Are you a morning person? Bounding out of bed at sparrow’s fart to achieve 12 things before tea and toast? 

I am most definitely not. 

When I’m working I am prone to calculate the precise number of minutes I need to hit snooze twice, then shower, dress, make coffee and get myself from home to the office, with no more than 10 minutes up my sleeve. 

At the moment, with nowhere specific I need to be every day, I’ve reverted to my naturally night-owlish ways. I’m writing this blog post at 11pm, and will probably be up for a few hours yet.  

On the downside of staying up late and rising later than most, there are some days where I don’t really “get going” until lunchtime. I may get some housework done, put the laundry on, or spend some time online, but these are kind of automatic pilot activities – which I can do in my pjs! 

This morning I decided to look over my budget. It’s not a bad fortnight, for someone getting by on less than half of the prescribed minimum wage. I worked out what’s left after I put the rent aside, split that into covering bills, groceries and such, and decided I was in need of a few bargain finds.  

After thinking I’d hit the jackpot with a Neighbourhood House farmers’ market (which I had to make three calls to find out wasn’t actually on) I decided to meander over to the local wholesale fruit and veg place. 

And here’s what I saw as I pulled up at the end of the dirt driveway.  

 

I packed my shopping bag with cauliflower and celery, ginger and garlic and carrots, all at great prices. The ginger was almost TEN DOLLARS a kilo cheaper than the price at Coles. TEN DOLLARS!! Buh-bye Coles produce department. 

The lovely gent at the door said he would be happy to slice the pumpkin for me (as I am not much of a 3.4 kg pumpkin wrestler) and it was waiting at the counter when I’d finished my awed lap of this mecca of fresh, local food. 

As I was paying for my veggie haul, I realised I also needed bread. Hey presto – they sell that too. So my total spend went from an astonishingly low $9.28 to just $11.08 – the large loaf of grainy bread set me back $1.80. I know, right?! 

The 3.4 kilo pumpkin I toted home cost me just $2.36!! For a whole pumpkin!! 

Money can’t buy happiness, or so they say. Well, it sure bought me plenty today!! The happiness of buying from a local producer, then coming home to make delicious pumpkin soup, from half of that beautiful pumpkin, which still had dirt on it (I wiped it off, don’t worry). 

 

And that my friends is how I found happiness for sale, at just 68 cents a kilo!! 

Where do you get your fruit and veg? Perhaps you grow beautiful food in your backyard or know a great local farmers’ market? It’s definitely worth looking beyond the neon lights of the big players like Coles and Woolworths, and checking out your local area for better quality and bargains, not to mention excellent service! 

There’s plenty of pumpkin still to cook. Got a recipe suggestion for me? 

Cheers,  

 

Annette