I like to be early for things. I hate being late. I don't like being rushed, and I like to take my time and enjoy myself, if at all possible. So I've started this challenge 2 days early. It also means my weeks are nice and neat - beginning on a Sunday and ending on a Saturday.
So. $35.
Today, a co-worker mentioned 99 cent coffee at the 7-11. So I ate my leftovers from the previous night's dinner, wandered over on my break, and low and behold - nope...with tax, a small coffee was $1.85. Great. Found a Cadbury mini egg in my pocket...that made my lunch break. It's the little things in life...and on $5 a day...little things are all I'm gonna get!
On the way home grabbed a few things - 160 grams of bulk Cranberry Trail Mix ($2.44) to go in my 7 grain hot cereal ($3.99 for 708 grams - the 10 grain is $1 more), one small Roma tomato ($0.23) and a bunch of spring onions ($0.98) - with tax and my 3 cent bag refund (for bringing my own bag) = $7.90.
Ha! So 2 days in and I'm living mostly on stuff I bought before I started this whole thing. That could mean serious trouble. Or getting my hot guy friends to take me out for lunch dates in exchange for private photoshoots...shot by yours truly. Ya. I'm in serious trouble.
The loaf of bread is almost gone, the 6 eggs lasted 2 days, and my coffee is running dangerously low.*
Grand total for 2 days so far = $9.75.
Woo. Extra quarter for tomorrow.
Tomorrow - looks like hot cereal with trail mix and free coffee in the morning. Bean salad from whatever I could scrounge up from the fridge and pantry. My left over cashews and crystallized ginger for snacks throughout the day. Scratch that. Just ate the last of the crystallized ginger.
Dinner....hmmm...dinner. Quinoa, spring onions, red cabbage and roasted squash.....cause if I stick to that...I won't even have to spend my $5.25 tomorrow. Now that's being optimistic. :)
*But! A friend of mine who works near me, informed me that McDonald's has free coffee all week long. It's even on my way to work. What would we do without friends?!
Monday, February 28, 2011
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Taking Stock and Second Thoughts...
I hope my plate has more on it than this. Vancouver, BC. February 2011.
Anyway, standing on the edge - that's where I stand right now. Right before the jump. How the hell am I going to do this? What if I can't? Anyone that knows me, knows that I eat. A lot. Meals, snacks, drinks. And not crap either. I like good food. Healthy stuff. Lots of fresh fruit and veggies ($2-$5), good quality breads ($7) (and cheese ($5-$10)! oh cheese - you are the only reason I probably fail at being a full-on vegan) and pasta ($3-$5). Quinoa ($9). Tea and Coffee ($2-$5). Chocolate ($3-$5). Nuts ($4) and dried fruit ($6) in my hot morning cereal ($5). Smoothies ($6). Soy milk ($4) (and rice and almond!) instead of cow's. Herbs and spices ($3-$6). Curry ($9). Thai food ($10). Sushi ($8-$12). And my most recent favourite - Burritos from Chronic Tacos in Vancouver ($8-$10). So damn good.
I'm almost out of coffee. And I'm fresh out of veggies, except for half a head of red cabbage and a squash. Oh, and half a bag of spinach. I've got a tin of tomatoes. A tin of black beans. 1/4 tub of Earth Balance Butter. Half a box of cereal and 4 eggs. Half a loaf of bread. Some olive oil, butter, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, salt and agave syrup. Half a jar of almond butter. 1 litre of soy milk. A box of green tea. A handful of cashews. Half a package of rice noodles and half a bag of quinoa.
This week, I've got $35 to make 21 meals. $1.67 a meal. Including coffee, tea (or other beverage) and dessert. And snacks, treats, and Emergen-c packets (the best things ever).
We're just talking food here. Not anything else in my daily life. Toothpaste (1/2 a 75 ml tube left). Shampoo and Conditioner (1/3 bottle left of each). TP (1.5 rolls). Wow, this is totally gonna be harder than I thought.
I guess I just need to shut-up and jump.
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Beans, Beans, They're good for your .... wallet?
I have a feeling I will be eating a lot of beans and rice. I'm going to try to make healthy food choices as often as possible...and as crazy as it sounds, organic and vegetarian choices (if not vegan). I'm not grabbing the $1.50 slice of pizza everyday for lunch for a a couple reasons: it takes at least 3 of those to fill me up and the nutritional value leaves much to be desired.
I will greatly miss my burritos though .......
I will greatly miss my burritos though .......
Mission: Very Difficult.
First of all - I know this has been done before. Everything's been done before. I don't pretend to be original - whatever that means. Get over it. I'm trying to prove a point here - quite a broad one. Basically, I think we're headed for disaster if a great percentage of our modern society, in what we consider a "developed" nation, has to worry about where their next meal is coming from. The fact that I have to budget in order to feed myself, and put my grocery items onto my credit card rather than paying for them up front - seems crazy. Think about it.
I hate to think that anything is impossible...but when it comes to living in one of the most expensive cities in the world....on only $5 a day - well...I'm going to think positively here and say, this is going to be tough.
There are a few reasons I'm doing this - one of them is that every single time I come back to Vancouver - I find my money disappearing faster than I can even keep track, let alone make. Proportionately speaking, I make shit money compared with what it costs to keep myself alive (and in somewhat good health). I can't describe how it makes me feel - just observe my rants after I've spent $5 on a crap loaf of bread....yes $5!!!! In some countries (such as European ones), good food can be reasonably priced - and it's good quality!!! Here in North America, we eat terribly, and we pay out the....well....we pay a lot for it.
I want to make it clear here that I do not believe food should be cheaper. It's just not that simple. I know that many farmers don't even make a living wage. I honestly would be happy to pay more for good quality, local food, if I could honestly afford it, it was easily accessible, and I knew that the money was making it back to those who labour to produce that food. I think the amount of money that North Americans' make (I'm talking about the people that keep the societies functioning - especially in the service industry) in comparison with what it costs a lot of us to live is so out of whack...it blows my mind.
I have asked myself, repeatedly over the last few years - how do people here do it!? There are people working in all sorts of jobs that are at "minimum wage"- coffee shops, grocery stores, and retail, just to name a few - and most of them make pretty crap money. A lot of them have families to support, vehicles to maintain, health care requirements (even something as simple as prescription glasses and regular dental check-ups), mortgage payments, insurance payments - the list goes on. That doesn't even include any fun times - which I believe are absolutely necessary in life. What's the point in living if you're not even able to enjoy at least a significant part of your life? I've heard it said a million times and I repeat here: 2 weeks vacation does not a life make. I really don't know how these people do it.
Another reason is that I'm planning a trip. I'm spending the summer in Europe - 4 months. As a travel and adventure photographer and writer, it's a necessary part of my life. The other day I decided that I would only spend $20 (approx $4 a day) until I got my next paycheque - in just over one week. I need to save money for plane tickets, food, transportation and accomodation while I'm away. When I went to the grocery store tonight to pick up a couple staples - bread, soy milk, spaghetti and half a dozen eggs - my bill came to $14.29. When I applied my discount for being a Club Card Member (a BC thing at some of the grocery stores, I know some of the U.S. supermarkets do this too), I received a discount of $1.49, making my grand total - $12.80. Now how the hell am I suppose to live off $7.20 for the next week?
So come March 1st - it begins. Excluding rent ($550) and my stupid cell phone bill (approx. $70), I will try to live on $5 a day. That's $25 a week. I'm starting out in good health - no prescriptions, no medications, and no special care needs (though really, I should be getting monthly massages to deal with 2 car accidents I've had). I have no vehicle - no car payments, no repair costs, no insurance and no fuel costs. Luckily I live within walking distance of the college where I take courses, and also my work. I also have no dependents, people or pets. If I had to take public transportation it would be approximately another $5 a day. I have some credit card bills that must be paid. My utilities are all included in my rent - and if you must know, I live in some family's house - I get my own room, but I share everything with the family - all 4 of them and their pets. If I were to try and live on my own, my rent would be approximately double - totally not an option. Also, I'm starting out with quite a few things already - staples like Olive Oil, rice, pasta, herbs, chocolate. :)
Also, remember that things like Shampoo and Conditioner, toothpaste, toilet paper, feminine products, laundry detergent, hanging out with friends at a coffee shop or a bottle of wine if I feel the urge - are essential and cost money. I also am going to have to say goodbye to a coffee on the way to work (I'll pack one for the road in my travel mug), meals at a restaurant, or anything else I don't need.
I need more than luck - just remember to tip your local coffee shop server real well this month.
I hate to think that anything is impossible...but when it comes to living in one of the most expensive cities in the world....on only $5 a day - well...I'm going to think positively here and say, this is going to be tough.
There are a few reasons I'm doing this - one of them is that every single time I come back to Vancouver - I find my money disappearing faster than I can even keep track, let alone make. Proportionately speaking, I make shit money compared with what it costs to keep myself alive (and in somewhat good health). I can't describe how it makes me feel - just observe my rants after I've spent $5 on a crap loaf of bread....yes $5!!!! In some countries (such as European ones), good food can be reasonably priced - and it's good quality!!! Here in North America, we eat terribly, and we pay out the....well....we pay a lot for it.
I want to make it clear here that I do not believe food should be cheaper. It's just not that simple. I know that many farmers don't even make a living wage. I honestly would be happy to pay more for good quality, local food, if I could honestly afford it, it was easily accessible, and I knew that the money was making it back to those who labour to produce that food. I think the amount of money that North Americans' make (I'm talking about the people that keep the societies functioning - especially in the service industry) in comparison with what it costs a lot of us to live is so out of whack...it blows my mind.
I have asked myself, repeatedly over the last few years - how do people here do it!? There are people working in all sorts of jobs that are at "minimum wage"- coffee shops, grocery stores, and retail, just to name a few - and most of them make pretty crap money. A lot of them have families to support, vehicles to maintain, health care requirements (even something as simple as prescription glasses and regular dental check-ups), mortgage payments, insurance payments - the list goes on. That doesn't even include any fun times - which I believe are absolutely necessary in life. What's the point in living if you're not even able to enjoy at least a significant part of your life? I've heard it said a million times and I repeat here: 2 weeks vacation does not a life make. I really don't know how these people do it.
Another reason is that I'm planning a trip. I'm spending the summer in Europe - 4 months. As a travel and adventure photographer and writer, it's a necessary part of my life. The other day I decided that I would only spend $20 (approx $4 a day) until I got my next paycheque - in just over one week. I need to save money for plane tickets, food, transportation and accomodation while I'm away. When I went to the grocery store tonight to pick up a couple staples - bread, soy milk, spaghetti and half a dozen eggs - my bill came to $14.29. When I applied my discount for being a Club Card Member (a BC thing at some of the grocery stores, I know some of the U.S. supermarkets do this too), I received a discount of $1.49, making my grand total - $12.80. Now how the hell am I suppose to live off $7.20 for the next week?
So come March 1st - it begins. Excluding rent ($550) and my stupid cell phone bill (approx. $70), I will try to live on $5 a day. That's $25 a week. I'm starting out in good health - no prescriptions, no medications, and no special care needs (though really, I should be getting monthly massages to deal with 2 car accidents I've had). I have no vehicle - no car payments, no repair costs, no insurance and no fuel costs. Luckily I live within walking distance of the college where I take courses, and also my work. I also have no dependents, people or pets. If I had to take public transportation it would be approximately another $5 a day. I have some credit card bills that must be paid. My utilities are all included in my rent - and if you must know, I live in some family's house - I get my own room, but I share everything with the family - all 4 of them and their pets. If I were to try and live on my own, my rent would be approximately double - totally not an option. Also, I'm starting out with quite a few things already - staples like Olive Oil, rice, pasta, herbs, chocolate. :)
Also, remember that things like Shampoo and Conditioner, toothpaste, toilet paper, feminine products, laundry detergent, hanging out with friends at a coffee shop or a bottle of wine if I feel the urge - are essential and cost money. I also am going to have to say goodbye to a coffee on the way to work (I'll pack one for the road in my travel mug), meals at a restaurant, or anything else I don't need.
I need more than luck - just remember to tip your local coffee shop server real well this month.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)