I first watched Gilmore Girls when I was 16 – The OC and Gossip Girl had already hit our screens here in the UK (Gilmore Girls came to us a bit later than it originally aired, at least for those of us with Freeview only) and while I liked being taken into a world that felt completely out of my realm, along came Rory Gilmore. A studious bookworm and someone I could finally relate to. I fell in love immediately and Gilmore Girls still remains one of my favourite TV shows.

While Gilmore Girls gave me relatability in the form of Rory Gilmore (minus the bratty years, I’d like to think!) and a sense of comfort in Lorelai and Rory’s relationship, and the small town vibe of Stars Hollow, it certainly gave me some unrealistic expectations about money too. Let’s unpick a few…

1. Lorelai and Rory’s takeaway and dining out habit

One of the most talked about unrealistic expectations is how Lorelai and Rory can afford their takeaway habit. They eat out daily and I’m sure we can all recall plenty of episodes where takeaways from Al’s Pancake World are mentioned, as well as the endless pizzas and their daily coffee fix at Luke’s. And that’s not even scratching the surface. Even if Luke gave them a discount for being regulars, how can they afford it all? 

2. Being able to loan money easily from friends and family

There are a few instances where financial loans are embedded into or play a main part in the storylines over the seasons. In the pilot episode, Lorelai asks her parents whether they can pay for Rory’s Chilton fees. In the second season, Lorelai struggles to get a loan when the house needs repair, with Emily eventually co-signing a loan. And when Lorelai and Sookie are short on cash to pay for the renovations at The Dragonfly Inn, Luke lends her $30,000. 

While we know that Richard and Emily are wealthy and come from money – and likely use it as a power move or a way to stay involved in Lorelai and Rory’s lives – the ease at which Lorelai is able to borrow money from her friends and family feels incredibly unrealistic. This is especially true with Luke’s loan. Most of us have probably lent our friends £10 here and there, but $30,000 seems unrealistic, right? Plus, who has $30,000 going spare to dish out to friends during their moment of need?

3. How did Lane afford her CD collection?

Lane’s contraband of CDs hidden under the floorboards is fascinating, and I admire how she managed to keep this a secret from Mrs Kim for all those years. But was the money she was making working at the antique shop really enough to afford it all? Given her personality, I get the impression that Mrs Kim would at least want some idea of where Lane’s money is going and I can imagine her drilling in the importance of saving too. So for Lane to have spent all her money on her CDs and other contraband doesn’t seem realistic either.

4. We rarely see Rory working

There are hints littered throughout the seasons of Rory working – she has occasional shifts at The Independence Inn (mentioned in the pilot episode) and we see her swiping cards in the school cafeteria at Yale in the later seasons. But for someone who is supposedly so driven and determined, Rory doesn’t have a regular summer job during her high school or Yale years. Even if it were not from a financial aspect, surely she’d want to be bulking out her CV?!

And I get it. It’s a TV show – storylines where we see Rory sat at her desk for a 9-5 every day would get pretty dull, and some things in TV don’t need to be explained. But as I watch the show now, I can’t help but feel so much of it is unrealistic when it comes to the money side of things.