English teachers in Saudi Arabia make more money than they could most other places in the world. For that matter, they kind of make more than most people in the world doing anything.
On the other hand, living here is cheaper than anywhere else I’ve lived. I can get a meal at a restaurant for $2 or two sandwiches in my school’s cafeteria for $1.
It’s this combination of high salaries and low living expenses that creates an almost ideal environment for saving money, which is why the guys who are here, even though they could be spending less to get more than anywhere else end up even more thrifty than they would be otherwise, choosing, for instance, the dish for $1.50 instead of $2.00 purely because of the $.50 expense.
And then within group, there’s me, an always thrifty guy who’d try to save the $.50 anywhere. This place is ruining my life! By the time I get back, I’m going to worry about spending too much on tap water when I brush my teeth.
