money crunch

a chipotle burrito is now $8.25 (with tax) in manhattan. usually when people complain about the cost of living in new york and say it's impossible to live on less than a million dollars a year i usually argue that it's their own problem. just because $5 coffee and $15 drinks exist doesn't mean you have to buy them, just like you don't have to live in manhattan or eat at fancy restaurants or hire luxury minivan taxis for your children. those aren't things that make it impossible to be "rich" in new york without a seven-figure salary. they're things only rich people should even think about. it's newcomers who think these kind of prices are routine that drive up costs for everyone else. but everyone deserves affordable burritos, and finding a reasonably priced lunch around my office is getting increasingly difficult . . .