COMMENT | I bought two roti canai for breakfast. Flooded them with dhaal and sprinkled some ikan bilis (fried anchovies) which I requested from the nasi lemak (coconut rice) aunty for that extra crunch. I gobbled it down with a glass of kopi ‘o’ kaw-kaw (thick black coffee). It cost me RM3 in total.

My heavy breakfast usually keeps me full until three-ish in the afternoon. As my stomach begins to grumble, begging to be fed, I’d help myself to coffee and two slices of toast with butter at the office pantry. Occasionally, I’d add slices of banana on my toast – it would keep me going until it’s time for dinner.

Dinner would usually be at my favourite stall in Tanjung Tokong. Sometimes I’d have a plate of pasembor (salad with sweet and spicy peanut sauce), sometimes it's laksa utara (fish-based noodle soup). Both cost RM5. When I get really hungry, then it’s the RM10 plate of special fried rice which comes with chicken and prawns.

Once in a while, when I’ve had an extremely long day, then it’s Domino’s pizza for dinner. Their "Buy 1 Free 2" promotion for a little over RM30 would give me two regular pizzas and a bread product – that would be my dinner for three nights in a row.

This is routine for me.

As a working single mother, every ringgit counts – especially since I am subjected to a compulsory 30 percent salary cut due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Besides my own food, rent, utilities and expenses to pay for, I am also responsible for my university-going children’s expenses and car loans. And having my ten-year-old car breaking down every now and then doesn’t make things any easier for me.

My friend "David" (not his real name) has it ...