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Today the Post looks at how the turbulent economy is affecting the lifestyle of one family of four on the Upper East Side, and, surprise surprise, reports that it’s not really such a big deal for some people. Sure, their cost of living expenses have risen by $1,000 a month compared to this time last year, but Mr. and Mrs. Gary Foodim aren’t sweating it – they vacationed at Disney World last year and there's no way the recession is going to stop this year's trip.
"Prices in restaurants have definitely gone up, but we still need to keep up with our friends," Foodim tells the Post – he dropped $871 in April to keep up with the Joneses on dining out and entertainment, a 46% rise from last year. They’re also spending more on dry cleaning and Fresh Direct ($890 last month) – but some of the food increase can be blamed on the growing appetites of their daughters, ages four and two. At the end of the day, Foodim “loves living in the city, so this is reality.”
Part of that harsh reality not covered in the article is the city’s obscene rents, but the tabloid is also reporting that rents may possibly be going down a bit. Overall, rents prices have been constant or higher than last year, but some brokers are saying that April was a particularly slow month, and average rents in some neighborhoods are now substantially less than this time last year: The average SoHo studio dropped from $2,455 to $1,855, while average rents for two-bedrooms on the Lower East Side are down to $3,403 from $4,144. Woah – only $1,855 for a studio? With a couple of roommates and some well-placed bookcases, even SoHo's becoming affordable!
Photo courtesy Wally G.
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Wow, life is hard for the Foodims.
Meanwhile, some people make $400 a week or less...
You ever notice that clothes are getting cheaper? I remember back in 89 when Levi's cost $39 bucks and a no frills t-shirt at canal jeans cost $20 bucks. Now a t-shirt is 5.99 at Uniqlo and a shirt is 9.99 at Forever 21 or H&M. Designer clothes are getting more expensive but why are mainstream clothes like Gap, old navy, etc. getting cheaper? Hell, even Abercrombie is ten bucks cheaper than a decade ago.
This information about them is pretty useless without telling us how much these people make. If they're living on the Upper East Side and spending $18,000 per year per child on preschool, they're making a pretty good living I'm sure.
Still, this doesn't surprise me at all from the Post. "Hey, the economy isn't so bad! Just look at how easily these rich people are coping if you need proof!"
Clothes are cheaper because they're all made in China.
I find Chinese made jeans tend to be tighter in the crotch area. Sometimes when sitting on the subway, you can see the outline of my "head" - and thats when I don't have a hard-on!
I'm surprise they take the subway. Where is the limo driver for them?
Thanks,#4....I think I'll just scoot down a bit...
If you want to pick on the Post for its lousy journalism or the politics of its editorial page, go ahead. But the Times has run these types of stories several times this year as well. They also lament the plight of poor on the Op Ed page as but then tell well heeled where to spend your bonus in the Style, Travel, and Dining sections.
Anyway, I have heard from some friends that their landlords are trying to get them to sign renewal leases with no increase for their choice one or two years. And this is just under six months before the lease is up. These landlords must be afraid of putting the units on the open market.
Look at the pictures of the family.
The father is a dark haired, large nosed jew with fleshy, tropical lips. The mother has dark hair.
The kids are blond hair children with refined features.
It looks like Daddy's been cuckolded by his wife.
@jaja007 - are you kidding? The kids have exactly the same nose as the dad.
amazingly, kids' hair can darken when they get older. really, it's true.
Your title is incorrect. Inflation is not a factor here; in fact, inflation has been dropping since January. The rise in costs for food and energy are not related to a decrease in the value of the US currency.
I'm not saying the Times is any better, I'm just saying the Post blows.
#4 - you are wrong. the clothes made in China and Hong kong are actually the most expensive clothes to buy. The clothes made in bangladesh, romania, and whatever else godforsaken weird land I don't know are where old navy and H&M outsource their manufacturing. And Steve and Berry's and Target have ridiculously low prices on clothes. I want to know what these companies are paying these third world countries to make these clothes.
This is retarded, the guy's paying $36,000/year in preschool tuition, and you think he's worried about a doubling in the price of flour or eggs?? Rugrats are the real expense, not inflation.
If you look at the chart in the Post story it says that the family's monthly "alcohol" bill has gone up from $113 to $313!??!?! So boo-fucking-hoo for them!
I have no sympathy for them either.
Sounds like hard times if you're trying to keep up with the Joneses...right.
Oh and thank corn fuel for cutting into our food supply by having less food corn and less non-corn crops too.
Actually, the whole "corn is causing inflation" is a load of crap propagated by the Oil lobby who are opposed to serious biofuel research, which would move us off of corn ethanol within 5 years. At most, it accounts for 10% of the price increases...the real differences are in global demand. Don't believe the hype!