more la mian?

Two weeks til payday and I have failed spectacularly to stick to my budget.

To be fair, I've done okay to go nearly seven months without a drop in the bank tank [I refuse to acknowledge the $230 the government gave me for being nothing more than unemployed as 'pay']. Indeed, it'll be my first wages since September.

Can't say it's been all that bad either - living (or, trying to) like a pauper, eating off the street, surviving from one day to the next hand-to-mouth.

Ah, not entirely true... at least, not the bit about the poor diet. True, I couldn't afford to buy floor cleaner today; nor could my remaining three kuai stretch to tonight's dinner of vegetable jiatzu (dumplings). And I've made the crippling decision to abstain from alcohol for the next two weeks.

But starve? No.

I'm lucky that people are nice to me. Let's just say I could probably line my kitchen floor with IOU's.

And even so, I admit I managed to scrape together enough for a tiny bar of chocolate.

(Paul, I'm getting lunch tomorrow, I promise [la mian, right?])

Actually, the cost of food is probably the least of my worries. When it comes to forking out for a feed, even the fussiest foodie can dine mightily on noodles, vegetables and green tea for less than ten kuai (about $NZ2). The boys' standard fare of la mian is about six or seven kuai; street-made omelette is around three.

Drinking is another story. A chain-restaurant cup of tea can cost anything from four to 30 kuai. Beer (depending on the brand) is between 13 and 20; a vodka and coke will set you back about 25 kuai.
A tiny bottle of baijiu (the gloriously sweet and potent Chinese rice alcohol) starts at 2.5 kuai. There's slightly better stuff for 10; and, if we're feeling frivilous, 15. Anything above that I've not tried.

It's a matter of sorting out your priorities. Basically, the filthiest Scrooge could live here quite happily.

And, just to put things in perspective... we ventured into a poncey import store today purely for educational purposes (Ali misses his Haribo). Incredibly, this place has Western products you'd expect people to miss and ones you'd never even think about. Between the Toblerone and Cocoa Pops were things like Fisherman's Friend and Pantene shampoo. Everything has been slapped with extortionate price tags; 56 kuai (around $NZ11) for a block of Whittaker's chocolate, 120 kuai for a bottle of less-than-impressive Queen Adelaide merlot.

Think I can manage another two weeks on the noodles, thanks.

[looking forward to the care package, Mum]