DianaCheap bread in the ghetto
May 28th 2008 04:19
You know, Ilive in a funny part of Melbourne. Well, maybe all suburbs have got a contrast between a 'good' bit and 'bad'bit, you know what I mean. But where I Iive there is this massive contrast between rich and poor.
You know when they staged the Olympics in this fair city all those years ago, the government built this 'amazing' village for the athletes? Well,this has now become one of our cities biggest ghettos.
Yeah, I kid you not. Lovely, concrete-sheet government style houses, rotting, tilting and leaking. You can see them in any city of the world, but we have them here.
They are not great and they house public housing residents for admittedly a cheap enough rent.
But.
At the other end of the street from this budget-priced mouldy old loserville is millioniares paradise. Massive, descreet, genuine period homes some on acreages; in-between are nice middle-class cal-bungs or red-brick 1940's lovelies (mine included).
Now, several years ago when I was struggling with money issues and screaming kids around my legs, I used to go down to the 'cheap shops' at the poor end of town. It was amazing what you could get for your dollar.
Tody, I re-visited this lovable area (from which are drawn many of my students, by the way)
and bought a loaf of bread for $1.90 (aussie) and a few other things for a ridiculous cheap price.
A few blocks up the road the same loaf is $2.70. Everything else of course is pricier.
The nicer shops are nicer. Many people would not be seen dead there.
The cheaper shopping strip is ghastly. But interesting. And cheap.
But it is immoral of me to wander around masquerading as 'poor' when I'm not really, just short of cash. Is it wrong? It always feels odd. It doesn't fit right.
But while I got a cash flow problem I'm gonna keep getting my bread there at least.
Also the pawn shops look helpful.
Has anyone out there sold stuff to pawn shops to raise food money for their family?
You know when they staged the Olympics in this fair city all those years ago, the government built this 'amazing' village for the athletes? Well,this has now become one of our cities biggest ghettos.
Yeah, I kid you not. Lovely, concrete-sheet government style houses, rotting, tilting and leaking. You can see them in any city of the world, but we have them here.
They are not great and they house public housing residents for admittedly a cheap enough rent.
But.
At the other end of the street from this budget-priced mouldy old loserville is millioniares paradise. Massive, descreet, genuine period homes some on acreages; in-between are nice middle-class cal-bungs or red-brick 1940's lovelies (mine included).
Now, several years ago when I was struggling with money issues and screaming kids around my legs, I used to go down to the 'cheap shops' at the poor end of town. It was amazing what you could get for your dollar.
Tody, I re-visited this lovable area (from which are drawn many of my students, by the way)
and bought a loaf of bread for $1.90 (aussie) and a few other things for a ridiculous cheap price.
A few blocks up the road the same loaf is $2.70. Everything else of course is pricier.
The nicer shops are nicer. Many people would not be seen dead there.
The cheaper shopping strip is ghastly. But interesting. And cheap.
But it is immoral of me to wander around masquerading as 'poor' when I'm not really, just short of cash. Is it wrong? It always feels odd. It doesn't fit right.
But while I got a cash flow problem I'm gonna keep getting my bread there at least.
Also the pawn shops look helpful.
Has anyone out there sold stuff to pawn shops to raise food money for their family?
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Comment by Iustitia
What is the issue with shopping there? Why not? You are supporting businesses that may struggle ... be assured that the shop owners are probably not living in the wealthiest of suburbs!
As to "pawn" shops (now sexily renamed "Cash Converters" or "Trade o Rama" etc ... I guess they fulfill a function as lenders of last resort, but what expensive lenders they are.
Comment by Matra_Familias