Prior to that day, I had made plans on how to spend the day, including the meals I would cook, transportation to Eid ground for the prayers, and whatever it is I needed to spend was outrightly calculated based on the previous prices I knew.
I am not one that go out often, because all the trainings I do are online, and whenever I would buy food items, I would bulk-buy. But recently, I can’t even afford to bulk-buy because the amount I would use to buy foodstuff, provisions, skincare products, and ulcer medications is the total amount I spend on food alone now, and it is still not sufficient for the food alone, so I paused bulk foodstuff purchase.
I went out on Eid day, hoping to be able to get the things I intended, but the prices of items shocked me that I couldn’t even utter a word. One thing I’ve trained myself to do is to stop complaining because the complaints wouldn’t yield any result, so, instead, I just buy what my money can buy, and I would head home.
I wanted to buy pepper, and the cost of it sent chills down my spine. I couldn’t even think of chicken again because even the cost of fish is on the high side. So, I bought pepper, headed home to buy three eggs for #500, got home and went to bed straight. I slept throughout the day because I was frustrated from the reality of things around me.
I had lived in some states, and even my hometown that’s not as civilized as where I stay now, my people, the cost there chokes more than where I am, and it shocks me.
I was complaining about the sudden price hike of bike from the bus stop to my house from two hundred naira to four hundred, but when I travelled home, the same distance was called for one thousand naira. I was flabbergasted. Remember I said I do not like to complain? But I did. I wasn’t just surprised, I was angry at the cost because fuel sold for the same price, so why is the transportation fare that cost?
Initially, I used to spend a maximum of #11,000 on data subscription which gave me 120gig and would be more than enough for me for the whole month and sometimes rolled over the next month. Considering that everything I do is online, this gets to me really bad right now. The same eleven thousand naira now can only buy 64gig worth of MTN data, and it doesn’t even last for as long as it used to. You may want to say maybe I should try other networks, GLO tariff is better though, but the network would frustrate you out of life, and the other one is even more cost than both combined.
The competition now is strongly between the cost of living and the living to see who gets to laugh best or even gets to last through the tough time right now. It now feels like to be able to afford the barest minimum now which is food is even a matter of strategically deciding when to eat so that you can do twice or once daily. If eating daily is a problem, who dares preach about eating healthy to anyone?
Honestly, I want to say that making more money will make my life easier which is strongly true, and that is why I’ve been trying to hunt for multiple jobs to keep me sane and make my life better, but still, I don’t want to spend all my money on food because I have other things I want to do with my life. It is what it is though.
Images are mine.
Posted Using INLEO
You just reminded me when I traveled to the village early this year. I assumed since it was the village and people farm, things would be a tad easier, but to my surprise, it's a lot worse. Even foods grown there aren't cheap. At this, we can just agree that no location has it easier. It's tough everywhere, and it's sad.
That's exactly my worries. At least, there should be a place it's a bit better, but it seems like the farther one moves from town, the higher the cost.