Showerthought: I was paying $4 for a plain bagel when the bodega on 5th does a bacon egg and cheese for $3.50
Stood in line at the fancy coffee spot near my office for 6 months dropping $9 on a bagel and cold brew. Then my coworker dragged me into Manny's Deli on 5th Ave and I watched him get a full bacon, egg and cheese on a roll for $3.50, cash only. I felt like such a sucker for not even looking around. What other cheap spots am I walking right past?
Went through the same thing with lunch near my old job, paying $14 for a sad salad until someone pointed me to the pizza place two blocks over doing slices for $2.50. It is wild how we just default to whatever is closest and never bother to look down the side streets. Now I always take one walk around a new neighborhood before I pick a spot.