Bloomberg's congestion fee plan dies behind closed doors in Albany

[sereia 0]

$5000 for food? What is that, a diet of Kobe beef and beluga caviar?

Suze Orman would have a field day with that budget.

I was a private chef for a multimillionaire family in the UES. A family of 5 + 2 maids, and I wasn't spending $5000/mo on food! (maybe $3000-$4000 though) but thats for SEVEN people and they make much more than $300,000/yr. I think someone who makes that much should readjust their budget. I know you said it was hypothetical but if this is your opinion of what someone should be spending every month...Where do you think they should be eating, mawilson? Le Bernardin every night? lol

Edited April 8, 2008 by sereia

[mawilson 2,133]

$5k ain't modest, brutha.

You go to a decent restaurant, there's $150 right there (for two people.)

You go for drinks afterwards, it's another $50-100.

Do it twice a week, and in one month you will have spent $2,000.

Go to a show or two, jazz club, whatever else.... more $$$.

Go Whole Foods once a week - another $1,000 (at least.)

How about other everyday expenses - clothes? gadgets? taxi fares?

Come on now.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

$5k ain't modest, brutha.

You go to a decent restaurant, there's $150 right there (for two people.)

You go for drinks afterwards, it's another $50-100.

Do it twice a week, and in one month you will have spent $2,000.

Go to a show or two, jazz club, whatever else.... more $$$.

Go Whole Foods once a week - another $1,000 (at least.)

How about other everyday expenses - clothes? gadgets? taxi fares?

Come on now.

Whether you realize it or not, those are all choices you could make differently. You can eat well and not spend $150 for two each time. And ####### are you buying at Whole Foods that costs you 1K a month?? As for drinks, I understand - that's a Manhattan thing, it's retarded but it is what it is.

[Trompe le Monde 1,107]

Well - one can choose to have a life or a lifestyle.

I suppose if you chooses to have a lifestyle, you gotta expect to throw money out the window. If one can afford to do so, great, if not consider it a tax on stupidity.

[mawilson 2,133]

Wanting to live in NYC is a discretionary choice. Spends caused by the discretionary choice are ..... you got it - discretionary.

Wanting a bigger house is also a discretionary choice. It's like saying,

"Don't have enough money? Move to a smaller house."

Why don't you move to a crappier, cheaper neighborhood? After all, the place where you live is a "discretionary choice".

Sorry, but the idea that wanting to live in NYC is a "discretionary choice" is just idiotic.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

Wanting to live in NYC is a discretionary choice. Spends caused by the discretionary choice are ..... you got it - discretionary.

Wanting a bigger house is also a discretionary choice. It's like saying,

"Don't have enough money? Move to a smaller house."

Why don't you move to a crappier, cheaper neighborhood? After all, the place where you live is a "discretionary choice".

Sorry, but the idea that wanting to live in NYC is a "discretionary choice" is just idiotic.

Of course it's discretionary.

Where I live is discretionary, too. I don't really need all the space I'm paying for but the wife likes having it. So I do consider it discretionary. I could go down to $800 a month (P+I) by next month if we downgraded to what we actually needed.

[mawilson 2,133]

Well - one can choose to have a life or a lifestyle.

I suppose if you chooses to have a lifestyle, you gotta expect to throw money out the window. If one can afford to do so, great, if not consider it a tax on stupidity.

I'm not sure what you mean by "tax on stupidity". Are you talking about people who borrow money

to maintain a certain lifestyle? If so, I agree - if you can't afford it, don't do it. But if you can, I don't

consider it "throwing money out the window".

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

You go to a decent restaurant, there's $150 right there (for two people.)

You go for drinks afterwards, it's another $50-100.

We've been out to 'decent' restaurants in NYC and NJ and we've never broken the $100 barrier in a single sitting (for two).

[mawilson 2,133]

Of course it's discretionary.

Where I live is discretionary, too. I don't really need all the space I'm paying for but the wife likes having it. So I do consider it discretionary. I could go down to $800 a month (P+I) by next month if we downgraded to what we actually needed.

I don't know what your point is.

With the money you make today, you'd be considered "rich" in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

Does it mean you want to move to Jackson Hole, Wyoming? I don't think so.

All I'm saying is, a person who lives in NYC and makes $300k or $500k or whatever

isn't as "rich" as you think.

[mawilson 2,133]

You go to a decent restaurant, there's $150 right there (for two people.)

You go for drinks afterwards, it's another $50-100.

We've been out to 'decent' restaurants in NYC and NJ and we've never broken the $100 barrier in a single sitting (for two).

Sure - there are lots of good and cheap places in NYC where you wouldn't even spend that much.

But these things add up.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

You go to a decent restaurant, there's $150 right there (for two people.)

You go for drinks afterwards, it's another $50-100.

We've been out to 'decent' restaurants in NYC and NJ and we've never broken the $100 barrier in a single sitting (for two).

Sure - there are lots of good and cheap places in NYC where you wouldn't even spend that much.

But these things add up.

Certainly - a daily starbucks habit can rack up $150/month.

[Alex+R 0]

Eek. I sense some judgment over choosing to live in a city! Especially in this city, which I really wouldn't consider a luxury.

(Though not sure how you could really spend $5,000 if you were worried about money... Rey and I went out to two really good (but not world-renowned) restaurants two nights in a row and actually didn't spend $100 total, even getting 6 drinks total. We probably wouldn't do that every night, but even if we did...)

[Dan J 277]

Of course it's discretionary.

Where I live is discretionary, too. I don't really need all the space I'm paying for but the wife likes having it. So I do consider it discretionary. I could go down to $800 a month (P+I) by next month if we downgraded to what we actually needed.

I don't know what your point is.

With the money you make today, you'd be considered "rich" in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

Does it mean you want to move to Jackson Hole, Wyoming? I don't think so.

All I'm saying is, a person who lives in NYC and makes $300k or $500k or whatever

isn't as "rich" as you think.

You make the choice to live where you do, and spend your money how you want to spend it and there are certainly choices available that cost less than what you pay.

Why should you pay less taxes because you choose a more expensive lifestyle?

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

Why should you pay less taxes because you choose a more expensive lifestyle?

Bingo. That's the point.

It's not about judging people who choose to live in the city. It's about them paying their fair share, which the congestion tax as proposed would not have done.

[mawilson 2,133]

I was a private chef for a multimillionaire family in the UES. A family of 5 + 2 maids, and I wasn't spending $5000/mo on food! (maybe $3000-$4000 though) but thats for SEVEN people and they make much more than $300,000/yr.

I said Food and Entertainment. Don't underestimate the cost of entertainment.