Frugality in Los Angeles, the Land of Excess

Ugh. I’m a small town girl by nature, so large cities bother me on principle. But LA is by far the one that grates on my nerves the most. Everything here is really fake, and the prices astound me. Gas is up 35 cents over the national average. Hair color that I usually buy for $5.00 is $8.50 here. Even McDonald’s suffers, as some items that are on the dollar menu at home are $1.25 here.

Don’t get me started on the housing costs.

In a city where your dollar doesn’t go as far, it’s even more important to look into ways to be frugal. However, in LA, it’s even harder to do so. The compulsion to compare yourself to everyone else is even harder to escape. I considered not bringing my purse because it’s from Target, and not at all trendy, and I wondered if I would feel awkward carrying it around. I’ve already been to two apartments with large (in one case, VERY large) HD TV sets. This place gets into your head.

But I’ve just got to maintain my cool. People with H3s aren’t to be admired - they’re to be shunned! (I hate consumer-grade Hummers.) And that Lexus is probably leased. In fact, although there are plenty of people out here with the funds to buy these big ticket items outright, there are many more people out here who are digging themselves into a hole trying to keep up with those Super-Jonses. And while I may be lured to do the same, I have put other priorities first.

In the end, you can’t tell the difference between a leased car and a purchased car, and you can’t tell the difference between a TV paid for with credit cards and one paid for with cash. So, to ease my own mind, I’ve decided to assume that they’re all financed, just because it makes me feel better about not having them.