A Post About Grocery Shopping | Claire

Hello, all!

EXAM PERIOD IS AT ITS END! 

I (Claire) finished last Wednesday, after having 4 essays due in 3 days (living the fast life), and Grace finished today! For all of you who have also finished, congratulations! May your days be spent in bed binge watching Netflix/Stan/Presto (ok, let's be honest. We're all using Netflix, aren't we?) as your life is free from academia once more. 

And to those of you who are still going, YOU CAN DO IT. But ugh, studying is the worst, isn't it? Remember to take breaks and don't work yourself too hard. Passing is important but so is your health. 

With swotvac and exam period, we were two very busy bees. So much so, that by the end of last week we had no washing powder, had squeezed the last bit of toothpaste out of the tube, and all we had to eat were 2 minute noodles, soup, and mac and cheese. All great food options, but not ideal to live off. When you have so many essays to write, grocery shopping just doesn't seem like an option. So last Friday morning, when I was enjoying the start of my Uni break and Grace had a couple days until her next one, we wrote a list, took our personal shopping trolley (this nifty thing from ikea), and set off to our closest Coles. 

Now, if you haven't already gathered, Grace and I live out of home, and so grocery shopping is up to us. Planning meals is probably the hardest part of independent living, as well as finding the time to go to the supermarket (check out  part one of Grace's adventures in the kitchen here). However, grocery shopping is Grace's favourite time of the week, and I will have to agree. You see, we have a routine. Every Saturday morning we clean the apartment (somewhat) and then we go grocery shopping. This is the same routine our Mum has back at home, which we helped with and carried through with us here. (Thanks, Mum <3) 

We really enjoy grocery shopping, but we are not sure why. Is it the freedom to put whatever food you want in the trolley without someone to say no? (Kind of. We still stop each other from getting unnecessary food items from time to time. Remember to keep an eye on that budget!) Or is it the "adult-ness" of it? It is all so grown up, doing your own grocery shopping. We think this must be it. 

Moving to Melbourne and having our own apartment/routine in the city is something we have always looked forward to while in high school. Is that weird? Perhaps we watched too many movies/TV shows growing up. But which TV show glorifies being an adult? Because Suddenly 30 (That's 13 Going on 30 for you non-Australians), definitely doesn't. Maybe it's our love of watching YouTubers and their vlogs... 

Nonetheless, trivial things like going grocery shopping makes us happy! It's like we have control of our lives, and being twins, I guess being independent is more important to us... even if we are being independent together, it's more like we get to ease into it together. Grace has been doing the independent life longer than I have, since I was at a residential college on campus last year and all of my food was prepared for me (shout out to the kitchen staff!), so we help each other. 

If you have made it this far with a post about grocery shopping, we love your dedication!

We don't have that many tips with grocery sopping, other than always look for specials, and even then, check all the price tags and see what the cheapest option is. Just because it is on special, doesn't mean it is the cheapest option. Also, try and plan your meals for the week before you go. That way you can stay focused and get what you need, as well as get in and out of there without wasting 10 minutes staring at a shelf. 

All in all, we appreciate the trivial things in life. We are so happy, and lucky, to be able to living in Melbourne and have this as our life. Like, we are living the dream, basically. Living in Melbourne with jobs, great friends, and studying what we love at a University we love. We are so grateful to have these opportunities. So yeah, we are happy we get to go grocery shopping. It means we are growing up and are at a place where we can afford to do that. Which is pretty special. 

Now that we are on Uni break, let's see if we post more! Here's to hoping!

Stay Gold,

Claire x

A Day In the Life: SWOTVAC Edition | Grace

Follow Grace around as she conquered a day of SWOTVAC, or as we like to call it, swot-WHACK. (I know, we're very funny), through a series of snapchats. And when you're done, give our individual snapchat accounts a follow for more looks into the daily lives of uni students living that Melbourne life.

Okay now... go!

I started work at 7am and it was freezing! I don't mind the early start, though. It means that I can get a lot more done in the day. 

After work I went home and changed, then Claire and I went into the city and met our fabulous friend, Miriam, for some lunch. We decided to try out Journal, which is next to the Melbourne City Library in Flinders Lane. I ordered a pot of English Breakfast because I don't usually have time to enjoy my morning cup of tea in the mornings I start work early, and the mushroom bruschetta, which was one of the specials for the day. I am so obsessed with mushrooms right now. I cannot get enough! 

As exams are coming up, we decided that we should actually do some study today, and hey, studying isn't so bad if you do it with friends! So we went to the Starbucks across from QV in Swanston St, where we set up camp like the other Uni students that were there studying, and did some work for a few hours. I was working on my American History revision essay/exam, just going over what I had written the day before and editing here and there. Something casual as I knew that I would probably get distracted being with Miriam, as she is one of my best friends. 

Then of course, there is the multiple journeys on the Melbourne Metro service. Nothing too exciting here.

(Boots: Target, two years ago (similar) | Boot Socks: Cotton On | Jeans: Cotton On, last year)

Also, totally not planned was me rushing to the bank at 4:30 in the afternoon trying to sort out an issue with my online banking. I totally felt like a real adult though, guys! I did not freak out at all and I handled the situation very maturely. Our Mum is so proud. Go Grace!

And of course, because it is SWOTVAC and today was a kind of Treat Yo' Self kind of day, Claire and I finally decided to satsify our multiple-weeks-long craving for donuts, and bought a Krispy Kreme each to enjoy as a dessert. Of course, while doing more studying. 

And there you go! Thanks for following along. Let us know if you enjoyed it and would like to see more posts like this. If you just CANNOT POSSIBLY WAIT (wow, enthusiasm), for another post to see what we get up to during our days, you should probably add us on Snapchat, because we post many many snaps a day. 

Grace: gracefulwhitex

Claire: clairencew

Until next time,

Stay gold!

Grace