The Cheap Meal

November 1st. 4 days closer now.

I’m feeling more confident in my 2 pounds a day spending. I’m eating really cheap meals. Plus I saw bread on sale for 55p.

My girlfriend pointed out that I may need an extra month of survival on that money. But no worries. By that point I should be alright to take a loan if it comes to that.

I’m discovering the cheapness of strange meals. Today I made a fake risotto by dicing up boiled cauliflower and carrots together in a pot. It’s fun and satisfying to do so. The carrots I got on clearance for 7p to the kilo. Whereas the cauliflower came at 50p for a head.

For meat I had fish trimmings. The oil that came out of the baked fish trimmings was so much it gave me instant heartburn. I’m not having them again.

And I had a side of wedges. On an ordinary day I would be loving the wedges smothered in gravy with a little mozarella or cheese melting on it. But I’m broke.

Somehow I’m in a better mood than usual. Must be the full stomach that I’ve finally got after so many days.

So far 3 people have offered to lend me money. My friend in Australia offered to send me money at whatever the cost if I really needed it and I would pay her back when I start working. A true friend Sara. And I haven’t even seen you more than 5 times in my life.

So far I’ve been having nutella on bread lunches or instant noodles lunches. The bread came free off the chinese church and my nutella was provided by the second person who offered to lend me money.

Dinner has been reduced or on offer meat fried with whatever I can get my hands on. Vegetables anything else that I may have. Some days I opt to eat an apple instead. I’ve run out of rice. But I hope to snag some tomorrow at Morrisons. At 63p per kilo. That’s pretty good stuff.

I’ve applied to 4 different jobs today. But who knows how it will go? I’ve not received any responses so far. But I’m praying.

July 10th 2012

I’m assuming that by then I’ll be fine.

Who am I and what am I.

I’m a hungry student. Wildly hungry. A few days ago I’ve discovered I’ve only got 600 pounds to live off till the 10th of July next year because that’s when my mother will arrive and I will have the money she allotted for her spending in my reach.

Soon after I discovered my old landlord would be returning the whole sum of my deposit back to me. 300 pounds.

I felt myself salivating at the idea of 300 pounds to live a little lighter.

Considering I’m nearly in November now. 900 pounds would mean 100 a month. Pretty good I’d say.

But then I remembered I owe my cousin 150 quid.

Down to 750.

Tight. But not doomed. I guess I can breathe a little easier about the fact that I’ve set aside all my rent money and my bills as well.

I’m presently in my 4th year as an Engineering student at Uni in England. I’m not sure how will I cope with this.

To roughly put this into a day and week breakdown. At 750 pounds I have….

About 89.7 pounds a month.

20.58 a week.

And about 2.94 a day. Roughly.

The average price of a Tesco meal deal? 2.50.

This is the beginning of a sick and twistedly painful journey.