Quite simply, today I bought two bananas costing 19p in total.
I'm saving my money for tomorrow to buy eggs. I need protein and something to flavour rice!
I must admit, I'm amazed how far I can stretch one can of red kidney beans, chopped tomatoes, and sweet corn. Amazing really.
But I want to get some eggs into the equation tomorrow, but don't worry I won't be eating more than £1's worth of food. What this means in practices is that buy Friday, I will probably have spent my five pounds, but won't have eaten my five pounds worth of food. More likely I will have consumed £4.18's worth of food.
The overlap of 82p not spent today, and the 1p carried over from the first day.
So what I'm realising is another difficulty.
To actually be able to buy eggs and save up some money, in some respects means "losing out" on some of the money I've been given. I could have bought a bar of chocolate today and scoffed it, leaving just enough to be able to afford eggs tomorrow.
But I didn't.
What I've realised today, is that there is a general ache that goes alongside this fatigue. It's a dull kind of ache.
Yesterday I estimated that my calorific intake was probably at about 800 calories. Which, really, is incredibly significant once I move beyond the realm of a 24 hour / 36 hour fast.
My days are as busy, but I'm getting by on probably 1600 calories less than previously.
Perhaps, after weeks of this the body would adjust, would get used to such little energy, but I'm not sure. I don't know how a day-labourer in a South American mine, or a farm worker in Ethiopia can get by doing manual labour on a lot less calories.
Especially when you consider the longer-term effects of not getting the different food groups in there. After weeks of little protein. Or weeks of little vitamins....
I really noticed this fatigue this morning. (Yes its hit me already, I'm a fat, lazy westerner), but getting out of bed was a push. A bigger chore than normal.
Anyway, I'm tired. So I'm going to get to bed soon. And I'm hungry.
I could have been wiser today.
But part of that lack of wisdom was down to the sheer busyness of the timetable of work today. But also of the challenge of getting my head around what needed to be saved, what could be spent, and what could be eaten each day!
I don't regret today, but I am reminded of the challenges that people in our society living on low or no incomes might well find themselves facing.
Today I also learnt that on Good Friday, the Food Bank in Nantwich had 81 people come needing food.
That's a lot of families struggling.
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