Welcome to #ChopLifeDiaries, a series documenting how Nigerians eat and all the ways they spend their money on feeding. In a country where people spend up to 85% of their income on food, we’re following our readers’ food journeys during the week and documenting expenses related to shopping, fast-food meals, market runs, restaurant dates, and every bite in between. In this time of rising food inflation, #ChopLifeDiaries reveals how folks from different walks of life are figuring out their food budgets in different cities.

Today’s subject is a nurse who also does writing gigs on the side. She gets to walk us through his eating habits, meal plans and how she ‘chops life’.

Income

Today’s subject, a beautiful registered nurse lives in the southwestern region of Nigeria. Apart from being a nurse she also does one or two writing jobs because of her flair and passion for writing. In a year she could earn about 2.4 million naira or more. She is a nurse so passionate about her profession that her life centres around the hospital. She is willing to tell us some of the things she does at the hospital, what makes her unique as a nurse, her income and schedule and how she still manages to be a part of the Chop Life gang in her little way. 

Can we meet you? 

I work as a registered nurse in one of the teaching hospitals in southwest Nigeria caring for patients during and after surgery. I live a triangular life or what do they call it? It’s work, market and church. On some days volleyball court but that’s inside the hospital so it doesn’t count. My life is boring and I do not plan to fix that yet. Well, we can add Twitter to the places I visit. I spend time laughing at gist and banters before they become Instagram headlines.

What’s your monthly income and what’s the payment structure like? Give us an estimate

My income is from my salary and a few writing/content creation gigs here and there when they’re available. Roughly ₦200,000

What are your recurring monthly expenses apart from food?

Apart from food, my younger sister lol. She gets the bulk of my salary. My lifestyle reduces my need to spend. I’m also not big on fashion, I rarely buy clothes and I usually wash and style my natural hair myself as I can hardly find hairdressers who understand hair(natural) care so well. This saves me so much. I only visit them when I need to braid. I have less than 3 close friends so no impromptu asoebi duties. I also cannot relate to the black tax(my mummy still sends me money sef).

The Budget

Give an estimate of how much you spend on food per week, you could run us through your typical food timetable daily. What do you like to eat? If you skip breakfast? Typical hacks you have to cut down food costs e.t.c

I used to stock my house with 25k monthly when I  just started working(a year plus ago).[  This town is relatively cheap( I once bought a huge basket of tomatoes for 3500 when I was travelling home last year, blended, steamed and bottled it and we were begging the tomatoes to finish). Here I can make stew with 1k(shawa 600, tomatoes & pepper 400, veg oil, seasonings etc are already at home). It’s a village, it’s the hospital that made it come alive.] Now that amount has almost tripled. 

I skip breakfast most times(for no reason) and end up buying puff puff. There’s this woman who makes nice ones at the hospital gate. Sometimes I go with a sachet of Nescafé and together with the puff puff that’s my breakfast.  I take food to work a good number of times when I can but I’m about to be more consistent cos buying food is ridiculously expensive these days. (this is the only hack and it’s a recent one) if not I buy food or snacks. I can even go the whole day without eating anything. Maybe that’s one of the reasons why I’m still not fat.

What’s your most recurrent meal and how much does it cost you to prepare?

Spaghetti. Spag 750(currently used to be less), veggies(carrot, green beans, green pepper)-400, chicken(small quantity)/fish-1k or less. The rest stuff is already at home and it serves me 3-4 times depending on how hungry I am.

If you were to eat one particular type of meal for the rest of your life, which would you pick?

 Spaghetti or probably Garri, Lolz! 

Have you ever used your last money to buy food, what’s the motive behind that?

Not sure I’ve ever done that

What’s that one food you can’t eat outside?

I hardly try out new meals whether outside or inside I stick to what I know. So if it’s new and my mind doesn’t agree I will not eat. 

Give us an insight into your weekly food timetable and how much it would cost you to prepare it.

lol, me wey no too dey chop. I make sure garri, sugar, milk and groundnut do not run out. I should have mentioned that earlier self. I drink garri almost every day regardless of what I eat. Make God help me. I drank garri some hours ago sef. I’ve never thought of how much I spend on food per time.

I’ve never given a thought to how much I spend weekly but I can do less than 10k(protein & tomatoes)  depending on what I cook cause half the stuff(rice, beans, yam, oil etc) I need to cook is already at home most times.

Cooking at home and Take-outs or eat-outs which do you prefer and which do you feel is cost-efficient?

Cooking at home oh! Especially in this area, It’s quite cheap

What’s your favourite meal to cook at home and how much does it cost you to prepare?

Same as that spaghetti answer.

Where are your favourite places to eat out or order from in your location when you buy food? (You could list specifics e.g I buy my Jollof rice from Mega Chicken when I’m craving Swallow I get it from The Place)

lol, mega chicken for this village??? For where? There’s a cafeteria that serves the students of one of the schools affiliated with the hospital. Their food is excellent. 

What’s your monthly food budget? Do you sometimes spend more than your budget or are there specifics you put in place to ensure you do not spend more than your monthly food budget? 

I budget 40k, for foodstuff, groceries and cooking. I usually don’t buy rice, tomato paste, salt, seasoning cubes, crayfish, sometimes palm and vegetable oil, spaghetti etc because my mum still waybills this stuff to me like I’m an undergraduate. It’s because of my mum I’m still breathing for this Nigeria economy. Tuale to her

Would you choose your occupation over and over again?

Yes, I would but in saner climates.

If you do not ever have to worry about food again, what else would you use your money to do?

Do I worry about food? lol don’t mind me, I get you ohh! But do I really worry? Well, I’ll buy more data cause outside the triangle, my phone gets my time. I’m intentional about not making more friends( my friends live in different parts of the country, 6-15 hours away) so I rarely go out or talk to anyone.  I’m putting more work into my content creation, so I’d need more data(and more gadgets). I’d also increase the money I give to my sister. 

I’m living one day at a time, thank God you did not ask anything about the next 5 years. Let me survive today first.

Thank you for letting us in on your earnings and how you Chop Life. You too could be a part of the #ChopLifeGeng.