In the pilot episode of Friends , Rachel Green knows she can't live off her parents forever, so she decides to marry Dr. Barry Farber, DDS. But when Jennifer Aniston's character gets cold feet on her wedding day, she must find a financial backup plan faster than Bloomingdale's plans.
After spending her life with a little help from her surgeon father, Rachel cut off her credit cards—he paid the bills, of course—and decided to start a life of financial independence from scratch. Still, life isn't cheap for twentysomething New Yorkers.
"Welcome to the real world," high school friend Monica (Courteney Cox) tells Rachel in the classic NBC sitcom. “This is bad – you’re going to love it!”
For more than ten seasons, she struggled to achieve her goals. Just how green is Rachel—and how does she afford her stylish New York lifestyle? Read on to find out how she pulled it off.
She has roommates - and the rent is cheap
First, Rachel moves in with Monica. Although Manhattan's rent prices are some of the most expensive in the country, Monica found a loophole: she inherited a rent-controlled apartment from her grandmother. The monthly cost is an unheard of $200, presumably split between the women. (For comparison, the average monthly rent for a two-bedroom apartment in New York City's West Village where they live today is more than $6,400.)
In fact, Rachel always had a roommate on Friends . After living with Monica for five seasons, Rachel lived with Phoebe, Joey, and Ross at various times. Even though her rent may be higher, sharing the cost is still a cost-cutting measure that allows her to save money. Plus, paying just $100 a month in rent for five years might keep Rachel's bank account flush.
She climbs the corporate ladder
Rachel didn't waste any time looking for a job, either—unless you count the little detour she took when she impulsively bought boots when her first interview didn't go so well. (They were on sale, though.) She quickly realized she had to be realistic about her qualifications, so she accepted a waitressing job at Central Perk.
When the show premiered in 1994, the national minimum wage was $4.25, and those who earned tips (such as café servers) had a base wage of $2.15 an hour. Financial Diet estimates that Rachel's Central Perk salary may be about $200 per week, or $10,400 per year. She also learned an important lesson about income taxes after receiving her first paycheck. "Who is Fika? Why can he take all my money?" she asked.
Central Perk is just a stepping stone. Eventually, Rachel found a job that better aligned with her interests in the fashion industry. After a brief period as a personal assistant, she worked as a personal shopper and assistant buyer at Bloomingdale's.
By season five, she made another big career move when she landed an executive position at Ralph Lauren, reportedly earning an estimated annual salary of $55,000, more than five times what she made at Central Perk . By the show's finale in 2004, Rachel was in the middle of a bidding war between Ralph Lauren and Louis Vuitton's Paris offices, which means that number may have increased significantly as well.
She lives (to some extent) within her means
Rachel's enviable designer clothes and signature hair may be beyond her budget, but her job in the fashion industry helps her afford stylish looks. A sibling squabble in Season 10 revealed that Rachel got 45% off at Ralph Lauren when Christina Applegate guest-starred as her sister Amy.
When it came to buying homewares, she didn't go to high-end stores, but still spent a lot of money at Pottery Barn, like the apothecary table she lied about buying at a flea market. Rachel also may have made some extra money by returning gifts - a practice Ross criticized her during their split.
The lattes at the Central Park Cafe may have increased over time, but during Rose's birthday dinner in Season 2, she displayed more frugal dining habits. Noticing the restaurant's "ch-ching" prices, and the fact that she was ready to chip in for Hootie and the Blowfish concert tickets, Rachel just ordered a salad and water. "Do you get the feeling that Chandler and those guys just don't understand that we don't make as much money as they do?" she asked Joey and Phoebe.
Through hard work and smart spending, Rachel has come a long way from the spoiled runaway bride fans met in season one.
