxins. Yes, I am very aware smoking is now banned in all the places where I used to enjoy a ciggie the most, such as restaurants and bars and railway station platforms, and I am also aware that the more smug members of the British population (who, incidentally, tend to be the sort of people who think Gordon Brown and his dreary cronies are just what our country needs) are delighted to be able to tuck into their thrice-yearly treat (anniversaries and birthdays only) of chicken-in-a-basket at the local Harvester without the whiff of nicotine in the air. Bah. Nanny State Britain. Etc.
- Lunch at Pret a Manger - approx £5.00 for a sandwich, a can of Diet Coke and something delightfully nibbly. Yes, it would be cheaper if I made my own lunch and took it to work every day, but it would also be incredibly tedious.
- A ten minute forage in Boot's the Chemist - who would have thought that what seemed like just a few essentials would add up to the impressive sum of £62.54?
- Travel on the bus - £1.00. Cheap but hideous. Wish I had paid ten times as much for a taxi. Had foot trodden on four times. Endured endless grumbling about feckless youngsters from the old fart next to me. Countless nutters twitched and made random utterings. Children screamed. Mothers cursed. The bus driver was a sadist. I didn't get a seat and barely had room to stand. Bah. Scumbag Britain. Etc.
And I think that was it, a fairly impressive total for a totally unimpressive day.
Not as good as MM's though. I bow before NYC decadence...
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