The difference in the cost of living between Boston and here continues to amaze me on a near-daily basis.
The first night after Mom and Kenny left, I went out with six other girls (the same ones I still hang out with most, as it turns out). We all had dinner (Mexican) and shared 2 large pitchers of margaritas (which, by the way, when you order a pitcher they bring you a full-to-the-rim pitcher plus half-full glasses), and the bill came out to $60 and change. For everyone! We each spent about $13 for dinner and three to four margaritas! Easily would have been $40/person in Boston.
That was just the beginning. The alcohol is most obvious, as this is a college town. At one bar, Thursday nights is $1 pitcher nights, and if that seems high then you can get one for a penny on Friday. At a normal, nice restaurant the other night I ordered a cosmopolitan the other night for $4.82 – that wasn’t a special price, just the regular price. Shots are usually 2 for 1 everywhere, and drinks are often 2 for 1 before 11PM. And I’m not talking 2-for-1 $8 drinks. No no…two screwdrivers for $2.75. Yeah. The cheap beer is cheap but the drinks are as strong as you’d expect anywhere. Was it like this at UNH? I didn’t go out enough, and I guess living in the land of $12 martinis has dulled my expectations.
The groceries are generally cheaper too. A dozen eggs sell for about $.58. I still haven’t figured that one out. The fish starts are $7/lb, but absolutely sucks, so that’s not a good example.
The coffee is exactly the same, of course, since it is what I buy most – $1.50 for a cup of coffee, $2.75 up for espresso drinks. You can easily find decent cups of coffee for a dollar, though (good old Kum&Go). Cookies? $1. Not that I’ve tested that out at every place I’ve seen a cookie for sale. Not quite, anyway.
Oh! GAS! Cheapo. Not sure what it is back east now, but we’re around $2/gallon. And the WEIRD thing is that 89 octane (plus?) is cheaper than the 87 (regular). I guess because it’s up to 10% ethanol, so the mileage sucks, but the environment is happier? I don’t really know why they do that, but I fully expect one reader to be able to enlighten me (please). The super 93 octane is most expensive, but still only like $2.15/gal. Since the whole place is flat as a pancake you hardly need gas anyway. I don’t know why people out here don’t just get a fred flinstone car and push with their feet.
When I got my first parking ticket the other day, it was unlike any parking ticket I have ever received before. Normally, such a thing puts me in a pissy mood and I stay relatively pissy until I forget about it (then I don’t get pissy again until they send me the late notice with the $13 surcharge). But this time, I got the ticket, had a moment of annoyance, and then was overcome with amusement. You can see why here:
Good old Iowa. Too bad it’s so boring you’d actually like to hear the corn grow, just for something to do sometimes…
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