Below the Line: Day 3

I got my first hunger pains today. I woke up hungry. I ate my breakfast and was still hungry. I ate my lunch and was still hungry. I got irritable very easily. Oh yes. I was hangry. And as I sat behind my desk for 7.5 hours today and continued to stew about it (mmmmm stew) it was hard to get my mind away from. After work it was much easier to distract myself, especially at Cabaret rehearsal.

Now, I debated including this next section as it’s definitely TMI (that’s “too much information” to the uninitiated) but I feel like it is an important part of the journey to share. If you’re adverse to “ladytime talk” I’d skip to the first photo.

One thing I didn’t expect to happen was for my period to suddenly arrive almost a week early. I usually run almost exactly on schedule – like, to the day – so I was definitely surprised. The cramps on top of the underlying hunger pain and rumbling stomach were not exactly a welcome addition but it did get me thinking even more. I’ll just come out and say it – tampons and pads are damn expensive! All women’s health and wellness related products are damn expensive! There are many, many reasons why I cannot even begin to fathom what it is like to be a woman living below the poverty line, but this situation today really got me thinking again about how lucky I am. 

I made up a few hard boiled eggs last night so I could sleep in this morning and bring them to eat at work. I was and still am happy with this plan. I just really like hard boiled eggs. And sleeping.

• 2 eggs = $0.42
• Salt = $0.01
• BREAKFAST = $0.43

Okay, it's only day three and I'm already officially over the taste of this. I rolled this baby up like a burrito.

• 1 pita = $0.17
• 1/5 pack of imitation crab = $0.20
• 1/2 carrot = $0.08
• one squirt of a quarter of a lemon = $0.02.
• LUNCH = $0.47

And my half-carrot afternoon snack.

• 1/2 carrot = $0.08
• SNACK = $0.08

I tried out a new recipe tonight for 'potato puffs' which are basically mashed potatoes, mixed with an egg, and baked in the oven. They were an almost success. The almost is because I had a major brain fart and forgot to put the salt into the mixture. I put a bit on them after they baked but they would have been a lot better with it inside. I ate half the batch at dinner.

• 2 1/4 small potatoes=  $0.14
• salt = $0.01
• 1/2 egg = $0.10
• DINNER = $0.25

•  1/10 lemon = $0.04
• water = $0.00
• DRINK = $0.04

After I got home from rehearsal, I was too tired and too hungry to make any more chips so I had the rest of the puffs.​

• 2 1/4 small potatoes=  $0.14
• salt = $0.01
• 1/2 egg = $0.10
• SNACK = $0.25

Which brings my grand total for the day to:

$1.52

Although I cannot accept donations of food, I am raising money for SPREAD THE NET which is all about getting mosquito nets where they are most needed in order help end preventable malaria deaths. View my sponsorship page HERE.