As a North American living in London, I’ve always been able to justify the high cost of living against the strength of the pound at home. I stopped converting prices into dollars within a week of arriving; it was simply too painful to realize I was paying 4 times as much for my travel card here as I had paid in Boston. I saved all my clothes shopping for trips back to the US or Canada, and promised myself that saving more and spending less on London’s amazing restaurants was well worth it because I would be, literally, doubly repaid when I moved back home eventually.
That was last January.
In a cruel twist of fate tied directly to the implosion of the world economy, the pound has now plummeted against the US dollar. I’m not quite sure how this could happen given that the US economy is on the brink of collapse if you believe the news. Apparently the US dollar is still one of the safest investments for people who still have enough money to invest. While I’m grateful they have such faith in the future of the US, I am not impressed they have just cut my US budget in half. Faced with rising prices here in London and falling purchasing power at home, I’m stuck between a rock and a hard place just like everyone else in the world.
So what a girl to do, besides crossing fingers that the pound will rise again?
I guess it’s finally time to indulge my sultry voice side at M&S. After all, these aren’t just British pounds, these are spent-at-M&S British pounds.
By Jenna Morton-Aiken
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