See How You're Wasting Your Money. Then Pretend To Reform!

Jeremiah stumbled upon Bundle, a new site that shows you how people piss away their dwindling paychecks, broken down by zip code. And it proves that New York neighborhoods, as always, happily conform to stereotypes, even if it lands residents in the poorhouse. 

Residents of the East Village--a neighborhood packed with restaurants and the second most bar-saturated zip code in the country--spend more money on food and drink ($1,525 per month) than anything else (including just $877 on "House and Home," a figure that presumably excludes rent). That's 14% of the bank account going to meals and booze binges out. (The figure rises to a whopping 18% for single, childless men.) Rumor has it that 71% is spent on flannel shirts, Wayfarers and pouts.

Chichi Upper East Siders living in the 10021 dole out $2,316 (nearly 50% more than perennially young and single East Villagers) in the "Health and Family Category."  The figure includes $378 to charity (this is Benefit Central, after all). Also, the average UESer drops $713 a month on shoes and clothing (clearly, zooming in on Park and Fifth Avenue's ladies who lunch would turn up far more extravagant numbers).

Some interesting citywide stats:

New York's single women spend an average $212 per month clothing shopping, compared to $161 for single men.

Brooklynites throw only $216 away on eating and drinking out each month, compared to $805 for the average Manhattanite.

New Yorkers between the ages of 36 and 49 put $277 toward home improvement; New Yorkers aged 18-25: $118. Futons and cinder blocks somehow defy the law of supply and demand.

One way New York City saves you from bankruptcy: public transportation. "Getting around" cost suburbanites in Scarsdale $1,191, while the city average stalled at $563 and dropped to $295 in Manhattan. No wonder that cab-share plan struggles to catch on.

Shun Lee gobbles up more of our money than any restaurant in the city. Unless you count Starbucks and McDonald's, which no self-respecting and cash-strapped New Yorker ever would.