Mother shares her struggle of buying food with just R120
This mother is talking for most parents who feel failed by the system and barely make ends meet to provide food for their kids.
The cost of living has affected most South Africans, who are doing their best to survive their monthly expenses.
And while we see the hustles and people doing their best to stretch their money before the next payday, it can be challenging when you don't have the money and cannot turn to anyone for help.
A South African mother, Natalja, recently shared her struggles online. But she didn't do it to get pity, but to show how R120 got her little to nothing.
Many people came to the comments to share their tips and hacks when grocery shopping on a minimal budget.
I had R120 to feed myself & my daughter. This is what it bought—no full meal. No relief. Everyone says 'be strong' — but strength doesn’t pay for food. I’m not sharing this for pity. I’m sharing it because this needs to be seen!
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Watch the video from TikTok below and see what she got for R120.
@notthatnatalja I had R120 to feed myself & my daughter. This is what it bought. No full meal. No relief. Everyone says “be strong” — but strength doesn’t pay for food. I’m not sharing this for pity. I’m sharing it because this needs to be seen! #costofliving #southafrica #reallife #povertytruth #motherhoodunfiltered #survivaltalk #foodcrisis #realtalk ♬ original sound - Mike Capozzi
This is not about budgeting. This is systematic cruelty dressed up like normal life. Then I feel guilty for complaining about being a mother trying to survive a world that charges you to exist.
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Many people came to the comments with suggestions on how she could approach her shopping with a different mindset.
People suggested buying things like cleaning products in bulk or visiting a small discount store for toiletries. Others suggested buying staples, such as pasta, rice, cheese, flour, etc.
- "Rice, dry beans/lentils, stock cubes, frozen vegetables are all items that will stretch further!"
- "Omg I (thought) it's just me I'm blown away at the till I'm always having to leave stuff behind becos my math doesn't math like the stores math (sic)."
- "For macaroni and spaghetti, you get the cheaper brands for about R11 or R12 each. For cheese, the store by me sells it for about 20 bucks; for Gouda cheese, it depends on how much you want to purchase. As a parent, I know how it is; as I'm also a single parent, you can't stop your child from having a treat."
- "It's good for you to have a snack included. My kids get snacks even if I have to cut on my lunch or something. They don't need to know how hard it really is when they are only kids."
The comments included suggestions on how to help and revealed how many people are struggling to provide for their families.
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