Value of Money

I'm so confused about money here. It's very different. Yesterday I treated my aunt and cousin to dinner in an upmarket restaurant. It was a fancy splash out, and came out to be 100rmb a head. Crikey, that's 7 pounds each. That's slightly more than burger king in leicester square.

Kellog's bike got stolen two days ago - he was gutted. It did only cost about 11 pounds though - 170 kuai.

My apartment is 52 square metres, and costs about 120 pounds a month (i'm actually paying way over the odds because i'm on a 4 month lease).

I treated some friends to won tun noodle lunch a few days ago, that cost under 2 pounds (25 kuai) for the 5 of us.

For our dinner tonight in a local chinese restaurant, we ordered 7 dishes and 1 soup for 6 of us. That came to 20 kuai (just over a pound) each.

I thought paying a private tutor 30 kuai an hour (2 pounds) was dirt cheap. But when you think that an hour's tutoring will get you a bigggg evening meal, or a quarter of a new bicycle then actually it's bloomin good money.

My maid is going to cost just over a pound for 3 hours of help. Crikey, I really ought to get her to come for three hours every day. I mean sheesh, 3 hours of help, for a pound. That would be great - a super spotless apartment, and food bought prepared and ready to be cooked!

Half a hour's worth of taxi ride only costs about 30-40 kuai - 2 pounds. Bargain. A ride on the somewhat awful underground / tube, costs about 3-6 kuai. It's friggin slow too.

This said, alcohol is still pricey here - 20-30 kuai (1 to 2 pounds) a pint, perhaps 80 kuai (3-4 pounds) for a good scotch. Starbucks style coffee ranges from 15-20 kuai.

It's hard to understand saving cab money by taking the subway, only then to arrive and then buy a beer. Or two beers. Or eat a 5 kuai lunch, only to follow it with a 20 kuai coffee.

At first I found myself not drinking beer, whisky or coffee. But then that's kinda boring, and at the end of the day - it's no more expensive than it would be normally!

It puts a whole new value on money though. Back in London, a 20p coin really wasn't very much use to me. But here, 20p buys me a block of deliciously fresh tofu, or some freshly made noodles to cook, or a pair of socks. And so I've a new found respect for money. It's harder to fritter away or ignore 10 pounds here or there - because 10 pounds here is 150 kuai - and that could easily be 10 good restaurant cooked evening meals. Strange huh.