Birmingham is often referred to as one of the world’s greatest shopping districts. In fact, that’s been the case since the “middle ages”! But if someone were on a tight budget – a budget of say, £1 for food – would they be forced to go elsewhere, or could their creativity resourcefulness see them through? I took the liberty of finding out, so you don’t have to!
[1:21]
Every Day’s a Birthday When You’re on a Budget
I had decided to save my £1 for the day until I really needed it. I knew I could search the web for a nearby food-waste rescue organisation, or stalk the discount isle of a large super market for some cheap goods, but, as anyone who’s followed my journey thus far well knows, I’d done those things already. They’re great, and they work, but because life is unpredictable and full of less-than-ideal circumstances I figured it couldn’t hurt to expand my repertoire a bit.
As it happens, there are a fair number of establishments that enjoy celebrating your birthday with you. It wasn’t my birthday, it’s true, but then again I could have done more to celebrate the one I’d already had, so we’ll call this making up for lost time.
I made my way to Crepe Affair and collected my free birthday crepe. There was no need to take out my ID or anything of the sort to prove it was my birthday. Everything was done through the Crepe Affair App, which gives you a redeemable stamp upon creation of an account with the corresponding birth date. I showed the stamp on my phone to the person at the counter, made my choice from their long list of options, and indulged the glory that was my strawberry and chocolate crepe with a full cup of ice-cream on the side. It was an unbelievable amount of food, considering!
[1:56]
Keep an Eye Out for Great Deals. They’re Everywhere!
I took a stroll through the city to walk off the hearty meal and make a plan for the next one. During that time, I wound up stumbling across a sign advertising full-length baguettes for 99p! Sometimes all it takes to find a great deal is keeping an eye on your surroundings. World-famous shopping districts might be full of dishearteningly pricy goods, but that also means businesses have to find creative ways to stick out from the competition. This often leads to some unbelievably good deals. If there was ever going to be a good time to spend my £1, this was it.
I’ll be honest, it wasn’t the most exciting sandwich in the world (unless you’re a fan of tomatoes, lettuce, onions, and baguette), but that’s more or less what one gets for not eating meat, really.
[2:55]
You Can’t Go Wrong with Free Desert
Dinner was all that was left. I would have loved to find some new, exciting means of procuring a meal but I came across another birthday deal, this time from Greggs, and it seemed too delicious to pass on. I went through the familiar steps of creating on account on their app, and this time I was given a QR code to be scanned at the cash register. I grabbed the heartiest baked desert I could find, a large, fluffy, chocolate brownie, and decidedly called it a successful day.
I hope day three was as informative for you as it was for me, but if there’s one thing I’d like you to take away from this it’s that living on a budget doesn’t have to mean going hungry or “eating rough.” These kinds of resources are available almost everywhere when you look closely enough. So, stay vigilant, and don’t be afraid to get a little creative!
