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Since 2020, a stall owner in Malaysia has been selling budget rice packs for a fixed price of S$1.10 (RM3.50).

The rice packs come with different dishes, including chicken and beef.

But if her customers still can't afford it — "Just tell me," Nurul Shima wrote in a Twitter post. "I'll give it to you for free."

She added that giving away two to four packs of budget rice doesn't cost her much business.

"Don't rummage in your pocket, then put the rice back because you don't have enough money," she wrote in Malay.

She also sells sets with seafood like prawns, fish, and squid — albeit not every day, and with varying prices.

Inspired by her childhood

Nurul Shima began selling her budget rice packs, or nasi bajet, during the first round of lockdowns in 2020.

Back then, she was working in food delivery.

But after paying S$2.15 (RM7) for a pack of rice with salted fish and a spoonful of vegetables one day, she began to wonder about the less well-off who couldn't afford such prices.

She then pitched the idea to her husband, who agreed.

Nurul told World of Buzz that she was motivated by her own childhood.

"I didn’t have enough food to eat. I didn’t even have enough money to buy sanitary pads," she said.

"I’ve experienced all that, so I understand what it feels like."

She added that so far, no-one has taken advantage of her generosity to get free food when they could afford to pay.

"I even invite them to visit my stall again in the future," she told World of Buzz.

Still expensive

Despite the RM3.50 price tag, some customers have told her that the rice packs are expensive, Nurul shared.

RM3.50 sebungkus nasi tu pun masih ada yang kata mahal 😞. Lauk bukan setakat ayam & daging. Kadang udang, sotong, lala, ikan, ketam.

Akak dapat balik modal & ada untung ciput pun alhamdulillah.

Memang niat nak bagi orang makan puas hati. Doa tu berharga. pic.twitter.com/ODzMM7zoJu

— Nurul Shima (@NurulShima_3) January 11, 2022

But Nurul said that she only makes a small profit, and in fact earns less than she did in food delivery.

Rather, she sells her rice packs "with the intention of helping people eat and be satisfied".

It also gives her a sense of calm and satisfaction, she added.

"I'm just an ordinary person, nothing special," she wrote in a separate Twitter post.

Top image from Nurul Shima/Twitter