Day 11

This morning was another early one.  Thankfully I was able to score a lift from a lovely classmate, so not nearly as early as it could have been.  Phew.  I got to sleep in until 5:30.  We went to Ipswich Hospital maternity ward and tested newborns as part of a research trial.  We were really lucky to get two very settled sleepy babies who responded well to the testing.

On the way home we stopped at a fruit and veggie place that a noticed with signs saying 69c per kilo for various things.  I managed to score a huge bag of oranges, sweet potatoes, carrots and onions for just over $3.  I know that nutritionists say to eat a rainbow of colours in your fruit and veggie intake, however at this rate I can only afford to eat the orange part of the rainbow.

Other than the first few torturous $2 days I have basically managed to leave two or three days between shops by getting big packets of things like noodles, eggs and pasta.  This means that for the most part I have $6 when I walk into a shop, which isn't nearly as impossible to deal with as just $2.  Well today was an exciting day.  I managed to buy some coffee.  Yes, that's right... I will be enjoying caffeine with my breakfast tomorrow.  Things are looking up!

Day 10

So I woke up this morning with Kiddie Quads.  That is the pain experienced the day after a school screening, caused by crouching down to look into the ears of about a trillion primary school children.  Please bare in mind that each child has two ears, so that is a lot of crouching.

Another early morning made earlier still by the need to cook oats for breakfast and make a packed lunch.  Don't get me wrong, I understand the value of packing a lunch, but I normally have much more convenient options.  In order to live on this amount of money it is necessary to choose the least convenient options that require the most preparation.

What is it with my timing?  Last year when I was living below the line I was embarking upon a horrifying series of injections and blood tests required for uni before they will allow me to interact with the public.  This week, it so happens, is the tail end of that process.  I had a blood test on Wednesday to see if my Hep A and B immunity was all good, then today a nasty little TB jab which forms an itchy blister under the skin. 

 

Oh - I just realised that picture is of a lady trying to force a cat to smoke.  I thought she was giving it medicine when I saw the thumbnail.  Too bad.  It's there now.  You will enjoy it and you will laugh.  That is an order.

OK.  Well I'm off to make myself some soup now.  I have the remains of the chicken wings, 1/4 of an onion and 2 carrots.  This soup will be delicious.  Last year I made some soup and tried to stretch it too far, it was not delicious.  I will be careful not to put in too much water. 

Day 9

I miss snacks so bad!

I got up squincey wincey early in the pitch dark, cooked my oats for breakfast, got the egg sandwich I made last night, got a mandarin.

So that's today's food sorted until I get home at 5pm. I miss snacks. I miss coffee so bad.

School screening today. I got to the school half an hour early and the lovely ladies offer me tea or coffee. I miss coffee so bad. I caved. But seriously, how much could a teaspoon of instant coffee be worth? I know. That's not the point.

The school hearing screening was great. Last week we had all the prep kids; so 4-5 year olds. This week we had a mix of ages from 5 to 9 years old. It's quite a difference. With a 4 year old you can say "are there any bunny rabbits in your ears? I'll have a look". If you suggest to a 7 year old that perhaps they have bunny rabbits in their ears they'll look at you like your crazy. Offer an 8 year old a sticker for being good and they'll say "Um... No thanks."

50 kiddies, 50 learning styles, 50 tiny attention spans later and we were all pooped. I sure could use a glass of wine when I get home. No such luck. Any wine I could afford to buy, I really do not want.

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I feel bad about accepting the free cup of coffee this morning so next time I have the opportunity I'll donate $1 from my food budget to a charity or a busker. That's how much I'd need to pay for a cheap takeaway coffee from 7/11.

Day 8

So here's what happened.

I wanted to go to a fruit and veggie shop to spend the $4.95 I've saved up. So I googled and much to my surprise I found a place just a few k's down the road. I had no idea!

So I hop on my motorbike and click on the GPS and off I go: shop 16/ 8 Old Pacific Hwy. When I get to 8 Old Pacific Hwy, not only is there no 'Shop 16' but there are no shops at all. Grass and trees. Boo. What now?

So now I'm in the exact opposite direction I need to be to get to Aldi. The closest supermarket is Woolworths, which is arguably the most expensive supermarket around. Double booo. So I decide to just go to Woolies to see what I can find. Perhaps they might have some amazing gourmet dip reduced to clear for 20c... Hmm wishful thinking.

Anyways, I found some fruit and veggies for a decent price and then, while drooling over the deli department I spotted a miracle packet of chicken for $1.78. I just grabbed it before anyone else could and ran. How exciting.

So I have pasta, tinned tomatoes, half an onion... Tonight I shall feast!!!

Day 7

Had to get up at 5am to get to my 8am uni class. Cooked myself some noodles for lunch, oats for afternoon tea and cut my final carrot into sticks for morning tea. The inconvenience of cheap food is exaggerated when it is so early it's still dark outside.

By the time I got home at 6pm I was so tired. Made myself eggs on toast (with a frivolous addition of butter, it was delicious) watched about half an hour of TV then went to bed. Asleep at 8pm. Hence this update was not posted last night.

Thankfully no Wednesday classes so I can sleep in.

Thank you to my wonderful friends whose generosity in the last couple of days put over a hundred dollars more into the mix for this year's fundraising. Perhaps that was due to my recent whinging or perhaps it was because you are cool dudes. Perhaps both.

Anyone else keen to donate? G'won. You'll love it:

http://www.oxfamunwrapped.com.au/ChooseFromWishList.php?id=894

Is it really only day 6??

I'm so hungry.

Full uni day with lectures and pracs. This morning's oats overflowed in the microwave due to using a different shaped dish to normal so I only had half of my normal breakfast.

Lunch was left overs and an apple. That was yummy. But no budget for an afternoon snack.

I missed the bus so I missed the train. Half an hour at the train station and no budget for the vending machine.

Living below the extreme poverty line sucks. I have no energy to write an inspiring or amusing post so I'll upload some entertaining photos and call it a day.

Day 5

What an exciting day!

After all my saving I have $6.15 to spend today. Veggies here I come.

Aldi happened to have a 1 kilo packet of veggies with potato, carrot, onion, parsnip, swede and celery for only $1.79. I also got an apple and a mandarin, a loaf of bread and a dozen eggs. Total spend $5.70.

Sorry, Jess, they are not free range eggs. I'm pretty sure they are free range potatoes though. Those spuds have been free to frolic in field to their hearts' content.

I think I'll have an omelette for dinner tonight.

I would love a bit of butter on my toast. But alas, no. Such is the fate of one living in extreme poverty.