Unnecessary Necessities?

As soon as I saw this week's prompt, the first thing that practically screamed in my mind was....

Food

I know that more than anything, as a college student who is staying in a dorm where cooking is not allowed, the bulk of my money would have to go into purchasing food. Worse since I’m in an environment that is well aware of the students populating the area, then you can trust that prices for the most basic type of feeding without any ostentation, are way off the roof.

My safest bet because of all of these was to stock up on provisions. Different types of cereal, beverages, fruit juice, crackers and the like would more or less create an alternative but mostly affordable type of feeding. I’ve got a health condition that requires me to not just eat a lot but to be cautious of the kind of food I’m eating.

So, I’m putting all of these into consideration, drawing costs, making analysis and I conclude that if I can buy normal food from these restaurants outside school about once or twice, I can supplement the other times I need to have food in my mouth by eating from the provisions I’ve bought.

Everything seems to be going quite well now that I’ve sort of cracked the code in ensuring I eat right and spend right, but there’s another thing I noticed after several weeks of observation which is the cost of the provisions themselves. Since in this part of the world you could buy something for a particular price and return the next week to see almost double that price if not more, I usually feel the compulsion to buy more.

The thoughts run through my head. This is the amount of money you have. This is how important eating in this particular pattern is. What if you go next time and you can’t afford it? What are you going to do then? How will you cope? And I start imagining all sorts of bizarre events that I feel are exaggerated but kind of do the magic in my head and before you know it, I am buying way more than I should.

Eating a little bit into my tuition once made me realize that I had to cut down on my groceries. While it is factual that these things are indeed increasing in price as the day progresses, buying too much has its line of negative effects. It’s something that I’ve not yet perfected but I’m working towards it. What’s the best way that I can eat right and still not feel like I’m spending too much?

Hair/Skincare Products

Now where do I start? I have quite a sensitive skin. The slightest change in any of my skin products from bathing soaps to lotion or scrubs could cause a long line of effects like acne, uneven skin tone or incessant sweating. But then over the years, the different brands could change in their ingredients or maybe I unknowingly buy an original product and before I know it, I’ve got to buy way more products to rectify whatever damage the previous product had done.

And the same goes for hair. Keeping virgin hair is usually more tasking and even more expensive to maintain than relaxed hair. So since keeping the hair is my choice, there’s a struggle to maintain it. Buying and trying out different products to combat hair breakage, or promote soft texture and good length. And through it all, I ask myself, “Are you not doing too much?” Of course, I know that if I want to have the best, I should be prepared to bear the cost that comes with having the best.

I can’t eliminate any of these expenses so I’ve got to find a way to reduce them so that the mental and of course, financial strain doesn’t become too much to bear. There’s none of them I can do without and the importance of having them is all quite clear to me so the ways I can improve, especially for the hair and skin is finding the most compatible products and sticking by them. And for food is letting go of that fearful thought process, getting what is needed and tailoring my pattern of eating to fit what is necessary.

This week’s KISS has been a delight to reflect on. What are your experiences with necessary expenditures?

Jhymi🖤

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_{All images are mine.}

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