The fun has begun - Simon and I struggle to get out of bed in the morning. We're used to eating between 6 and 12 veggie/fruit servings a day (this 5-a-day b.s. just doesn't cut it). We eat delicious whole grains, make our own sauces and herb mixes, have soymilk in our morning coffees, and have several snacks throughout the day. We eat a lot of food! But we also eat quality food. Pancakes for breakfast with bananas, lemon and sugar (we're out of maple syrup), and cinnamon raisin rolls with coffee for lunch (ah yes, nutritionless calories). I feel just awful, am a total space cadet all day, and Simon has to be dragged through the evening, while we sip on cup-a-soups for dinner. We spent nothing on food, eating leftovers, with no energy to plan a meal, and being too stubborn to run out and get a take-out (waaaay over budget). Finally at about 9:30 pm, we decide to grab a ready-made quiche from the shop before it closes at 10. wolf that down with a pint of water...ah yes...a filling, yet not really satisfying dinner. total spend for the day : £6.42.
I grab an apple before bed cause i'm super hungry. it helps, but my eyes have glazed over and Simon decides, RIGHT! Tomorrow we are eating properly. No more of this, my body can't take it, I feel awful, and I have no energy!!! After 4 days! I just don't see how this can work.
People need nutririous food, several times a day. Not just for their bodies, but for their minds and their souls. I need food. More than £5 a day. Maybe £10 a day. Maybe more.
Day 5 (Wednesday) rolls around and we are a mess as we try and get out of bed. an hour and a half goes by, and we realize we've slept in for waaay too long!
Simon's off to the store to get the ingredients to cook up the most delicious breakfast ever (the one we had on Sunday), and today we're going to eat properly. Breakfast sets us back just over £11, and damn is it worth it. We're going on a little camping trip tonight, and if we don't eat some good food, then it'll be way too dangerous to drive. That's just not worth it.
Time to pack! :)
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Days 2 and 3...
Right, Day 2 rolls around, and everything is looking peachy.
Simon wakes up early to a glorious, sunny day, church bells ringing, and surprises me* with a super-delicious fry up breakfast. I'm talking sauteed spinach and mushrooms, grilled tomatoes, baked beans, veggie sausages and toasted pita breads with soya spread. We had most of the ingredients, supplemented by a couple purchases yesterday. Oh and massive coffees (I believe I ordered the large cappuccino, HELLO!) We ate outside in the garden with the birds chirping, sun shining and wonderful warm weather we hope for every time we roll out of bed in the morning. *(It was a surprise that Simon cooked the breakfast for me, as I thought I was cooking it!)
I begin work in the garden, Simon goes to work in his little wood working shop and before you know it, lunch time rolls around. It's important to note here that I messed up the bread baking session yesterday, and even though the loaf looked wonderful and edible...it really wasn't. Pitas originally planned for lunch were used up in the delicious breakfast, so we were left with sandwich fillings and no sandwich. Carrots, hummous, cucumber, tomatoes, mustard, red and yellow peppers and lettuce. Great. Hmmmm...the wheels start turning, and voila! solution: eat dinner for lunch and lunch for dinner - therefore giving us some time to cook up a speedy soda bread. That makes lunch a super easy and quick pasta and pesto with peppers and broccoli. Simon does the cooking, while I rescue some strawberries and mint from the fridges downstairs (did I mention we live in/over a pub?) and create a yummy jug of soda water with mint and strawberries. All deliciously enjoyed outside once again.
So far, so good!
After we do some more work outside, have a coffee break every so often and begin to clear up for the evening, I head to the kitchen to get dinner started - I've got everything I neeeeeeeeeed.......oh.....I used up the remaining parchment paper yesterday on the failed bread, soda bread calls for buttermilk and strong white flour. Simon runs off to the shop, spends £2.76 and gets the things we need to get production up and running again. The soda bread seems easy enough - I read instructions, tell Simon what instructions say, he does what I say, voila! (have I really used "voila!" twice already?), edible bread at the end. The key here is read instructions. Accurately. I read 500 ml of buttermilk, and the recipe says 400 ml of buttermilk, so we end up with a slop of a concoction that ends up looking like a flatbread, never really cooks inside, and there you go. Bread disaster number 2. (May I say here, that I have successfully baked bread before, and Simon actually spent a few months learning the art of bread-baking, so that we had a delicious supply of fresh bread in our pantry). So sandwich fillings for dinner, with the edges of a half-cooked loaf of a flatbread soda loaf hybrid. Needless to say, we didn't really finish our dinners, but we did feel full up.
Day 2 - a success, but with some food-related stress involved.
Day 3 - the dreaded Monday. We've got a budget of £19.54 for today.
Monday begins with cravings for pancakes as we lie in bed thinking of breakfast ideas (it was suppose to involve leftover bread and peanut butter and honey). Simon's off to the shops again and grabs some soy milk, eggs and 5 bananas setting us back £4.06. The bananas are actually not ripe enough to eat with the pancakes, but were apparently the ripest in the shop?! Salvaged strawberries from the pub downstairs make up at least one serving of fruit for breakfast, and we use up the last of the Maple Syrup (*tear). We know that though we may have pancakes many times in the future, Maple Syrup drizzlings will be few and far between at £5 for 500ml.
This weekend we have a little trip planned for my Birthday weekend. I'll be turning the glorious age of it-doesn't-really-matter-because-you're-as-old-or-as-young-as-you-feel-inside. ;) We're headed up to the Isle of Skye and surrounding areas of Scotland to do some exploring and wild camping. We have most of the things we need with a couple things here and there being supplemented with our meagre savings. This is, afterall, a super budget trip. We don't expect to spend anything on accommodation or overnight parking, so that leaves food, drink, fuel and incidentals. We're still trying to stick to the £10 a day budget for all our food for our trip (though a sneaky meal out might make it's way into our itinerary - it's my birthday afterall!) Meal planning and having a look through the pantry helps us come up with a partial list of what we need and as we head out to the store, we suddenly get really hungry - 2 Noodle Pots and £3.98 later, we can concentrate on the trip food, and dinner.
Dinner is ready-made ricotta and spinach stuffed pasta (£3.00) and a pot of sauce (£2.60). Not too bad as it means for day 3 we've used up £16.40 with £6.86 left over to add to tomorrow.
From now until our trip is over we have a budget of £80 or £90 depending on if we get back on Tuesday or Wednesday. We are therefore basing our next week's purchases on this amount, as we have to buy and prepare for our trip.
We grab a cart, and fill it up with £31.09 worth of food. Pasta, rice, nuts and seeds, sauce, nacho chips, etc. We therefore are left with (working with £80) £48.91 for the rest of the trip food. I have a feeling this just isn't going to happen, but we'll try!
Saturday, May 18, 2013
A new challenge...
It's been a couple years since I set out to live on $5 a day in Vancouver, Canada. Needless to say you know (if you followed my ordeal back then), I failed miserably. I always wanted to try again.
I'm now living in Reading, England. I'm not alone either. My boyfriend eats more than I do. We sit and chat in the evenings about our dreams and things we want to accomplish by the time we're such-and-such an age. The funny thing is, it all seems so possible, until we look at the numbers. The cold, hard facts. We spent how much on food last month?! I just don't see how it all adds up. Whether it can be justified or not, our eating habits will have to change if we want to get to where we want to be by the time we want to be there. Serious, drastic changes.
He knows all about my "living on five" challenge, and when I mentioned it to him last night before bed, we both started thinking. We worked out some numbers. We decided that the only way to save money, and to reach our goals is to live, not like "we've worked hard and therefore deserve that bottle of wine, dinner out, night at the movies" couple that we've become, but to spend less, think more about our needs and not our wants and buckle down and "get 'er done". I think the term is "live simply". We really need to keep eating healthfully though, as that's something I just will not give up. So, cheap and healthy living - it must be achievable. There must be tons of "extras" we're consuming that we're just unaware of.
This new challenge is upon us now, as a partnership, to exist from day-to-day on £10 a day (a parallel to my $5 a day in Vancouver). £70 a week. It is two years on, and prices have gone up, but we're going to stick strict to this £10 a day.
That's for everything - food, toiletries, etc.
We are going to try shopping and budgeting weekly, rather than daily, as this lends itself more to leftovers and buying stuff in bulk rather than single serve. But we'll see how it all goes.
The idea came up last night, we chatted a bit, decided to go for it, and that's it. We've begun. We didn't plan this, so what we've got is what we've got. Luckily we bought a new tube of toothpaste the other day, there's a couple bags of flour in the cupboard, and I had already made a chili and froze half of it. We also started a small roof-top veggie garden in containers last week (total spend on plants and soil £43, we got containers from Simon's parents) - though we won't reap real benefits from that until later on in the summer. Those were the positives I held in my mind as I drifted off to sleep last night.
As I woke up to stale bread, peanut butter and jam and a cup of tea for breakfast, the doubts started flooding in. Can we actually do this? What will we eat!? What about when we need shampoo or toothpaste or a new pair of socks? What about our "date nights" that we truly cherish as escapes from the world around us. How will we actually live and be happy through all this!?
As with any survival situation, the initial panic fades away and you start taking stock of everything around you. Things you can take advantage of (like our free coffee maker downstairs - more on this later), food in the cupboards, coupons you've stuffed into your wallet, or stamps collected from the local burrito place (YES! we have two free burritos - there's a date night right there!) There were three bananas on the counter which made a great morning snack which I needed badly, but Simon's wolfed down one already and run away with the other for nourishment on his bike-ride. I think the three apples are still there though, and I'm sure we've got a half-used pack of ready rolled puff pastry in the fridge (dessert is definitely an essential).
Mid-day on the first day and it's time to make some bread as we already have all the ingredients. Loaves of bread run anywhere from £0.75-£3 around here, so a 3-loaf bag of flour (£1.8-£2), enough fast-action yeast for 12 loaves (£0.65), salt for 36-40 loaves (£0.75-£1) and a dash (maybe 1/20 of a bottle) of olive oil (£2-£4) are all we need to make bread whenever the desire arises. That's only about 85p per homemade loaf. It's so much more tasty to make your own as well. Oh and healthy! No artificial preservatives, colours, sugars, flavour enhancers, or anything else they add to bread to make it travel to the stores, and have a long shelf-life. Gross. I tried to buy some tortillas the other day to make sandwich wraps - one look at the ingredients and I opted for whole-wheat pitas instead (I actually could identify each ingredient on the list). A stir-fry I had organized for yesterday carried over to today - that's lunch, and left-overs for dinner mean we should be in good shape when all is said and done today. That's £0 spent on food today. Amazing - just from using what we had in the cupboard and fridge.
For example this is a regular loaf of sliced bread from the shop:
.JPG)
Just some of the ingredients:
E471 - According to Wikipedia "E471 is mainly produced from vegetable oils, although animal fats are sometimes used and cannot be completely excluded as being present in the product. The fatty acids from each source are chemically identical. However,vegetarians and vegans, not wishing to consume any animal products, generally avoid products containing E471 unless they are certain that it is derived from vegetable oils. Also, because there is a chance of pork fat being present, Muslims and Jews will also avoid products containing E471 unless they know that it is made from vegetable oils."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E471
E472e - According to Wikipedia it is "DATEM (diacetyl tartaric acid ester of mono- and diglycerides) is an emulsifier primarily used in baking. It is used to strengthen the dough by building a strong gluten network. It is used in crusty breads, such as rye bread with a springy, chewy texture, as well as biscuits, coffee whiteners, salsa con queso, ice cream, and salad dressings".
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E472e
And of course:
Calcium Propionate - a mould inhibitor. Sounds like something only added to solve the problems of transport, storage and shelf-life. Gross.
So, I think we shall start making our own bread, and it just so happens that Simon bought the "How to Bake" book by Paul Hollywood. It looks awesome, and there seems to be a lot of good information in there for the first-time baker, or even someone who's looking to make more advanced breads like a plaited loaf. I'm sure we're going to try many things from this.
Here's my first attempt at a wholemeal loaf of bread:
.JPG)
Looks great, but a bit under-done, as I had trouble with the rising stage. Simon says it's edible, but I think he's just being kind. :)
A quick chat about tomorrow's food and we're off to the shop to get some supplies for tomorrow. Because of what we've got already, we only need mushrooms and some veggie sausages and we can have a great fry-up breakie in the morning (as tomorrow's Sunday). Lunch will be a combination of left-over pitas from the other day, hummous and veggies. Dinner will be a simple pasta, pesto and sweet peppers. Bam - another day sorted out. We bought an extra tub of hummous as it was 20p cheaper for two, and we'll definitely eat it with some carrots (which we already have) - and that's a snack for tonight or tomorrow sorted too.
Here's the breakdown for days 1 and 2:
Day 1: spent £0 on food consumed for this day as we used all stuff we already had. Awesome. :)
Grocery shop for coming days:
Veggie Sausages: £2.00
Pesto: £1.50 (cheaper to buy than to make)
Mushrooms: £1.00
Hummous x2: £2.00
3 Peppers: £1.75
Gluten free pasta: £1.40 (we could buy the cheap stuff here which is 39p a package, but we've found the gluten free stuff doesn't make you feel all bloated and gross).
Tomatoes (a tub of 7): £0.81
Grand Total...............£10.46
Out of £20 that leaves £9.54 left over from days 1 and 2. We'll need some olive oil soon (I'm using up the last of the Hemp oil we have, and we've been using our Sesame oil for stir-fries), so that'll be at least 1/5 of a day's food. The days we don't spend £10 will be very important for re-stocking the pantry with things like olive oil, flour, salt, sugar, spices and herbs to get us through. I'm also dreading the days when I run out of things like my face cream. The one I'm on at the moment is just over £11 a tub (lasts about a month or so), but the ones I usually get are much more than that. It'll be interesting when I run out (I've got about half left).....
I'm now living in Reading, England. I'm not alone either. My boyfriend eats more than I do. We sit and chat in the evenings about our dreams and things we want to accomplish by the time we're such-and-such an age. The funny thing is, it all seems so possible, until we look at the numbers. The cold, hard facts. We spent how much on food last month?! I just don't see how it all adds up. Whether it can be justified or not, our eating habits will have to change if we want to get to where we want to be by the time we want to be there. Serious, drastic changes.
He knows all about my "living on five" challenge, and when I mentioned it to him last night before bed, we both started thinking. We worked out some numbers. We decided that the only way to save money, and to reach our goals is to live, not like "we've worked hard and therefore deserve that bottle of wine, dinner out, night at the movies" couple that we've become, but to spend less, think more about our needs and not our wants and buckle down and "get 'er done". I think the term is "live simply". We really need to keep eating healthfully though, as that's something I just will not give up. So, cheap and healthy living - it must be achievable. There must be tons of "extras" we're consuming that we're just unaware of.
This new challenge is upon us now, as a partnership, to exist from day-to-day on £10 a day (a parallel to my $5 a day in Vancouver). £70 a week. It is two years on, and prices have gone up, but we're going to stick strict to this £10 a day.
That's for everything - food, toiletries, etc.
We are going to try shopping and budgeting weekly, rather than daily, as this lends itself more to leftovers and buying stuff in bulk rather than single serve. But we'll see how it all goes.
The idea came up last night, we chatted a bit, decided to go for it, and that's it. We've begun. We didn't plan this, so what we've got is what we've got. Luckily we bought a new tube of toothpaste the other day, there's a couple bags of flour in the cupboard, and I had already made a chili and froze half of it. We also started a small roof-top veggie garden in containers last week (total spend on plants and soil £43, we got containers from Simon's parents) - though we won't reap real benefits from that until later on in the summer. Those were the positives I held in my mind as I drifted off to sleep last night.
As I woke up to stale bread, peanut butter and jam and a cup of tea for breakfast, the doubts started flooding in. Can we actually do this? What will we eat!? What about when we need shampoo or toothpaste or a new pair of socks? What about our "date nights" that we truly cherish as escapes from the world around us. How will we actually live and be happy through all this!?
As with any survival situation, the initial panic fades away and you start taking stock of everything around you. Things you can take advantage of (like our free coffee maker downstairs - more on this later), food in the cupboards, coupons you've stuffed into your wallet, or stamps collected from the local burrito place (YES! we have two free burritos - there's a date night right there!) There were three bananas on the counter which made a great morning snack which I needed badly, but Simon's wolfed down one already and run away with the other for nourishment on his bike-ride. I think the three apples are still there though, and I'm sure we've got a half-used pack of ready rolled puff pastry in the fridge (dessert is definitely an essential).
Mid-day on the first day and it's time to make some bread as we already have all the ingredients. Loaves of bread run anywhere from £0.75-£3 around here, so a 3-loaf bag of flour (£1.8-£2), enough fast-action yeast for 12 loaves (£0.65), salt for 36-40 loaves (£0.75-£1) and a dash (maybe 1/20 of a bottle) of olive oil (£2-£4) are all we need to make bread whenever the desire arises. That's only about 85p per homemade loaf. It's so much more tasty to make your own as well. Oh and healthy! No artificial preservatives, colours, sugars, flavour enhancers, or anything else they add to bread to make it travel to the stores, and have a long shelf-life. Gross. I tried to buy some tortillas the other day to make sandwich wraps - one look at the ingredients and I opted for whole-wheat pitas instead (I actually could identify each ingredient on the list). A stir-fry I had organized for yesterday carried over to today - that's lunch, and left-overs for dinner mean we should be in good shape when all is said and done today. That's £0 spent on food today. Amazing - just from using what we had in the cupboard and fridge.
For example this is a regular loaf of sliced bread from the shop:
.JPG)
E471 - According to Wikipedia "E471 is mainly produced from vegetable oils, although animal fats are sometimes used and cannot be completely excluded as being present in the product. The fatty acids from each source are chemically identical. However,vegetarians and vegans, not wishing to consume any animal products, generally avoid products containing E471 unless they are certain that it is derived from vegetable oils. Also, because there is a chance of pork fat being present, Muslims and Jews will also avoid products containing E471 unless they know that it is made from vegetable oils."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E471
E472e - According to Wikipedia it is "DATEM (diacetyl tartaric acid ester of mono- and diglycerides) is an emulsifier primarily used in baking. It is used to strengthen the dough by building a strong gluten network. It is used in crusty breads, such as rye bread with a springy, chewy texture, as well as biscuits, coffee whiteners, salsa con queso, ice cream, and salad dressings".
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E472e
And of course:
Calcium Propionate - a mould inhibitor. Sounds like something only added to solve the problems of transport, storage and shelf-life. Gross.
So, I think we shall start making our own bread, and it just so happens that Simon bought the "How to Bake" book by Paul Hollywood. It looks awesome, and there seems to be a lot of good information in there for the first-time baker, or even someone who's looking to make more advanced breads like a plaited loaf. I'm sure we're going to try many things from this.
Here's my first attempt at a wholemeal loaf of bread:
.JPG)
Looks great, but a bit under-done, as I had trouble with the rising stage. Simon says it's edible, but I think he's just being kind. :)
A quick chat about tomorrow's food and we're off to the shop to get some supplies for tomorrow. Because of what we've got already, we only need mushrooms and some veggie sausages and we can have a great fry-up breakie in the morning (as tomorrow's Sunday). Lunch will be a combination of left-over pitas from the other day, hummous and veggies. Dinner will be a simple pasta, pesto and sweet peppers. Bam - another day sorted out. We bought an extra tub of hummous as it was 20p cheaper for two, and we'll definitely eat it with some carrots (which we already have) - and that's a snack for tonight or tomorrow sorted too.
Here's the breakdown for days 1 and 2:
Day 1: spent £0 on food consumed for this day as we used all stuff we already had. Awesome. :)
Grocery shop for coming days:
Veggie Sausages: £2.00
Pesto: £1.50 (cheaper to buy than to make)
Mushrooms: £1.00
Hummous x2: £2.00
3 Peppers: £1.75
Gluten free pasta: £1.40 (we could buy the cheap stuff here which is 39p a package, but we've found the gluten free stuff doesn't make you feel all bloated and gross).
Tomatoes (a tub of 7): £0.81
Grand Total...............£10.46
Out of £20 that leaves £9.54 left over from days 1 and 2. We'll need some olive oil soon (I'm using up the last of the Hemp oil we have, and we've been using our Sesame oil for stir-fries), so that'll be at least 1/5 of a day's food. The days we don't spend £10 will be very important for re-stocking the pantry with things like olive oil, flour, salt, sugar, spices and herbs to get us through. I'm also dreading the days when I run out of things like my face cream. The one I'm on at the moment is just over £11 a tub (lasts about a month or so), but the ones I usually get are much more than that. It'll be interesting when I run out (I've got about half left).....
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Allergies
So I'm still thinking about this.
This is in the back of my mind now, everytime I spend money.
Like the other day, when I'd had enough of not sleeping and wanted to scratch my eyes out because my seasonal allergies had just become too much to bear. I went right over to the organic food store and spent $100. Natural allergy relief, supplements, good, nutritious foods. And they did help. Are helping. But since then I must've spent another $100 on other food and beverages, more supplements.
Oh, and this is after more than a week of trying other allergy medications like Claritin, Benadryl, etc.
I think that's probably a couple months' budget there, in the least!
This is in the back of my mind now, everytime I spend money.
Like the other day, when I'd had enough of not sleeping and wanted to scratch my eyes out because my seasonal allergies had just become too much to bear. I went right over to the organic food store and spent $100. Natural allergy relief, supplements, good, nutritious foods. And they did help. Are helping. But since then I must've spent another $100 on other food and beverages, more supplements.
Oh, and this is after more than a week of trying other allergy medications like Claritin, Benadryl, etc.
I think that's probably a couple months' budget there, in the least!
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Mission: Complete.
So heard on the radio today, while I was at work...
Minimum wage in BC is going up! Apparently by 2012 it'll be up around $10 something?
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/british-columbia/bc-politics/clark-increases-bc-minimum-wage-after-decade-long-freeze/article1944813/
So, for that I take full credit. You're welcome.
Mission: complete. :)
Minimum wage in BC is going up! Apparently by 2012 it'll be up around $10 something?
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/british-columbia/bc-politics/clark-increases-bc-minimum-wage-after-decade-long-freeze/article1944813/
So, for that I take full credit. You're welcome.
Mission: complete. :)
Monday, March 14, 2011
Day: 14 and 15
So I didn't make it quite to two weeks. Too many adverse effects. Just from 13 days of not eating properly - limited fruits and veggies, good quality whole grains, and variety in foods. The effects of such a limited diet are also very taxing on my overall thought process during the day - it's all I could think about, and not so much that I could do about. Tons of planning and number crunching didn't help a great deal. I could see myself becoming more moody, more subject to the ups and downs of a regular day, and lacking any desire to continue with my passions - writing and photography. And people wonder why those with little money have trouble digging themselves out of a hole.
I cannot believe how much the lack of nutrients in such a short period affected everything about me (think: Space Cadet). I even began having trouble with walking to and from work and school - the lack of energy and concentration led to me taking public transportation more and more ($2.50 a shot) - and even with basic things like crossing the road. I was in a daze and my judgement and reaction were so compromised. (I won't tell you how I almost got hit by a car). I look like total crap - like I'm not eating well, sleeping enough or enjoying anything.
My food choices have also become seriously skewed. Usually I would not consider going to fast food burger joints for meals, and coffee shops for anything other than a snack and a coffee. Forget vegan and organic. I didn't care about the quality of food I was eating. It was all about how much I could get in for the least amount of money. Yesterday I became a total rebel, against my own authority (I've always had a thing against arbitrary authority figures in my life). Here I was, Starbucks sandwich and a slice of lemon loaf ($6.51) for breakfast one day, crepe from Granville Island for lunch ($7.78), and then I went grocery shopping ($45.82) and bought all sorts of glorious things! Ingredients for my 7 layer dip (actually based on this awesomeness of a dip!!!) - rice crackers, avocados, tomatoes, serrano peppers, lemons, refried beans, sour cream, monterey jack cheese with jalapeno peppers, red peppers - (though I've used real sour cream and cheese in my version). I also got some fruit and nut mix along with my 10 grain hot cereal. Honey. Cadbury mini-eggs (told you I'd get chocolate), carrots, two big bags of Neal Bros' organic cheese puffs (these are my favourite!), and edamame hummous. The bean dip with rice crackers has lasted me two full meals and another snack for tomorrow at work. My breakfast is taken care of for at least the week. I forgot Soy Milk...so that's on tomorrow's rampage about town.
Then my friend showed up last night with a bottle of wine, which we devoured, and I busted out the Cadbury mini-eggs. Chocolate and wine always go together. My body must be totally out of whack, 'cause that half bottle of wine really went to my head, or maybe it was the sugar rush from the chocolate... this morning I stayed in bed until the last possible second. This meant - another breakfast and lunch out. (Anyone see the vicious cycle happening here?) So breakfast at ..... McDonald's on the mad dash to work. Hahahahahaha. Like a full on, 2 hashbrowns, sausage McMuffin, and massive coffee, meal deal that cost me just over $5. Then for lunch I went to....Starbucks again...a Grande coffee, a bagel with cream cheese and a double chocolate chip cookie - I think that's about $10 for the day. I would never eat like that on a regular day. It's just too unhealthy. Dinner was left-over 7-layer dip with the rice crackers and some tea. Also mini-eggs to snack on.
For the last two days (Day 14 and 15), I've said screw it. My body just can't handle the boring, bland, repetitive nature of such a limited budget on food. It's really not worth messing up my whole system to prove this. About a year ago I decided to actually take time to listen to what my body was telling me. Since then, I feel so much better, have tons of energy, don't have emotions swinging out of control anywhere near as often, and just love every day so much more. After just two weeks of ignoring what my system was telling me and going by the numbers alone - I just can't believe what a negative impact it has had on me. I am going to take a few more days of body resetting, and see where I am at.
Maybe there wasn't enough of a transition period. Maybe I jumped in headfirst and decided to see where it would lead. That's how I tend to do most things. I just jump in and give it a shot.
Let's see what I've spent recently:
Day 14: Breakfast - $6.51, Lunch - $7.78, grocery shopping - $45.82.
Day 15: Breakfast - $5.69 , Lunch - around $5 (forgot to get my receipts).
Coming to the end of Week 2: For the week I had a budget of $31.71. I spent - $87.52
Week 3: For the rest of the month, I have $30.19. That seems a little rediculous, considering there are 2 1/2 weeks left in the month.
So a few days of eating out and my whole month is thrown into absolute chaos. Not that it was ever under control. It's been balancing precariously ever since day 1 - even with the stocking up I did, and the fact that I have all the staples of a standard kitchen. If I really was stuck on $5 a day, I don't think I'd last long before I became super stressed out, and fell into a rotten cycle of bad health and no money. Having regular access to a variety of nutritious foods at reasonable prices seems like a basic thing to ask for, yet, so many people are stuck without even this.
I'm thinking that at least double what I've budgeted is much more reasonable for someone like me (and that's with careful budgeting and planning). I'm active, energetic, happy and busy. It takes a lot of food to keep that up. And not just filling junk - good quality, nutritious food. It's also about my state of mind. Having something taxing on you in your every waking moment is a serious blow to your ability to carry on in your day-to-day activities. Just 2 days after beginning the boycott of my own challenge and I feel happy, light, hopeful, energetic, and so much more at ease with whatever my day throws at me.
The fact that so many people in this city are making so little money, and having to deal with way more taxing financial situations than myself, just seems completely rediculous. I'm not sure who deals with minimum wages, who decides what they should be at, and who decides when they should be increased. Honestly I don't give a damn. It's disgusting that in a country that's suppose to be so awesome, that we treat our own residents so poorly and expect so much from them. When will someone wake up and realize that this can't continue? When will the people that are living in these circumstances make a stink and demand more? Maybe they're just to malnourished to fight back...
I cannot believe how much the lack of nutrients in such a short period affected everything about me (think: Space Cadet). I even began having trouble with walking to and from work and school - the lack of energy and concentration led to me taking public transportation more and more ($2.50 a shot) - and even with basic things like crossing the road. I was in a daze and my judgement and reaction were so compromised. (I won't tell you how I almost got hit by a car). I look like total crap - like I'm not eating well, sleeping enough or enjoying anything.
My food choices have also become seriously skewed. Usually I would not consider going to fast food burger joints for meals, and coffee shops for anything other than a snack and a coffee. Forget vegan and organic. I didn't care about the quality of food I was eating. It was all about how much I could get in for the least amount of money. Yesterday I became a total rebel, against my own authority (I've always had a thing against arbitrary authority figures in my life). Here I was, Starbucks sandwich and a slice of lemon loaf ($6.51) for breakfast one day, crepe from Granville Island for lunch ($7.78), and then I went grocery shopping ($45.82) and bought all sorts of glorious things! Ingredients for my 7 layer dip (actually based on this awesomeness of a dip!!!) - rice crackers, avocados, tomatoes, serrano peppers, lemons, refried beans, sour cream, monterey jack cheese with jalapeno peppers, red peppers - (though I've used real sour cream and cheese in my version). I also got some fruit and nut mix along with my 10 grain hot cereal. Honey. Cadbury mini-eggs (told you I'd get chocolate), carrots, two big bags of Neal Bros' organic cheese puffs (these are my favourite!), and edamame hummous. The bean dip with rice crackers has lasted me two full meals and another snack for tomorrow at work. My breakfast is taken care of for at least the week. I forgot Soy Milk...so that's on tomorrow's rampage about town.
Then my friend showed up last night with a bottle of wine, which we devoured, and I busted out the Cadbury mini-eggs. Chocolate and wine always go together. My body must be totally out of whack, 'cause that half bottle of wine really went to my head, or maybe it was the sugar rush from the chocolate... this morning I stayed in bed until the last possible second. This meant - another breakfast and lunch out. (Anyone see the vicious cycle happening here?) So breakfast at ..... McDonald's on the mad dash to work. Hahahahahaha. Like a full on, 2 hashbrowns, sausage McMuffin, and massive coffee, meal deal that cost me just over $5. Then for lunch I went to....Starbucks again...a Grande coffee, a bagel with cream cheese and a double chocolate chip cookie - I think that's about $10 for the day. I would never eat like that on a regular day. It's just too unhealthy. Dinner was left-over 7-layer dip with the rice crackers and some tea. Also mini-eggs to snack on.
For the last two days (Day 14 and 15), I've said screw it. My body just can't handle the boring, bland, repetitive nature of such a limited budget on food. It's really not worth messing up my whole system to prove this. About a year ago I decided to actually take time to listen to what my body was telling me. Since then, I feel so much better, have tons of energy, don't have emotions swinging out of control anywhere near as often, and just love every day so much more. After just two weeks of ignoring what my system was telling me and going by the numbers alone - I just can't believe what a negative impact it has had on me. I am going to take a few more days of body resetting, and see where I am at.
Maybe there wasn't enough of a transition period. Maybe I jumped in headfirst and decided to see where it would lead. That's how I tend to do most things. I just jump in and give it a shot.
Let's see what I've spent recently:
Day 14: Breakfast - $6.51, Lunch - $7.78, grocery shopping - $45.82.
Day 15: Breakfast - $5.69 , Lunch - around $5 (forgot to get my receipts).
Coming to the end of Week 2: For the week I had a budget of $31.71. I spent - $87.52
Week 3: For the rest of the month, I have $30.19. That seems a little rediculous, considering there are 2 1/2 weeks left in the month.
So a few days of eating out and my whole month is thrown into absolute chaos. Not that it was ever under control. It's been balancing precariously ever since day 1 - even with the stocking up I did, and the fact that I have all the staples of a standard kitchen. If I really was stuck on $5 a day, I don't think I'd last long before I became super stressed out, and fell into a rotten cycle of bad health and no money. Having regular access to a variety of nutritious foods at reasonable prices seems like a basic thing to ask for, yet, so many people are stuck without even this.
I'm thinking that at least double what I've budgeted is much more reasonable for someone like me (and that's with careful budgeting and planning). I'm active, energetic, happy and busy. It takes a lot of food to keep that up. And not just filling junk - good quality, nutritious food. It's also about my state of mind. Having something taxing on you in your every waking moment is a serious blow to your ability to carry on in your day-to-day activities. Just 2 days after beginning the boycott of my own challenge and I feel happy, light, hopeful, energetic, and so much more at ease with whatever my day throws at me.
The fact that so many people in this city are making so little money, and having to deal with way more taxing financial situations than myself, just seems completely rediculous. I'm not sure who deals with minimum wages, who decides what they should be at, and who decides when they should be increased. Honestly I don't give a damn. It's disgusting that in a country that's suppose to be so awesome, that we treat our own residents so poorly and expect so much from them. When will someone wake up and realize that this can't continue? When will the people that are living in these circumstances make a stink and demand more? Maybe they're just to malnourished to fight back...
Friday, March 11, 2011
Day: 11, 12 and 13...I think...
So I'm really losing track of the days here. It's either a day that I spend money, or a day that I don't.
This past week has been tough. I got a whole load of things I totally wasn't expecting, and a whole load of things, I totally was.
I had a lot of bland food...just when I thought I couldn't eat any more quinoa...I didn't have much choice. So I made an executive decision. I bought a burrito. Not just any burrito. I gotta tell ya, I've tried a few burrito/taco places and have never been impressed - in all sorts of places, like California, Ontario, the South Eastern U.S., and B.C. Then my friend told me to try out Chronic Tacos on Broadway in Vancouver. What an awesome joint. I love the vibe when I go in there, and my burrito always fills me up so I don't have to eat again for the rest of the day. And it tastes so good. Especially with the half bottle of hot sauce that I put on it. MMMM. So yes. I overspent. I spent just over $9 on a burrito (including tip). I even scored a free bottle of hot sauce (this rocks because I'm just about out!)... So did I really overspend? I guess it's all relative isn't it? According to my "rules" for this challenge...yes, I overspent. Just like I did on the $10 almonds. And just like I did on the Emergen-c. But in the long run - the next month - I'm actually spending less than I would if I were to buy these things in smaller amounts a couple times a week. It still doesn't mean I can afford them. But, do I have much choice?
My friend helped me move all my stuff from "storage" (yes quotation marks - it's a long story - but my stuff was held hostage until recently) to my new-ish place (4 hours, 3 trips, free help, free use of the landlord's truck - I repaid her with a single packet of Emergen-c ). Usually these things all cost money. My friend even bought me a taco (yes, I totally went to Chronic Tacos twice in one day) ...without me knowing until it was on my plate and paid for. Friends rule! Even though I'm only here for another 2 months, I had to move all my stuff. It's great to have all my things in one place again. Not for the sake of having stuff, but just because they are so darn handy. Things like my coffee maker, coffee filters, and coffee grinder that allow me to actually use the free coffee I got. And my tea pot. Candles - to make my room smell better after all the beans I've been eating (damn beans)... Laundry Detergent .... Shampoo ..... Conditioner ..... Soap ...... things I was running short of in my house, and now, because I saved them before I left a whole year ago, I've been replenished. And in case you are wondering - there was even toilet paper. Sadly (or maybe luckily), no chocolate was found.
Now, having said that...even though I only had $4 to spend for the rest of the week, I spent less than $10 in 3 days. I got a free 907 g bag of coffee. I got a free bottle of hot sauce. I got a free taco. Free use of a vehicle, and free help to move all my things.
So I can't find my receipt for my burrito...I'm saying it was about $9.50. That means that I've overspent by $5.70. Next week's budget = $29.30. Oh but wait...I still need to get through tomorrow and the fridge and pantry are all but empty. Hmmm.... this seems to be getting worse, rather than better.
Just did a quick look in all the places I keep food (no, I'm not a hoarder!) and tried to find something for dinner. I've got some sushi rice, quinoa, rice noodles, spaghetti noodles (one portion), veggie stock, soy sauce, hot sauce, cereal (one portion), soy milk (enough for a couple teas and a bowl of cereal), almonds, mandarin oranges, nori, tons of coffee, tea, sugar, agave syrup, earth balance butter, wasabi paste, ginger, rice vinegar, salt, olive oil. That sounds like a lot of food. I guarantee you, the only meal I can make out of ANY of that, is to use the rest of the cereal and soy milk and have a bowl of cereal for dinner. Sometimes, that's great. But to have no other choice? Hell, this sucks. So, even though I thought I was doing well this week, turns out, I've gotta go spend a whack of money to get me through the next 8 days. And I don't have a whack of money. I have $29.30. I have soy milk left for my coffee in the morning, but nothing for breakfast. All the hot cereal is gone.
Just to budget out loud here:
Soy milk - $4
Hot cereal - $4
Veggies - no idea
Snacks - $8 (for example, two boxes of granola bars)
Chocolate - You're damn right I'm having chocolate this week - $3
Without fresh fruit and veggies or anything else, that's already 2/3 of the budget. For the week.
Ha! This is not going to happen. I repeat: NOT GOING TO HAPPEN.
I have to alter my budget to allow for more fresh fruit and veggies, more snacks in-between meals, and better quality food. If I don't, it could seriously be a danger to my health and well-being. That is not a risk I'm going to take without having a gun held to my head.
Epic fail, anyone? This is upsetting, but also quite vividly illustrates how freaking hard it is to live on $5 a day! I'm falling apart!
So, in light of recent events - today's lack of energy/concentration/general drive to do anything - I'm going shopping tomorrow. I might have to go over my budget, but I seriously need some nutritious food. I have no energy (which is severely affecting my ability to walk everywhere - it's my mode of transportation), my concentration is severely affected (writing this is taking way too much effort), and I'm finding myself physically clumsy (more than usual for all your smart asses out there), and I just feel...unhealthy. I am drained. Also, I'm lacking one serious joy in my life - cooking and eating (yes, that is one joy - if I cook it, I'm gonna eat it). I love it. I love putting together healthy, colourful meals that taste amazing and enjoying them either with friends, or even just on my own. My mood is affected because I just am not stoked to eat anything that I have. It's just sustenance at the moment. It just fills me up...sometimes. How did I think that I would be able to deny myself the pleasure of wonderful food, when my whole life has been filled to the brim with awesome, delicious, nutritious, filling food from all over the world (my mom and all my aunts and some of my uncles and my sister and cousins and friends are great cooks, bakers, chefs, or Thai food ordering masters)!?
After only two weeks - I'm finding this impossible. Even with all the free stuff. Even with stocking up before hand. Even with planning my meals, and barely eating out.
I have tomorrow to fend for myself - cranking my spending over the budget for the two weeks. I am at the point of not caring because I'm hungry, lacking nutrients, and it's affecting every aspect of my life. Wow, am I excited to eat tomorrow, but right now...all I can think about is pizza. Dare I order one? Now this is getting nuts...it's 10:15 and I'm thinking of ordering pizza because my day was not filled with awesome eating (two bowls of cereal, one bowl of left over pasta with a sauce using the rest of my veggies - onion and carrots, punctuated with about 20 almonds, 3 cups of coffee, 2 cups of green tea, 6 mandarin oranges, and a bag of chips). My body is seriously pissed.
By the way - I spent $1.25 in a vending machine tonight before my class. On a bag of chips. They were less than tasty. In real life, I would never do that. My backpack would be filled with healthy, organic granola bars, fruit, chocolate, juice, etc. This budget is affecting my ability to make healthy food choices.
So, I've just gone to the fridge. My side is empty. I've taken two eggs (there's about 20), and the water is boiling for me to poach them. I've also located a cheese bagel (in the bread garage along with 2 full loaves of bread) that I'm gonna put the eggs on. And then I will have a glorious feast. I'm hungry, and honestly don't give a damn about the rules. Tomorrow I will pick up some bagels and eggs to repay whoever I've taken them from, and also give myself some food. I'll probably also get veggies, hummous, soy milk, cheese, apples, bananas, hot cereal, nuts and dried fruit, yummy granola bars and snacks and CHOCOLATE! I'm still going to try to stay within my budget - the best I can. ($30)
I've just realized I've got nothing for breakfast. Will have to eat on the way to school. Oh...I also have nothing to pack for a lunch. Have to grab something in-between classes. Being so short on cash, leaves me ill prepared for the future (even if that future is as close as tomorrow), and my ability to even plan for it. There are so many people living on worse than what I'm putting myself through to prove a point. A lot of people are scared to do anything about it for fear of losing their job to someone who shuts up and just does what they're told. So where's the incentive for governments/employers to raise wages if there is always willing people to work harder and harder, for less and less in return!? Others are lacking education (or access to it - my three courses are $1500) and/or skills, or even just the contacts in whatever industry they are trying to get into (as a foot in). They have no choice but to continue working their current jobs because bills, children, healthy and hungry bellies will not wait for anyone. (I'm working 5 days a week at the moment, and taking classes on the other two days. I do not get a day off. If I continue to eat this way, I will most certainly be calling on all sorts of health issues and my immune system will be weaker. Sick days = even less money. And so begins the cycle. For me, this schedule is only temporary - for less than 2 more months. I couldn't do it much longer (even on $30 a day), if I can do it at all, but I know lots of people that try).
All I know is that these are the best, stolen, poached eggs on a cheese bagel I have ever had.
This past week has been tough. I got a whole load of things I totally wasn't expecting, and a whole load of things, I totally was.
I had a lot of bland food...just when I thought I couldn't eat any more quinoa...I didn't have much choice. So I made an executive decision. I bought a burrito. Not just any burrito. I gotta tell ya, I've tried a few burrito/taco places and have never been impressed - in all sorts of places, like California, Ontario, the South Eastern U.S., and B.C. Then my friend told me to try out Chronic Tacos on Broadway in Vancouver. What an awesome joint. I love the vibe when I go in there, and my burrito always fills me up so I don't have to eat again for the rest of the day. And it tastes so good. Especially with the half bottle of hot sauce that I put on it. MMMM. So yes. I overspent. I spent just over $9 on a burrito (including tip). I even scored a free bottle of hot sauce (this rocks because I'm just about out!)... So did I really overspend? I guess it's all relative isn't it? According to my "rules" for this challenge...yes, I overspent. Just like I did on the $10 almonds. And just like I did on the Emergen-c. But in the long run - the next month - I'm actually spending less than I would if I were to buy these things in smaller amounts a couple times a week. It still doesn't mean I can afford them. But, do I have much choice?
My friend helped me move all my stuff from "storage" (yes quotation marks - it's a long story - but my stuff was held hostage until recently) to my new-ish place (4 hours, 3 trips, free help, free use of the landlord's truck - I repaid her with a single packet of Emergen-c ). Usually these things all cost money. My friend even bought me a taco (yes, I totally went to Chronic Tacos twice in one day) ...without me knowing until it was on my plate and paid for. Friends rule! Even though I'm only here for another 2 months, I had to move all my stuff. It's great to have all my things in one place again. Not for the sake of having stuff, but just because they are so darn handy. Things like my coffee maker, coffee filters, and coffee grinder that allow me to actually use the free coffee I got. And my tea pot. Candles - to make my room smell better after all the beans I've been eating (damn beans)... Laundry Detergent .... Shampoo ..... Conditioner ..... Soap ...... things I was running short of in my house, and now, because I saved them before I left a whole year ago, I've been replenished. And in case you are wondering - there was even toilet paper. Sadly (or maybe luckily), no chocolate was found.
Now, having said that...even though I only had $4 to spend for the rest of the week, I spent less than $10 in 3 days. I got a free 907 g bag of coffee. I got a free bottle of hot sauce. I got a free taco. Free use of a vehicle, and free help to move all my things.
So I can't find my receipt for my burrito...I'm saying it was about $9.50. That means that I've overspent by $5.70. Next week's budget = $29.30. Oh but wait...I still need to get through tomorrow and the fridge and pantry are all but empty. Hmmm.... this seems to be getting worse, rather than better.
Just did a quick look in all the places I keep food (no, I'm not a hoarder!) and tried to find something for dinner. I've got some sushi rice, quinoa, rice noodles, spaghetti noodles (one portion), veggie stock, soy sauce, hot sauce, cereal (one portion), soy milk (enough for a couple teas and a bowl of cereal), almonds, mandarin oranges, nori, tons of coffee, tea, sugar, agave syrup, earth balance butter, wasabi paste, ginger, rice vinegar, salt, olive oil. That sounds like a lot of food. I guarantee you, the only meal I can make out of ANY of that, is to use the rest of the cereal and soy milk and have a bowl of cereal for dinner. Sometimes, that's great. But to have no other choice? Hell, this sucks. So, even though I thought I was doing well this week, turns out, I've gotta go spend a whack of money to get me through the next 8 days. And I don't have a whack of money. I have $29.30. I have soy milk left for my coffee in the morning, but nothing for breakfast. All the hot cereal is gone.
Just to budget out loud here:
Soy milk - $4
Hot cereal - $4
Veggies - no idea
Snacks - $8 (for example, two boxes of granola bars)
Chocolate - You're damn right I'm having chocolate this week - $3
Without fresh fruit and veggies or anything else, that's already 2/3 of the budget. For the week.
Ha! This is not going to happen. I repeat: NOT GOING TO HAPPEN.
I have to alter my budget to allow for more fresh fruit and veggies, more snacks in-between meals, and better quality food. If I don't, it could seriously be a danger to my health and well-being. That is not a risk I'm going to take without having a gun held to my head.
Epic fail, anyone? This is upsetting, but also quite vividly illustrates how freaking hard it is to live on $5 a day! I'm falling apart!
So, in light of recent events - today's lack of energy/concentration/general drive to do anything - I'm going shopping tomorrow. I might have to go over my budget, but I seriously need some nutritious food. I have no energy (which is severely affecting my ability to walk everywhere - it's my mode of transportation), my concentration is severely affected (writing this is taking way too much effort), and I'm finding myself physically clumsy (more than usual for all your smart asses out there), and I just feel...unhealthy. I am drained. Also, I'm lacking one serious joy in my life - cooking and eating (yes, that is one joy - if I cook it, I'm gonna eat it). I love it. I love putting together healthy, colourful meals that taste amazing and enjoying them either with friends, or even just on my own. My mood is affected because I just am not stoked to eat anything that I have. It's just sustenance at the moment. It just fills me up...sometimes. How did I think that I would be able to deny myself the pleasure of wonderful food, when my whole life has been filled to the brim with awesome, delicious, nutritious, filling food from all over the world (my mom and all my aunts and some of my uncles and my sister and cousins and friends are great cooks, bakers, chefs, or Thai food ordering masters)!?
After only two weeks - I'm finding this impossible. Even with all the free stuff. Even with stocking up before hand. Even with planning my meals, and barely eating out.
I have tomorrow to fend for myself - cranking my spending over the budget for the two weeks. I am at the point of not caring because I'm hungry, lacking nutrients, and it's affecting every aspect of my life. Wow, am I excited to eat tomorrow, but right now...all I can think about is pizza. Dare I order one? Now this is getting nuts...it's 10:15 and I'm thinking of ordering pizza because my day was not filled with awesome eating (two bowls of cereal, one bowl of left over pasta with a sauce using the rest of my veggies - onion and carrots, punctuated with about 20 almonds, 3 cups of coffee, 2 cups of green tea, 6 mandarin oranges, and a bag of chips). My body is seriously pissed.
By the way - I spent $1.25 in a vending machine tonight before my class. On a bag of chips. They were less than tasty. In real life, I would never do that. My backpack would be filled with healthy, organic granola bars, fruit, chocolate, juice, etc. This budget is affecting my ability to make healthy food choices.
So, I've just gone to the fridge. My side is empty. I've taken two eggs (there's about 20), and the water is boiling for me to poach them. I've also located a cheese bagel (in the bread garage along with 2 full loaves of bread) that I'm gonna put the eggs on. And then I will have a glorious feast. I'm hungry, and honestly don't give a damn about the rules. Tomorrow I will pick up some bagels and eggs to repay whoever I've taken them from, and also give myself some food. I'll probably also get veggies, hummous, soy milk, cheese, apples, bananas, hot cereal, nuts and dried fruit, yummy granola bars and snacks and CHOCOLATE! I'm still going to try to stay within my budget - the best I can. ($30)
I've just realized I've got nothing for breakfast. Will have to eat on the way to school. Oh...I also have nothing to pack for a lunch. Have to grab something in-between classes. Being so short on cash, leaves me ill prepared for the future (even if that future is as close as tomorrow), and my ability to even plan for it. There are so many people living on worse than what I'm putting myself through to prove a point. A lot of people are scared to do anything about it for fear of losing their job to someone who shuts up and just does what they're told. So where's the incentive for governments/employers to raise wages if there is always willing people to work harder and harder, for less and less in return!? Others are lacking education (or access to it - my three courses are $1500) and/or skills, or even just the contacts in whatever industry they are trying to get into (as a foot in). They have no choice but to continue working their current jobs because bills, children, healthy and hungry bellies will not wait for anyone. (I'm working 5 days a week at the moment, and taking classes on the other two days. I do not get a day off. If I continue to eat this way, I will most certainly be calling on all sorts of health issues and my immune system will be weaker. Sick days = even less money. And so begins the cycle. For me, this schedule is only temporary - for less than 2 more months. I couldn't do it much longer (even on $30 a day), if I can do it at all, but I know lots of people that try).
All I know is that these are the best, stolen, poached eggs on a cheese bagel I have ever had.
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