A Rainy Day Market Experience: From Lemons to Fish – Everything Within Budget

Hello dear friends,
I hope you all are doing well and spending a beautiful life with your loved ones. I wish you all happiness and peace.

For the past several weeks, lemons had almost disappeared from the local market. Continuous rainfall made it difficult for farmers to collect lemons from the trees. Perhaps that’s why the supply dropped sharply. I’m someone who eats lemon and cucumber almost every day—so being without lemons was quite frustrating.

This evening, after finishing work, I stopped by the market. To my surprise, I finally saw some lemons on the stalls. I quickly asked the price. The seller replied, “20 taka per four pieces.” The lemons were quite small for that price! At first, I didn’t want to buy them, but then I thought—these sellers also have to pay high prices to bring them here. So I bought a small pack anyway.

Rain has not only affected lemons but also the green chili market. A few weeks ago, the price of green chili had skyrocketed to 400 taka per kilogram. Out of frustration, I stopped buying it altogether. But today, in front of my office, I saw fresh green chilies selling for 160 taka per kg. I was happy to see the price come down, so I bought 250 grams. Finally, it felt like the market was cooling down a bit.

Next, I checked the tomatoes. Their price had also gone up recently, but today I managed to buy them for 100 taka per kg—which was quite reasonable. It felt like most vegetables were slowly returning to normal prices.

Since everything seemed to be within budget today, I decided to buy some fish too. I chose pabda fish—one of my favorites. The seller said it was 350 taka per kilogram, so I took one kilo without hesitation.

I also bought sugarcane sugar (akh’er chini), which is becoming rare these days. The shopkeeper said, “Good quality sugarcane sugar is hard to find now.” It was 180 taka per kg, a bit pricey but worth it for the taste. And finally, I bought bananas—20 taka per four pieces.

All together, today’s shopping felt really satisfying. In recent months, going to the market had become stressful due to the high prices of everything. But today, for the first time in a while, I felt relaxed. It was like a small win against inflation.

The continuous rain and unpredictable weather have caused serious trouble for farmers. Many crops are being damaged before they can be harvested, which directly affects the market. Still, it’s a relief to see that prices are starting to stabilize again.

For an ordinary buyer like me, days like this bring real joy. When I return home after buying everything within my budget, it feels like a small achievement. Lemon, chili, tomato, fish—everything felt just right today.

Market prices will always rise and fall—that’s a part of life. Sometimes we pay more, sometimes less. But moments like today remind me that patience pays off. When things finally balance out, it makes everyday life a little easier and a lot more peaceful.