The Sex and The City Effect

After a 3 month stint in the far west suburbs, I’m all moved back into my fabulous Chicago apartment. The views from my apartment are awesome, my commute to work is about 10 minutes vs. 90 minutes, and my friends are close by again. I’m glad to be back, but I can already feel the effects of how different city life is.Within a few months of being in the ‘burbs, there are already several new trendy bars and restaurants in my neighborhood since I left. Of course I feel the need to try these as soon as possible. These new venues also make me think how nice it would be to have some new outfits and shoes to wear to these new venues…

I temporarily forgot how expensive grocery shopping in the city is, how quickly your cash can go when taking cabs, and how fast your calendar fills up. There is always an event, a meeting, an old friend who is in town and something new to do. It seems that relaxing is something that needs to be scheduled, and enjoying the simple things (which for me are reading, cooking and working out) gets thrown out the window if you aren’t careful.

It is so easy to live a lifestyle that is above and beyond your means, especially if your friends have larger incomes than you do. This is what I call “The Sex and the City Effect.” When you live in the city, it’s easy to get caught up in the glitz and the glam, the new restaurants, the new men, the new outfits, and forget why you came to the city in the first place: which is probably because of your career.

I’m hoping my 3 months in the suburbs will serve as a reality check and a benchmark for me when I start getting off course with my priorities. I’m hoping I can “just say no” to overbooking myself and living too “large” for my goals.

How have you felt “The Sex and the City” effect in your life or among your group of friends?