Five things I've learnt preparing for this trip.

As departure day looms closer, I thought I'd share some realisations I've made over the last six months or so.

1. It's amazing what you can make out of things in your cupboard when you put your mind to it.
The end result might not taste amazing, but when you have limited resources at your finger tips, you can deal with it. It was almost like I had created my own version of a Mystery Box challenge, trying to utilise all the items in my cupboard before I leave. I didn't push the boundaries too far but a combination of tinned tuna, cheesy packet rice and frozen vegetables is something you probably wouldn't find in any conventional recipe book.


2. Attempting to be fashionable is expensive.
A couple of months ago one of my workplaces was robbed and a heap of things were taken, including a stack of clothes I had in my bag. It was only when I looked up replacement value and receipts of the items I had taken that I realise how much money I had spent on the clothes I wear every day. The thing that was perhaps the most concerning was even though I had these clothes taken, for most the part I had completely suitable and wearable alternative/backup versions already. For some reason I had obviously felt compelled to buy new shoes, new business attire, and so on, for no practical reason at all. I don't want to get all 'Fight Club' anti-consumerist here, but it was a bit of a shock, and also annoying know that a pair of pair of shoes I probably didn't need could have paid for a couple of nights accommodation overseas, for example.


3. Photography is still really hard.
It seems to be a bit of a common ideology that photography is so much easier these days with the advent of digital cameras. Perhaps, but there's still so, so much to learn, especially if you move off 'auto mode'. Maybe the whole "dealing with film" thing is making things a bit easier, but that challenge is closed to replaced by the amount of skills and processes one needs to learn in regards to digital editing. As someone who's really just starting off in trying to be serious with photography, I feel I've only just scratched the surface.


4. Pets have little appreciation for your schedule.
Whether I worked late or not, whether I had to go to sleep early, or whether I was running late for work, my dog Diego would still want to play, go outside, be sick on the carpet and a range of other pet demands. And, of course, he would always get his way. On the upside, hanging out with your pet on a weekend night when you're trying to save money feels that much less anti-social than it would if you were alone.

5. Some things aren't worth saving money on.
Sometimes on my grocery shopping trips I would get into "saving money mode" and look to buy the cheapest version of every product I needed. On one such trip to the shops, I opted for the cheapest brand of toilet paper available. Single ply home-brand. I probably saved about 20 cents. I think my friend Harry summed it up best when he said something along the lines of "There's saving money... and there's that". Needless to say, the quality of toilet paper in my house returned to normal levels soon after.