By Deborah Olaiya
After spending my salary within a week for 3 consecutive months and have to take loans from friends to survive for the rest of the month, I have come to realize that as a 9-5 girly my money is mostly spent on food and transportation, and now I have had a meeting with myself, because we cannot continue to spend money this way in this economy, so that I don’t wake up one morning and realize that, I have just been working for the restaurants in Lagos, with the food I order daily, I have been helping them make more money to my detriment.
Dear Lagosian/ Nigerians, I present to you my discovery. It might not be a discovery to some of you but it is to me and it has even helped me save over 20% monthly. Let’s explore five pocket-friendly foods that have been saving lives for over 2000 years.
- Jollof Rice
So, in search of eating very well but on a budget, I realized that I eat more jollof rice for lunch than any other food sold in any restaurant, the reason I don’t know.
What i have done is to research how to cook it on my own to taste like the one i get from a restaurant, i got it and damn, it’s been a great experience for me, i eat it with plantain and eggs, if i am on a very tight budget but if i have free money or bonus money from anyone, i buy chicken or meat as i don’t fancy eating fish.
This food has a lot of nutrients in it and it can keep your stomach throughout the day if you drink a lot of water and chew gum too while working.
You might be thinking of garnishing the food but don’t because that is “aseju”, you’d spend more money, since we are in the Era of managing our lives so that we can at least live on a daily basis, then do the normal Nigerian Party Jollof rice.
- Beans and plantain
Beans is another fantastic food I discovered. I am not really a fan of beans but hey, what can I do in this economy? I can’t choose what to eat, therefore i’d make do with what I have and make the best of it. I bought small beans not too much so that ants will not penetrate. I’d cook it and pair it with fantastic dodo, bread, or corn. You should try this combination. Any of it is extremely tasteful and can help you save money in this economy.
Beans can be eaten in the afternoon or at night not really advisable in the morning except you are eating it with bread and i understand your fear of polluting the air after eating beans, I am here to tell you that’s just a myth you’ve been told from your young age and you would not trust me, this is tested and trusted from someone that doesn’t like beans to me eating beans at least twice a week.
This food will save you a lot, it also enhances good sleep for me, so I mostly eat it at night.
- Eba
Eba, oh my, this has been saving families since 1900, it’s a starchy dish made from cassava, it can be eaten at night majorly but i have seen some jagabans eat it in the morning, I cannot eat eba in the morning because once I’m done eating it, my bed calls my name in CAPS, so, you cannot find me eating it at night, however it is a kind of food you can eat on a tight budget or when you have more than enough, you don’t have to spend so much to make it happen. Eba is prepared with just hot water and you mix until it’s edible, you can eat it with any kind of soup of your choice depending on what you can afford.
- Noodles
Instant noodles is my quickest and most affordable meals always, anyday and anytime i’d always go for noodle, either in the morning, for lunch or dinner, i can take noodles plainly with nothing if i am that broke or i am just too lazy, i can mix it with vegetables and some onions, oh my it’s always very delicious for me.
I have survived on instant noodles for 2 days before just to save more money and it was so cool. Noodles is very filling, i can only eat two at a time. I’m sure you can finish more than 2, which is good so far it fills your stomach, you can also take it with some tea for more balanced diet, as for me I take a lot of water as I am maintaining my weight.
- Soaking Garri
i feel so much joy inside me as i type this because the joy soaking garri gives me is beyond being broke,especially when i am drinking the garri with cold water and groundnuts or maybe chicken or fried meat, if i want to be too much i’d add some milk to it. It is the most simple and easy and quick to get food you can take to save money in this economy.
Now that i have unveiled to you my best 5 options or go foo easy to make and very affordable food to make as a Nigerian in this economy, it’s time for you to share yours with me, comment below what you think.
