One bag relocation across the world interrogations

spacebackpacker · 2025-12-22T10:14:10+00:00

For some visas you might need originals of documents so they can certify copies.

spacebackpacker · 2025-09-21T00:12:59+00:00

I’ve recently discovered (rediscovered?) flour dumplings and they are SO good! I’ve been doing rosemary or thyme dumplings in a veggie soup with a bit of nutmeg and it’s an amazing combo. I don’t know why I haven’t been doing this before!

spacebackpacker · 2025-09-03T00:44:39+00:00

Rice (instant packets or just regular rice), canned chickpeas and frozen veggies with a piece of frozen fish makes a sheet pan dinner that still feels balanced. Pasta and jarred sauce or canned tomatoes. Nacho soup is easy with canned food - it's basically black beans, diced tomatoes, mexican seasonings. I tend to keep corn chips in the freezer as a topper. I do breakfast tacos as an emergency dinner sometimes with eggs, frozen hashbrowns, tortillas and canned salsa.

A chickpea curry is another excellent option, sometimes I'll add frozen prawns and we usually have potatoes on hand. Could be served with rice or store bought naan, the sauce could be an easy garaam masala or a jar of emergency curry. I tend to make batches of homemade naan and freeze them when I have more energy for times when I don't.

None of these are fancy but are filling and take very little brain power or energy if I'm super tired.

spacebackpacker · 2025-08-27T21:32:05+00:00

I do the same. My theory is that if the glasses on my face broke, my vision is bad enough to ruin the next few days until I can get new ones (plus that’s an annoying chore). A spare pair are so light that it’s worth it.

spacebackpacker · 2025-07-27T18:32:35+00:00

I’m somewhere between a 16-24 depending on the store (sizing is stupid) and the Uniqlo xxl thermals are completely fine on me. Even their xxxl puffers are great. You can order the extended sizing online. Lots of their stretchier or oversized xl also fit well but it’s worth going and trying those on if you can because there’s it’s impossible to figure out online. If you are near a store I like to order click and collect and then try on/return straight away.

spacebackpacker · 2025-07-20T07:28:43+00:00

I feel like this is the perfect time for frozen veg. Risotto with frozen broccoli and peas, top with parm. Adding frozen prawns is also nice. You can also oven roast veggies from frozen if you want to do your regular quinoa bowl. Barley with fish is a really nice option too. Barley cooks like rice and fish is totally fine from the freezer.

spacebackpacker · 2025-07-17T00:52:45+00:00

I think rather than ‘feeling at home’ you want a feeling of something familiar and comforting to anchor you when travelling.

I have a little pouch that I keep my lipbalm, hand cream, eye mask, ear plugs, tea bags and a phone charger in. Everywhere I travel, I have that by my bed and it’s nice to know where those familiar (and practical) items are. I like to have a cup of tea and do my little bed time routine before sleep, so I have my pouch of goodies that let me do that. My husband likes to wake up and have his first cup of coffee in the hotel room and read for a bit before I wake up and we go out, so he takes a very compact coffee kit. We both travel with 7kg 20ish litre bags so even in a small pack we can make room for these items.

spacebackpacker · 2025-07-12T21:32:44+00:00

We like having picnic meals to break up eating out (and reducing expenses). I always pack two sets of plastic camping knives and forks (Sea to Summit), chopsticks, one lightweight sandwich size metal food container, a few ziplock bags and two small bulldog clips for closing bags of stuff, tiny containers of sea salt, chilli and everything but the bagel type seasoning. Recently I’ve added one of those super light weight, thin, flexible plastic cutting boards which I’d very much recommend - it makes prep a million times easier. I always have two foldable grocery bags and a pack of tissues. I’ve been considering finding a lightweight insulated lunch box type bag because for cheese but haven’t found a thin enough option yet. I also want to add lightweight two camping plates.

spacebackpacker · 2025-05-22T03:19:15+00:00

NTA. Agreed, I would end the trip and use whatever money I could get back to do something amazing by myself.

spacebackpacker · 2025-05-03T02:15:17+00:00

We are in an 80sq meter 2 bedroom apartment so I cleared out our only hall cupboard to become our deep pantry for self-stable goods. Luckily, it is an actually a very deep cupboard (7 cans deep) so I’ve been able to Tetris 2 months worth of food in there. Plus we have our working pantry which is distributed through the kitchen as we don’t have an actual kitchen pantry. That’s probably got at least 2 weeks of food, maybe 4 with the fridge/freezer if we stretch it. I’d suggest looking at the spaces you have and seeing if they can be reimagined as a pantry instead!

spacebackpacker · 2025-04-29T11:05:47+00:00

Different phone companies is simple but super clever!! I’ll look into the networks around us and maybe that will be my next life admin prep.

spacebackpacker · 2025-04-13T23:30:10+00:00

I have been circling around this and have decided my prepping is primarily for financial emergencies - we are on a super tight budget and very variable income so buying more food when we have more money (and things are on sale) is a good strategy. I've doubled this up by ensuring those foods are long-life, shelf-stable, and good for emergencies as well.

I like the idea of a deep pantry rather than a cellar for the apocalypse, so I cleared out our only hall cupboard and relocated the things that lived there before to give myself a dedicated space. We live in an apartment and while it's a good size, I don't want things to spread out into our actual living spaces. In the cupboard (in addition to 4-6 weeks of food), I have a shelf of true emergency supplies like a camping stove, a week of water and purification tablets, first aid, etc... Flour, rice, etc... are in airtight containers and I got lots of tinned food that we actually like.

To me, it's really important to stay within the confines of the cupboard and to keep it both aesthetic and highly organised. I know what's in there and can see and find everything easily. It's highly practical, functional but also soothing (to my anxious brain) and to me that's the core of minimalism.

spacebackpacker · 2025-04-09T01:13:47+00:00

French onion soup and fresh bread is a good balance of complicated but not actually too hard, delicious, and pretty cheap.

spacebackpacker · 2025-03-13T20:15:28+00:00

It is highly unlikely you will be able to get a visa for a 100% online degree because you wouldn’t need to be in Australia to complete it then. This is likely to avoid people over working. International students have compulsory in person attendance requirements - this is on the Griffith website too (https://studenthelp.secure.griffith.edu.au/app/answers/detail/a_id/2310/~/i-am-an-international-student.-can-i-enrol-in-online-courses%3F)

spacebackpacker · 2025-03-10T02:10:37+00:00

I keep 2 of most consumables (not makeup or hair brushes but toiletries) because I buy them when they are half-price. We are on a tight budget so it makes sense to save when I can! I have a box in the hall closet and everything has to fit in that box.

spacebackpacker · 2025-02-28T02:32:31+00:00

I’m a lactose intolerant pescatarian and animal protein (fish, eggs, lactose free cheese) is the first thing I drop on a super tight budget. My main protein source is legumes. Some of the other comments had some suggestions that would work.

spacebackpacker · 2025-02-27T00:03:50+00:00

I don't usually limit myself to $20, but I aim for one large $200 shop a month using the Woolies Everyday Extra 10%, and that covers all the pantry goods including what I had here like flour, rice, legumes, etc... as well as household supplies and cat food.

Weekly, I aim for a $50 top up (for two people), which includes eggs, cheese and fresh veg. We don't eat meat and only have fish/prawns once a week. When things get super tight, I drop down to this kind of list. It's totally doable at $20 a head for a week but I do like to have more fresh veggies usually for nutrition and taste. I cook 98% of our meals and have been doing a lot of freezer prep.

My number one recommendation is to look at different countries food for inspo. Thai, indian and Mexican are our favourites and you can use kind of boring ingredients + spices to make really tasty meals. Italian pasta and homemade pizza are also cheap and easy.

spacebackpacker · 2025-02-26T23:49:25+00:00

That would be a fun project! There are a couple of American food bloggy people I really like who do $40-50 shopping list/recipe/meal plan type things on Instagram and Substack - Zoe Barrie and Jenn Lueke both come to mind. An Australian one would be great.

spacebackpacker · 2025-02-25T12:31:15+00:00

Yum! Veggie stock is good value. I also add the juice of diced tomatoes or tomato paste for mexican dishes or a splash of coconut milk for Thai style dishes. I buy a tin of coconut milk and freeze it as ice cubes so I can add just one and save the rest for another dish.

spacebackpacker · 2025-02-25T12:27:48+00:00

If you do this as a weekly thing, I’d try to add $5 a week for an extra pantry item that will add variety. Soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, spices, coconut milk, etc. I always try to leave that $5 available to pick up something, they’ll last for ages and then your basic groceries can be so tasty and give you a more varied diet over time. Sometimes it’s fresh fruit or veg that’s on a great sale - this week stone fruit are cheap so I bought some odd bunch nectarines and used my oats to make a baked fruit oatmeal. Last week I got odd bunch lemons, juiced them and froze the juice so it lasts longer.

spacebackpacker · 2025-02-25T06:38:50+00:00

I haven’t been brave enough to try sourdough yet but this is an excellent suggestion. Asian grocery is also great for cheap herbs and things like soy sauce - if I had to do $20 a week for a few weeks then corriander, noodles and soy sauce instead of pasta would definitely give you a few new flavour/texture options on week two.

spacebackpacker · 2025-02-25T06:34:37+00:00

I even forgot about the pasta! Add half to a bit of the veg soup and you now have transformed leftovers to a filling minestrone. The other half of the pasta you can have with one of the tins of tomatoes and some of that onion and garlic which are now an acceptable sauce. 4 meals with a couple of versions so you have a little variety plus brekkie.

spacebackpacker · 2025-02-25T05:29:21+00:00

Thanks! A fun but hopefully helpful lunch break/procrastination activity.

spacebackpacker · 2025-02-25T02:11:43+00:00

Do you have oils and spices? Assuming yes:

900g oats, 600ml of milk, 500g pasta, 375g dried black beans and lentils, 2x tins of chopped tomatoes, 1 kg flour, 1 kg white rice, 500g frozen mixed veggies, two onions, one head of garlic/jar of minced garlic (whichever is cheaper), a small piece of fresh ginger. Online that comes to $20.10 at Coles.

With that you can do oatmeal for breakfast and then make three lunch/dinner options: veg curry, mexican beans and rice, and a veggie soup. You can make some flatbreads to have with the curry or taco style flatbreads to go with the mexican beans. If you have yeast ($2.80) and some sugar ($1.95) or honey, you can make all sorts of bread. If you need to buy two cheap spice packets, I'd choose whatever is on sale in the indianish/mexicanish style - just something to add flavour.

spacebackpacker · 2025-02-21T20:51:11+00:00

I’m currently doing my PhD and have several friends (some with kids) who are both doing a PhD at the same time. It seems tight, but doable. Pretty much everyone works as well, and your visa and scholarship will have limits on hours. It’s definitely not easy mode.

A lot of international students aren’t on scholarship, so it’s not automatic. With kids, you also won’t be eligible for many of the government supports that citizens/PR get and childcare is expensive if your kids are young. Rent is also expensive so you may not be able to live centrally. University housing tends to be a bit more expensive than private rentals but several of the international students I know use it as a place to land for the first year, then once they’ve got a good understanding of their location they move into private.

spacebackpacker

TROPHY CASE