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September 21, 2009

Brooklyn, the Frugal City?

According to online finance site Mint.com, residents of Brooklyn cut back on spending in 2009 in the first half of the year more than any other city in the United States. Compared to 2008, the average Brooklynite has spent 28 percent less this year, whereas the national average for spending per person dropped only 13 percent. One caveat: Mint.com collects data from its users; thus the sample pool for the spending data is self-selecting and most likely an inaccurate representation of the U.S. Even with Mint.com's particular demographic in mind, it's an interesting observation. Also, if you take a look at the graphic, you'll see that the greatest decreases in spending for which Mint.com has data were in New York and California—states with cities that rank highest for cost of living in the U.S.
The Most Frugal Cities in America [Mint.com]

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Comments

you mean no one is buying 300 dollar tshirts for their babies anymore? oh noes! i think a lot of it has to do with the amount of pure crapola that people have been trying to get away with selling the last 5-10 years. thankfully that has come to an end and people realize what kind of stuff is truly worth buying these days.

*rob*

Posted by: Butterfly at September 21, 2009 10:49 AM

hate to tell you Brooklyn is not a city.

Posted by: Petebklyn at September 21, 2009 10:49 AM

it's it's own seperate county, kinds county, so technically you can get away with demographificising itself holistically impartial.

*rob*

Posted by: Butterfly at September 21, 2009 10:52 AM

"hate to tell you Brooklyn is not a city."

If it WAS then it would be the 3rd largest in the country!

Posted by: dirty_hipster at September 21, 2009 10:56 AM

to be 3rd - would need to divide NYC into 5 parts.
Just us alone would not make #3.

Posted by: Petebklyn at September 21, 2009 11:01 AM

I've cut back. I no longer buying "A" grade foie gras and am now slumming it with "B" grade.

Posted by: daveinbedstuy at September 21, 2009 11:12 AM

Running counter to the trend, I've spent more this year than last year, furnishing the new pad, etc. Open up your checkbooks, folks. I can't prop up the sagging economy by myself!

Posted by: DitmasSnark at September 21, 2009 11:17 AM

I've increased my dollar store purchases...does that count? :-) (why pay $5 for recycling bags when you can get them for a buck???)

Posted by: InsertSnappyNameHere at September 21, 2009 11:22 AM

If you were serious about saving money and still be green- do what I do. Just put my recycles in neighbors recycling bags after they put on curb. (and remove any returnable bottles for redemption).

Posted by: Petebklyn at September 21, 2009 11:30 AM

quote:
Open up your checkbooks, folks.

dude the problem is that there's nothing f'ing in for a lot of people!

*rob*

Posted by: Butterfly at September 21, 2009 11:33 AM

I no longer can afford to use vowels when posting on Br_wnst_n_r.

That splurge is gonna hurt...

Posted by: IMBY at September 21, 2009 11:38 AM

I was interested in seeing how much NYC-area spends on food/beverage/entertainment vs other parts of the country, but they didn't include it on the chart. I feel like that's easily my highest discretionary monthly expense. Weird categories... sporting goods?

Posted by: setancre at September 21, 2009 11:41 AM

Pete, i'd love to, but I've got no neighbors that put out recycling. (and then there is the fact that there are too many beer cans to try to add to anyone else's bags anyway!) J/k

Posted by: InsertSnappyNameHere at September 21, 2009 11:42 AM

setancre, I didn't see that. Essentially the whole survey is useless.

Posted by: daveinbedstuy at September 21, 2009 11:45 AM

"to be 3rd - would need to divide NYC into 5 parts.
Just us alone would not make #3."

If you were to take Brooklyn's approximately 2.4 million residents from NYC, the rest of NYC would still be the most populous city in the country, followed by Los Angeles, Chicago and then Brooklyn.

Brooklyn would be the 4th largest, were it a separate entity.

Posted by: 11217 at September 21, 2009 11:55 AM

"I was interested in seeing how much NYC-area spends on food/beverage/entertainment vs other parts of the country, but they didn't include it on the chart."

If they didn't include that then it is worthless.

Posted by: dirty_hipster at September 21, 2009 12:00 PM

sporting goods equal guns and fishing gear. Step up to the plate and load up on pump shotguns, everyone! The world is coming to an end November.

Posted by: denton at September 21, 2009 12:38 PM

If you are trying to pay debt service on a 1.4 million-dollar-mortgage, you would not have a lot left over for other stuff. Recent home buyers in Brooklyn are house poor.
I, on the other hand, just got back from a nice tour of the Spanish, French and Italian coasts. It was very nice.
I bought my place in 1990. C'est la vie -non?

Posted by: Minard Lafever at September 21, 2009 1:04 PM

I've spent much less on booze and sushi this year but a lot more on diapers and crackers in the shape of Big Bird.

BTW, I've always thought that good sushi restaurants are pretty much the last place to take a little kid -- agreed?

Posted by: northsloperenter at September 21, 2009 1:21 PM

But good first date spots - no dessert to linger over.

I spend more in summer because sidewalk cafes are all over. Being a workaholic helps you save a lot too I've learned.

Posted by: infinitejester at September 21, 2009 2:20 PM

Northslope, I don't know. I have friends whose kids favorite food at age 3 was sushi.

Posted by: mopar at September 21, 2009 3:11 PM

Northslope snap out of it. lots of lil Japanese kids running around Bklyn. Sushi is part of thier culture.

Posted by: jack slade at September 21, 2009 3:59 PM

mopar -- oh, I'm sure plenty of little kids would like sushi, but I've been to a lot of sushi places that go for that relaxed, calm, zen atmosphere, which doesn't fit well as well with the high energy, high emotion many kids can summon up when the mood strikes them.

Not to mention, seeing your kid throw a french fry on the floor isn't as troubling as seeing him fling a $6 piece of fish.

I wouldn't think twice about taking my kid to Brooklyn Fish Camp (god knows everyone else's kid is already there anyway), but I would think twice before going to a nice sushi place unless I knew the place really was kid friendly.

Posted by: northsloperenter at September 21, 2009 4:00 PM

Take the kids to Ginza on 5th so they can watch the hibachi chef throw the knives around.

Posted by: DitmasSnark at September 21, 2009 4:22 PM

« Friends' Expansion Making Enemies on State? What to Do with the BQE Ditch »

September 21, 2009

Brooklyn, the Frugal City?

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