The 909

You don't realize how much tollroads cost until you have to take one. I don't live in a location where I need to take any of the tollroads often so it's hard to imaging paying for it every single day as many commuters in Orange County do. The tolls vary by the day of the week and time of the day going up to as much as $7 each way (that's two cappuchinos!) for the busiest 10 mile stretch on the 91 freeway! Most commuters are coming from the Riverside and San Bernardino counties.

The ironic thing is that most people move out there for the more affordable housing but then end up giving much of it back in tolls, gas and time stuck in traffic. Assuming that a couple both take the tollroad separately to OC and each drive an additional 40 mile daily, that calculates out to approximately $588 per month ($20/day in tolls and $8 additional in gas over 21 work days). In pre-tax earnings at a hypothetical 30% tax rate, that's $840.

Just a few years ago, it was considered definitely uncool to live out there, in the "909"(the primary area code). On the show The OC, they make it sound like the city of Chino is hundreds of miles away when it's really only about 30 miles from Newport Beach. As prices have escalated in OC the last few years, it's become much more acceptable to live in the Inland Empire. And as jobs are finally being created out there, fewer residents are having to commute to OC. Most of the new housing being built in southern California is in the Inland
Empire. Most of OC is simply out of land for detached, single family homes. In OC, you can buy a new attached 1600 sq ft townhome for about $600k. In Riverside county, that would buy you a 3000 sq ft house on a 7000 sq ft lot. Oh, but that drive....

Total spent Tuesday:
$0 lunch with colleague (colleague treated, saved $7 with Entertainment coupon)
$0 prepared dinner

Total spent Wednesday:
-$53 returned items at Target
$11 lunch and fruit at gourmet supermarket
$5 driving range during lunch with lunch buddy
$32 pool toys at Target
$4 Jack in the Box

Total spent today:
$0 brought lunch
$3.50 tollroad
$41 Marshalls
$26 supermarket
$60 1 year subscription to Yahoo music service
$8 Starbucks for 2