Adventures at the market|| How to beat the economy at its game|| Diary Game 10th January 2026||

How do you deal with the rising cost of consumables and the dropping weight of the naira due to inflation.
Welcome once again to my diary session. Today I’m taking you on a market tour and also sharing valuable tips on how to deal with these issues.

Thanksgiving is around the corner and my department has been tasked with a quota of getting half bag of beans, and other food condiments. I have been assigned to go to the market, bargain the prices and get the foodstuffs. My first stop is the chicken market. Here I watch as my mum bargains the price of chicken with intending customers. Once a price is settled for, they begin the process of preparing it.

At the chicken frontiers

I move straight into my business of today.

First to the fruits section. I wanted to get some garlic, cabbages, carrots, and onions but the price of these goods made me shout and rethink my decision as I had come with a budget and was not about to spend above it. I tried seller after seller pricing, haggling, same thing over again with another vendor. At the end, I could only get my garlic from this vendor. The other fruits I would get from another section of this market.

My amazed face!!

The increase in price of these goods did not deter me in the least as I forged on to get the other items on my list. Next was the beans seller. He is a wholesale rice/beans seller and he came highly recommended by my mother, but on getting to his shop, he seemed to think i was a Jonny just come and wanted to exploit me. I had to ask my mum to intervene in the matter. After their usual back and forth of “ if you don’t sell to me, I’ll go buy from another person” they finally agreed to a price.

• Have you ever witnessed this kind of scene between your mother and her favorite vendor???

It’s always fun to watch as my mum would beat the price of the item into half before they start going up😂😂
While they bargained, I took a picture of this man labouring to make an honest living.

He will never know how proud of him i was, that a young man chose an honest way of living to survive though it was hard.

At the beans shop

Here are a few valuable tips I gleaned from my time at the market;

• Buy in bulk : this helps you save so much money than buying one at a time.

• Buy from the main markets and also buy from wholesale vendors: These people sell their products at prices that are lower than that of the retailers. One instance where I needed a particular hair cream, sure enough prices are different from the whoelsaler’s end. It may seem like small money until you put them together.

• Never take the stated price for the final say: There is always plenty rom for price negotiations. Also, there’s someone who can fit your budget. This isn’t a fixed rule as price of items in the market experience fluctuations due to demand and supply, still, don’t settle for the first price.

• Also, be ready to go to different vendors who sell the same items. Over time, I’ve found out that prices of a product is always either slightly lower or higher at different shops. You can get things a bit less expensive. You’ll never know this until you walk around a bit.

• It always helps to buy from a recommended store or shop: The recommender already has a standing relationship with the seller and this can benefit you in getting a discount on the prices of goods you intend to buy. Also, the recommender has used the product of that vendor and can attest to its authenticity and in Nigeria, referrals is such a big way people sell goods.

Which of these points did you find helpful, which do you / will you try on your next visit to the market ???
All images taken with my device.