Tag: foodbank

Maybe it was the moldy tomatoes that sent her over the edge

So, this is going to be a gratitude post, but it will divert into complaints at stages. I’m doing alright, I’ve been enjoying being paid to post for Nobody Deserves Poverty in an official capacity, with a payslip, superannuation and all. I’m even accruing leave!

I braved taking the Corolla down to the community centre yesterday – I needed bread and this seemed the easiest way to accomplish that. It’s still not fixed – one more part got fixed yesterday but now we need Bruce to have time and energy to put it in, and he’s busy today and tomorrow so I’m back on the trains and buses to get to things still. It’s okay, and doable, just wanna see an end to this saga, which will just kick off the saga of the repairs that are needed on the Ford. There’s some taillight bulb housing and cabling coming today from ebay.

Men standing around a pallate of food

When I got down the foodbank, the giant truck delivering the Foodbank NSW order was pulling in and attempting to navigate the parking lot. These items on the palate are ordered by the local foodbank (and paid for) then shipped up from the giant warehouse to be on-sold or given to clients depending on how the foodbank works on the ground. This one on-sells most things with a nominal markup and provides emergency hampers when needed. Bread comes from the local supermaket and is free. The fruit an veg bags are usually $2 here, and sadly the tomatoes were moldy in the bag I got 🙁

Last week they sold the bag for $1 because it only had Granny Smiths and Potatoes, but that’s totally what I was hoping for so I was super happy.

I’ve also learned why I don’t buy dirty potatoes, they’re SO MUCH MORE WORK.

Downloading Red Dead 2 again, because I haven’t since we reinstalled windows, so I can play the Halloween content soon, and gotta go in and do week three of Sims 4 Reaper Rewards. it seems that plan to just give everyone the max speed of their NBN at no extra cost has gone away. That’s a shame, it would be really useful for these giant downloads!

Started some Xmas shopping with the Amazon sale and popped some things on Zippay that have heavy discounts that have been on my wishlist. Sadly the monitor I want isn’t on sale, might wait til Black Friday, otherwise I can justify it with the HSC supervision work I’m doing over the next 4 weeks. And for “productivity” lol. Got some festoon lights for the back deck which will be way nicer than the current fluorescent that’s out there. Hopefully we can use that area this summer. Bruce put up one lot of my purple fairy lights this week, so I moved my Halloween meerkats to the front porch.

Anyways, I’ve got some cleaning to do while I wait for the downloads to finish, wanna  get my place clean and tidy. Make the most of my little life because I’m just looking at my twitter feed and thankful my only problems are so small and there’s not an Israel or a Milton bearing down on me.

Love yas x

 

Friday Foodbank Musings

Happy Liptember! The month where I actually wear lipstick and raise funds for women’s mental health projects.

Had a few good conversations this morning about *waves hands around* all of this. Cost of living, Centrelink, gatekeeping and waste from charities, attitudes towards addicts and more. A couple  were in the line for the Ozharvest bag, where the inaccessible nature of the whole process came up because they make us wait outside the gate until 9am, and getting down the driveway or foot or in wheelchairs is hairy at best and they just don’t seem willing to make exceptions. I mean, they don’t even have a designated disabled park on site, and the other parks are up a slope from the doors.

Spams and other tinned meats
Apparently the woolies beef is only 20c cheaper than retail…

I exchanged pleasantries with the volunteers, asking if it was fine to take a fruit and veg bag as well as the pies this week, and yeah there was plenty this week, but I remarked that I didn’t want to get in trouble because if I take one and get told no that was wrong it feels like I’m being told off, and sometimes I think I actually am. Like the time I asked “Hey is it okay is I take a bag of pies” and Sandra was “Please?” ugh. Yes ma’am please mam, I was being pleasant til you got school principal on me. Apparently she also put a guy’s daughter through questioning, which he felt was because “she’s an addict and looks like an addict” and left her feeling like never coming back. He and I talked about playing the meek and grateful role when it’s for ourselves but sometimes getting more than a little protective and defensive of others.

Bread was also in abundance today, which is good because I wound up buying the $8 fancy eggs from Woolies after Aldi was out and Woolies only had the Lake Macquarie local ones left. Good thing it’s pension day!

Two point something percent indexation in not next fortnight’s but the fortnight after. Plus that 10% rent assistance cash splash that Albo was touting that will do SFA, but seems to appease some of the numbers guys.  I’ll be on a whole $1061.60 a fortnight from October 4. I’ll be getting paid for my 3 hours a week work too, let’s see how that affects things!

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Happy EOFYS! (Don’t let the tax cuts overwhelm you on the way out)

You can’t have missed it. EVERY AUSTRALIAN TAXPAYER IS GETTING A TAX CUT. Well, anyone earning above the tax free threshold is. Anyone paying GST or excise other other taxes that disproportionally impact the poorer peeps only isn’t.

Apparently, recipients of the age pension, a disability support pension and carer payments will be able to earn more before their payments are reduced. Singles can now earn $212 a fortnight (previously $204) and couples can earn $372 (previously $360). Let’s ignore the face that those people are currently on sub-poverty level payments because they’re supposed to be caring for themselves or others full time and really shouldn’t have to go out to work for that elusive block of cheese. Aspirational cheese.

I’m still slightly bitter that the energy rebate is less, even though it was just stupid to begin with. Also jelly of those states going to elections getting extra from their state labor where GST splits have allowed it. My bill is only going up, and here I am hoping my stepson’s JobSeeker application gets approved before the next bill so we can use his backpay to pay that. Waiting time for Jobseeker is still about 12 weeks I hear, so it lines up.

I’ll be relieved when tomorrow comes and the mailing lists I’m signed up for for various organisations with charitable status will stop asking for end-of financial year contributions. Though I have shared this one for Southlakes, the local community support organisaion near me that’s run on the smell of an oily rag, feeding families each week after Centrelink refers them their way rather then government deigning it time to Raise the Rate above the poverty line.

$12 bag of expired food items from a foodbank

I’ve starting attending rental inspections for the step-kid and bub to mover back to Newcastle, there’s so little out there and so many families at each inspection. At least we all have housing, it’s not ideal but it’s shelter.

March Munchies

Another month has gone, hey? Easter’s already happened, and it’s April. Mornings are getting cooler which is lovely, but the days are still high 20s. So let’s see what snacks I’ve been getting into from the foodbank shelves.

Been enjoying the vibe of this brewed lemonade, a nice little fizz for up to $1 a can.

Treated myself to buying my own hot cross buns for the long weekend, but got some jelly crystals at the little church for something different. Still got a bag on hot cross buns in the freezer to snack on this week. Unfortunately the foodbank I was planning to go to tomorrow for breads isn’t actually open (having a week off) so won’t be getting any potential HCB leftovers from the weekend.

The Oranges are going strong. So tasty and I get to wear them as mouth guards lol

I thought only the dog would like this fish jerky, but no the boys have been getting into it too.

Waffles! Got these gluten free waffles as a $1frozen from the local place the other week 🙂 Had them with ice cream and maple syrup that I think came in the Xmas hamper and we’re slowly getting though. Still have a shake and make pancake bottle to use.

Made a “things from the cupboard” dinner last Sunday with things from the cupboard accumulation and a portion of chicken I’d abandoned in the freezer a few weeks ago – butter chicken and rice.

A sweetheart bought a few things off the wishlist, so I’ve been enjoying the fancy porridge and pineapple poppers. THANK YOU!

Let’s talk the price of Spam

Yeah, the actual tinned Spam, not email clutter.

I know you guys love my “tales from the Foodbank” and I was almost thought I was gonna get a score when I saw there was actual Spam at the foodbank this morning. My partner’s gotten keen on it since we got some I think it a Xmas hamper. So I’ve been getting the $2.99 Aldi tinned Spiced Ham, also proudly made in the USA like the original Hormel.

I fry it up in the pan and service it with toast and microwave scrambled eggs for a midday meal in the middle of the boys’ workday when they come back home for lunch and a rest.

Sadly, I got closer and read the price sticker – 2 for $12. Two for $12??? I pay three for the Aldi version, and the full price at Coles and Woollies is $6.80. I didn’t check the dates on these, I do hope they’re long dated since it is tinned. My Aldi ham has a best before of October 2026.

It’s actually “only” $5.40 this week at Coles, too.

So, once again Aldi wins for price in this little competition. They have put a bunch of prices up again lately though, so I need to constantly keep reassessing. And we know that 1.8% indexation is already long gone from out payments.

Just a girl, hanging out in the rain, waiting for the gates to open.