What can you get for $20?
Well, this is basically an update for those who liked my $1 meals entry. Essentially I've been a bit lazy to cook recently, especially with the discovery of frozen, pre-cut mixed vegetables. It makes things so much easier to cook a lunch or a dinner, that when I think of cutting all the raw vegetables.. it makes me quite sian.. haha.. as a result.. I've been eating out a lot.. and it makes me feel supremely guilty.. haha.. Marco Polo, Chinese takeaway, Singapore Chicken Rice at Yummy's Restaurant.. woahh... all at least 7 bucks leh.. 7 times as much as my budget.. sigh.. when i feel guilty about the price, I go for the cheapo option: fish n chips. The newest discovery is that i can have a meal of 1 piece of lousy, unfresh, pre-frozen, powdery fried fish and half a scoop of greasy, factory processed chips.. for.... $2.60!!! That's like the cheapest food in the whole of Christchurch!!
Well.. for those who think i'm living a pretty good life here.. i'm gonna show you what i got for $20!! I scrimp and save ok!
Explanation of the above: (anti-clockwise from red shirt) -
1. red CANDA corduroy long sleeved shirt - $1
2. black short-sleeved shirt from Hallensteins (seems like it's the Topman of NZ) - $1
3. long sleeved shirt with red stripes - $1
4. Human Nature after Darwin: A Philosophical Introduction - $2 (it cost $79 in the uni bookstore)
5. pillow - $3
6. coffee jar to keep the flavour of my coffee powder in - $1
7. cushion - $1
8. see the green background? that's my blanket cos the blardy landlady wanted to charge me $7.50 a week to use her blanket - $5
Total: $15
And today!!! Today!!! I got my wish!!! One thing i reallie wanted!! Espcially with the Transalpine weekend up to Greymouth.. this is it!!
Well.. for those who think i'm living a pretty good life here.. i'm gonna show you what i got for $20!! I scrimp and save ok!
Explanation of the above: (anti-clockwise from red shirt) -
1. red CANDA corduroy long sleeved shirt - $1
2. black short-sleeved shirt from Hallensteins (seems like it's the Topman of NZ) - $1
3. long sleeved shirt with red stripes - $1
4. Human Nature after Darwin: A Philosophical Introduction - $2 (it cost $79 in the uni bookstore)
5. pillow - $3
6. coffee jar to keep the flavour of my coffee powder in - $1
7. cushion - $1
8. see the green background? that's my blanket cos the blardy landlady wanted to charge me $7.50 a week to use her blanket - $5
Total: $15
And today!!! Today!!! I got my wish!!! One thing i reallie wanted!! Espcially with the Transalpine weekend up to Greymouth.. this is it!!
I got BOOTS!! Haha.. ever since I came here I've wanted boots cos they help to keep my feet warm in the crazy winter.. but i couldn't find any my size and I wasn't willing to give anything more than $10 for them after I discovered the 2nd hand stores. The first 2 times i went to this store, i felt so sad cos there weren't any boots.. but today i found them!
They aren't in exactly mint condition, but they're really comfortable, they're exactly size 7 (my size), and there aren't any defects on it. And they've got the right ankle height as well! Many i've tried are either too low to give proper ankle support or too high to be comfy when walking. And to think that I actually got them by requesting to see the shoes that the store hadn't put out onto the shelves cos of lack of space. What a blessing! And you know what? Every cent of the $5 i paid for them goes to charity and the poor. I'd haf given even $20 if they asked for that amount.
Yukon walking/hiking boots -$5
Oh man, this is starting like a jacq-jacq-i-just-had-my-haircut blog entry!
But hey! Sallies rock!!
Support the Sallies!
Oh, btw, the Sallies are the Salvation Army and they're the ones who operate these 2nd hand stores. Woohoo!
You see why these 2nd hand stores work here? Cos Kiwis are really socially responsible and socially conscious people. They don't give lousy and spoilt things to charity just as a way of getting rid of them. They give actual, real, good usable stuff. If they think the things aren't worth selling, they'll tell the shop not to put a price tag, but to label it as 'FREE' so anyone who wants it can take it. In fact, I've heard that people actually BOUGHT stuff specially to give to charity. I see this a lot in the Salvation Army boxes placed at the supermarkets.. they're always chock full of stuff, fresh and good that people buy and give to the poor.
I contrast this to the time when I was helping to pack the donations for the tsunami in Singapore. How people were just using it as an excuse to throw away all their old rubbish.. dirty bras and stained panties.. amongst tonnes of other 50's retro big-shoulder-pad dresses that they didn't want anymore. Contrast it to here where people BUY things to give to the less fortunate.
Well, I can't blame anyone I guess. After all, NZ is a country where every darned public bus has a ramp for wheelchair access, and every bus has two slots specially for people who are on wheelchairs. They've got special handles to hold, special buttons to press to ring the bell, and special seat belts if i'm not wrong. People who are sitting in those seats before the disabled come up willingly, without a word, stand up and give way. All this after the driver has stopped the bus, gone down from his seat, opened the ramp, and pushed the disabled up onto the bus.
What can you get in Christchurch for $20?
Some clothes, a pair of boots.. and a deep lesson in social responsibility and consciousness.
They aren't in exactly mint condition, but they're really comfortable, they're exactly size 7 (my size), and there aren't any defects on it. And they've got the right ankle height as well! Many i've tried are either too low to give proper ankle support or too high to be comfy when walking. And to think that I actually got them by requesting to see the shoes that the store hadn't put out onto the shelves cos of lack of space. What a blessing! And you know what? Every cent of the $5 i paid for them goes to charity and the poor. I'd haf given even $20 if they asked for that amount.
Yukon walking/hiking boots -$5
Oh man, this is starting like a jacq-jacq-i-just-had-my-haircut blog entry!
But hey! Sallies rock!!
Support the Sallies!
Oh, btw, the Sallies are the Salvation Army and they're the ones who operate these 2nd hand stores. Woohoo!
You see why these 2nd hand stores work here? Cos Kiwis are really socially responsible and socially conscious people. They don't give lousy and spoilt things to charity just as a way of getting rid of them. They give actual, real, good usable stuff. If they think the things aren't worth selling, they'll tell the shop not to put a price tag, but to label it as 'FREE' so anyone who wants it can take it. In fact, I've heard that people actually BOUGHT stuff specially to give to charity. I see this a lot in the Salvation Army boxes placed at the supermarkets.. they're always chock full of stuff, fresh and good that people buy and give to the poor.
I contrast this to the time when I was helping to pack the donations for the tsunami in Singapore. How people were just using it as an excuse to throw away all their old rubbish.. dirty bras and stained panties.. amongst tonnes of other 50's retro big-shoulder-pad dresses that they didn't want anymore. Contrast it to here where people BUY things to give to the less fortunate.
Well, I can't blame anyone I guess. After all, NZ is a country where every darned public bus has a ramp for wheelchair access, and every bus has two slots specially for people who are on wheelchairs. They've got special handles to hold, special buttons to press to ring the bell, and special seat belts if i'm not wrong. People who are sitting in those seats before the disabled come up willingly, without a word, stand up and give way. All this after the driver has stopped the bus, gone down from his seat, opened the ramp, and pushed the disabled up onto the bus.
What can you get in Christchurch for $20?
Some clothes, a pair of boots.. and a deep lesson in social responsibility and consciousness.
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