Travel Weeks 64-67
I began the New Year with a fast, detox, and diet that did not quite last the entirety of January but should result in a much cheaper than average month. For the detox, I abstained from meat for most of the month, alcohol until the inauguration on January 20, garlic/onion (or other “stimulating” vegetables) for about two weeks, and caffeine for a week. From the meager meal on New Years Eve to my first solid food of 2021, I fasted for 40 hours.
Days 438-468:
| Fruit | Jan 2 | 530 ARS |
| Photocopy | Jan 5 | 10 ARS |
| Salad & Fruit | Jan 5 | 210 ARS |
| Total: | 750 ARS (USD 5.49) |
I ate a lot of fruit (watermelon, grapefruit, apples, bananas, and nectarines) the first week and introduced “watery” salads after a few days of just fruit (watery meaning just lettuce, cucumber and tomato). I was a few days late in making my rent because I didn’t have enough cash to cover it and it is generally difficult to complete any sort of financial services at the beginning of a week/month in Argentina. But after 6 visits to different Western Unions, I was able to get my money. The new exchange rate (132.46 pesos to the dollar is a bit lower than last month’s).
| Rent | 10,000 ARS |
| Total: | USD 75.49 |
| Dairy, Carrots, Fruit | Jan 7 | 540 ARS |
| Beans and Bullion | Jan 8 | 200 ARS |
| Nectarines | Jan 8 | 70 ARS |
| Total: | 810 ARS (USD 6.12) |
Gradually I enrich my daily salads with carrots and green bell peppers plus protein from chickpeas (canned) or black beans (dried). I also start eating yogurt every morning and I go through a liter of fresh milk over the weekend, hand making banana smoothies. The secret weapon of my diet is the daily cup of broth I make from bullion cubes.
| Eggs and Produce | 340 ARS |
| Total: | USD 2.57 |
I introduce cooked vegetables (chard & leek) and eggs into my diet, making soup stock from scratch and the previously purchased black beans. I save the beans for salads and the stock for making egg drop soups and eat all the vegetables.
| Lentils & white pepper | 190 ARS |
| Salad bowl | 120 ARS |
| Vegetable peeler | 190 ARS |
| Professional knife sharpening | 400 ARS |
| 1 kilogram chickpeas | 160 ARS |
| Salad & Bananas | 190 ARS |
| Total: | 1250 ARS (USD 9.44) |
A busy shopping day. Being meatless, I continue to stock up on dried legumes both from Atomo and the Central Mercado. The house had a vegetable peeler but it disappeared in mid December. Tired of mangling my carrots and cucumbers with a dull kitchen knife I both splurged on a new peeler and took my personal knife (which I had purchased back in May/June) to get sharpened. Another notable thing about this house is the total lack of bowls, which make my diet of salads and soups rather difficult. Buying a single oversized glass salad bowl has probably been my best investment in Argentina as I now use it for basically every meal.
| Champagne | 248 ARS |
| Olive Oil (900 mL) | 390 ARS |
| Total: | 638 ARS (USD 4.82) |
I had to go back downtown to pick up my knife the next day, so I went ahead and pulled the trigger on a new bottle of locally made olive oil from the central market and picked up a bottle of champagne a week out from the inauguration because it was looking like there may be reason to pop the cork early with a forced eviction from the White House.
| Vea | 420 ARS |
| Vegetables | 300 ARS |
| Total: | 720 ARS (USD 5.44) |
I’m doing a lot of running around on a day-to-day basis, but I don’t mind because I am making a concerted effort to get my steps in. At the Vea, I buy another week’s supply of yogurt and carrots, new conditioner, and superglue to attempt to repair my the broken band of my step counter. On top of my usual fruits and salad fixing, I pick up beets (30 pesos) and chard (15 pesos) because they are just so cheap.
| Supermarket Vegetables | 315 ARS |
| Total: | USD 2.38 |
I didn’t plan out my weekend very well, so when it came time to get the vegetables for the next round of soup stock, I found myself on a Sunday afternoon when all the greengrocers are closed. So, I overpaid a little to get the tomato, onion, and celery I needed. Fortunately, it must be corn harvesting season, as fresh ears of corn are down to 15 pesos a piece.
| Eggs, grapefruit, and nectarines | 290 ARS |
| Total: | USD 2.19 |
And, I still needed a second trip on Monday to get the rest of my staples. I pay 110 pesos per dozen eggs at the greengrocer, while the supermarkets typically charge 70 pesos per half dozen. The grapefruit, an expensive vice (but I’m eating half a grapefruit a day) is 50% more expensive at the supermarket too.
| Grido Helado (sorbets) | 250 ARS |
| Total: | USD 1.89 |
To accompany the champagne at the dawn of a new era, I go for a half kilo of strawberry, passion fruit, and peach gelatos.
| Carrefour | 704 ARS |
| Fruit & Veg | 280 ARS |
| Empanadas | 100 ARS |
| Total: | 1084 ARS (USD 8.18) |
Having broken the seal of the diet with ice cream and champagne, I bought some ladyfinger-type cookies at the Carrefour (which I had gone to mainly to buy balsamic vinegar) as well as three empanadas for my lunch that day. I also had a bottle of Cabernet for the weekend.
| Carrots and Watermelon | Jan 24 | 140 ARS |
| Eggs, fruit, & Veg | Jan 25 | 400 ARS |
| Vea | Jan 26 | 1040 ARS |
| Total: | 1580 ARS (USD 11.93) |
I suppose it is better to splurge on watermelon to satisfy a lazy Sunday afternoon sweet tooth than gelato. However, by the time I hit up the Vea, I am back to my usual self succumbing to the temptations of discounted peanuts, holiday nougat, and medialunas. As the weather has been unreasonably hot and I am still trying to eat a big bowl of tomato and egg soup every day, I decide to switch my breakfast and dinner for the rest of the week, starting the day with soup and saving the yogurt and fruit for dinner.
| Carrefour | Jan 28 | 670 ARS |
| Starbucks | Jan 28 | 780 ARS |
| Vegetables | Jan 28 | 310 ARS |
| Watermelon + Lettuce | Jan 29 | 200 ARS |
| Cash back | Jan 29 | -400 ARS |
| Total: | 1560 ARS (USD 11.78) |
After my individual celebration of the inauguration, I was asked about when I–the non-Argentinian–was planning to do another asado. So, after some negotiation we decided to do one on the last Friday of the month. I picked up wine, soda water, and Coca-Cola at the Carrefour for the barbecue, but also a brownie mix for myself. I also took care of all the vegetables for grilling, making salad, or dessert (the watermelon). When we added up and split the expenses, I got some money back and I got to finish off the leftovers over the weekend.
| Dried chili | Jan 31 | 100 ARS |
| Atomo | Jan 31 | 283 ARS |
| Carrefour | Jan 31 | 1710 ARS |
| Mailho Gelato | Jan 31 | 400 ARS |
| Vea | Feb 1 | 1360 ARS |
| Total: | 3853 ARS (USD 29.09) |
These expenses are most because I got it into my head that I wanted to make a big pot of chili, which involved passing by the central market only to discover that my spice stand didn’t have the whole dried chilis I remember seeing before and that the other bulk dried goods sellers were closed for Sunday, so I still needed to swing by the Atomo to see if they had porotos colorados (red beans), which they didn’t, but I went ahead and picked up a bottle of wine, popcorn and more chili flakes. On the other hand, I decided I wanted to eat oatmeal/muesli/granola in the mornings and I had to go to two different Carrefours because for some reason the smaller one is better stocked than the bigger one. Monday morning, I swing by the Vea to pick up the final ingredients for chili, buying more meat (2 kg and 720 pesos) than I can actually fit in the pot so I end up not even adding the can of beans I resorted to buying at Carrefour.
This month ($176.81) was not as cheap as I was hoping. The few peso difference in the exchange rate added up and I really let loose in the last few days of the month, account for 17% of the months expenses.
Running Total: 6514.08 USD (RMB 42132)
Daily Average: 13.92 USD (RMB 90)