I have been writing a blog about how to survive on 30,000 Naira / 2.15 HBD monthly. In my last installment I wrote that the absolute minimum amount of money required to feed a person 2000 calories per day was about 250 Naira. That's about 50 cents (USD) or about 75 cents (CAD).
That was a rough estimate as I hadn't put together any actual recipe. I hadn't calculated variety for vitamins and minerals. It was just a rough idea of absolute minimum to ward off starvation while providing macronutrients (Carbohydrates, Fat, and Protein).
Unfortunately the post met with pushback. It was polite to be certain. However, one comment by 
Don't think about the math too hard. 250 Naira/day is not possible
Now that comment wasn't sent to me, it was sent to another hive member whose opinion I value highly 
I will admit. That comment hurt. A lot.
Why?
Because it meant that I was either Crazy, A Liar, or a Fool.
In that regard I've been doing a lot of thinking about what I wrote. Today I made three meals that I found tasty and filling. Tomorrow I'll write about what they were, how much they cost, and a nutritional analysis. I hope my number comes out at 330 Naira or less with fair nutritional value. However, I haven't don't the numbers yet so I'll just send pictures of what I ate.
Why?
Because I want to hear whether you believe them to be meals or not? In my last post I just posted the prices of base staple ingredients. However, it was pointed out to me that no-one eats just those.
So, today's food:
Breakfast
Pancakes with cinnamon syrup and Soya Milk.
Lunch
Biscuits with Split Pea soup (with vegetables)
Dinner
Rice and Bean Burrito (in Corn Tortilla)
However, while I think I will come up with a small amount of money for a day's nutrition there has been one thing that I have to admit to
Because
There is a saying that The Rich get Richer and that is partly true. There is also the saying A fool and his money are soon parted.
However, one thing about being rich, or at least having extra money. It means that you can take advantage of bulk buying, buying extra when a sale comes, and get preferential credit cards that can save A LOT of money.
So, before I post about what I paid for today's food. I would like to take a look at how much more expensive it is to buy smaller quantities and show why it takes money to save money.
Let's take three examples:
In my home I have Three 10Kg bags of flour like this one:
I keep a large container of cooking oil like this one:
And when sugar was on sale I stocked up. I have 12 bags of sugar like this one:
Why did I stock up on those? They are the basis of a lot of foods like bread, pancakes, tortilla, and so much more. Plus: They are good for years in the pantry and food rarely gets less expensive over time. Buy now and save later.
How much did I spend:
Flour $9.99 for 10kg but...
10% off because of points card discount
10% off because I purchased over $300 in total
4% off because I get cash back on my credit card.
So I paid $7.65 per 10kg
Oil : $44.59 for 16L but
$4 off because of points discount card
10% off because of purchase over $300 and
4% off because of Visa card cashback.
So I paid $ 35.07 for 16L
Sugar : $ 1.96 for 2kg.
This store didn't have a points card and no large sale discount but still got 4% cashback.
So I paid $ 1.88 for 2kg
However the normal bulk price is $10.99 for 10kg so buying multiple small bags saved me money. Bulk isn't always cheaper.
However, I also took prices of all of those items if I was to buy the REGULAR sizes.
Flour $5.99 for 2kg
Oil $5.69 for 946ml
and Sugar $ 6.49 for 2kg
Regular price means I pay 3.1x more. OVER TRIPLE
Regular price means I pay 2.7x more. ALMOST TRIPLE
Regular price means I would pay 3.5x more. AGAIN more than TRIPLE
When I was looking through the posts by 
However, for many small wage earners there is also NO WAY that they could afford to buy things in large bulk quantities. I am only guessing but my $300 (#101,000 Naira) purchase to get a 10% discount would be out of the budget for many regular Nigerians, especially if it was only for staple products like flour, sugar, and oil without all the other things that need to go with it to make a meal.
I count myself as blessed that I can take advantage of bulk discounts and sale stock ups. Truly it is a benefit of having cash in reserve. I would be so upset if I knew I was paying TRIPLE the lowest cost by having to buy small quantities.
However, for many lower wage earners that is the reality. It's not fair at all that the poorest who struggle the hardest have to pay the most. Grrr upseting.
The only way I can see around this is either :
Or
There is power in community. I believe in that more than almost anything else. I especially believe that there is power in a Church community....but that's a topic of a different post.
However, I've said my bit for today.
Tomorrow I write about the nutritional value and cost of one days food...that kept me full, and hopefully well nourished. I'll know after I analyze everything for tomorrow's post.
I hope you drop by to read it.
If you made it down this far thanks for reading! As always a shoutout for those people who said they were interested in reading this post:
and as always if you don't want a ping let me know so I can remove you from the list.....and if you want to be added let me know so I can ping you for future posts.
