Eat only at home
When you come to a cafe, when you order a dish, you also pay for the rent of a hall with tables, the salary of the cook, waiter, and dishwasher. All this is already included in the price of the meal.
At the same time, if you eat at home, it will be 3-4 times cheaper than even the cheapest cafe.
Plan your diet in advance
Very often food spoils at home because you don’t have time to eat it. It turns out that money is being thrown away. In order not to spend a lot of money on food, you need to plan your diet from what you already have in the refrigerator.
If you want homemade cutlets, then let them be cutlets, but next time you can make meatballs for soup from the remaining minced meat. If you choose a salad, then the next day you should make a stew.
Don't pay for unnecessary services
The buyer pays extra for each reseller through which the products pass. At the same time, you cannot come to the wholesale center and buy goods at the minimum price. To do this, you need to be a reseller or buy in bulk.
Each resale from resellers is an additional markup. Therefore, the smaller the chain, the cheaper you will buy products. It is best to purchase goods at the market or in large chain stores.
It is better to avoid shopping in convenience stores. These locations have lights on 24/7, and salespeople are paid extra for night shifts. Now the sale of alcohol in the evening is prohibited, and this brought great profit to the stores. All these expenses were included in the prices of the products.
Buy seasonal
If the product is not in season, the seller increases the price due to delivery, storage, or shortage. It is better to track and buy what is growing now. For example, November is the season for apples, cabbage, onions, spinach, carrots, zucchini and eggplant.
Don't follow fashion
Buy simple products, as they are no worse than imported ones, and very often even tastier. So, carrots, beets, radishes are called simple food. This is due to the fact that they are grown in the Russian Federation. At the same time, products that are called delicacies in our country can be simple food in their native countries and vice versa.
If you want something new, you can simply choose an unusual recipe.
What products can you buy for 5 thousand rubles?
For soups and main courses, you can take four chicken carcasses - 720 rubles.
Two kilograms of minced chicken - 400 rubles
Five kilograms of potatoes - 100 rubles
Five packs of pasta - 500 rubles
Bread, buying gradually - 300 rubles
Three kilograms of flour - 90 rubles
Three kilograms of millet - 75 rubles
Five dozen eggs - 290 rubles
Tea - 100 rubles
Three kilograms of rice - 160 rubles
Three kilograms of buckwheat - 201 rubles
It turns out about 3 thousand rubles. We have listed the most popular products. You can prepare soup or a main course. You can bake pancakes, eat pasta and cereals. At the same time, there are still two thousand rubles left in stock.
Interesting facts about food
The largest dish in the world is roasted camel. It is stuffed with lamb, which in turn is stuffed with chicken, which is stuffed with fish, which is stuffed with eggs. This dish is prepared at a Bedouin wedding.
In one day, McDonald's is visited by approximately 30 million Americans.
One kilogram of potatoes costs 200 times less than the same amount of chips.
The only product that never spoils and remains edible for up to three thousand years is honey.
Many people are interested in how to live on 5,000-6,000 rubles a month; the menu for families with any income has become more modest. Moreover, with virtually no change in the amount of expenses. According to the RIA rating, the share of food costs in the average Russian family in 2014 was 28%. Residents of Ukraine – 56%. This is the highest figure among European countries. The population of Luxembourg spends less than 9% of their income on food.
It is obvious that in a rich country the share of food costs in the family budget is less than in poor countries. But don’t change your place of residence because of this and live away from family and friends, with nostalgia for your native spaces. Therefore, it is better to learn to save on food, without radically changing your taste preferences, and without harm to your health. Believe me, this is quite possible, even if you live alone or together.
Rational people have long developed a formula for a successful life - not to overpay even for small things. And even with high incomes, when buying products, they pay attention to the cost. After all, in one store chicken costs 103 rubles per 1 kg, and in another - 98 rubles, although they were raised by the same manufacturer and sold in the same packaging. The cost of pasta and rice of the same quality, but from different manufacturers, differs by 2 times. As a result, thrifty and prudent people always have enough money. They are free to choose a solution to any issue. Spending sparingly does not mean limiting your desires. Continue reading the article and you will learn a lot of interesting things about how to eat economically using simple recipes and a grocery list.
Saving is accurate calculation and the ability to find and use the necessary information
In 2016, a historically low inflation of 5.4% was recorded, but as always, the average person did not notice this, but on the contrary, actually felt a decrease in the standard of living. What to expect from 2017? Of course, not a reduction in prices, but a slight increase in them. Exchange rate fluctuations will also contribute. Therefore, the issue of saving remains relevant.
To live for a month on 5,000 rubles together, first of all, you need to exclude meals in public catering establishments and food delivered to the office or home. Otherwise, the entire amount will be spent on paying for lunches only. But products are also needed for breakfasts, afternoon snacks and dinners. Therefore, in order to save money, you should only spend money on buying food and cooking at home. Only in this case the costs will fit into 5 thousand rubles.
Don't know where to start? From calculations. Over the course of a month, meticulously make a list of every purchase on your grocery list. It's better to make a table. One column contains essential products, another contains delicacies, and the third contains seasonal vegetables and fruits. In such a “food diary” the highest costs will immediately appear.
The next step is to analyze costs and search for replacements with cheaper analogues. For example, products in small packs are more expensive than in large containers, because the manufacturer includes packaging and packing costs in the price. Store-packaged products cost more than loose goods. The difference in price, although not significant, will amount to a certain amount over the course of a month. Add a few rubles per package to it with each purchase. And be surprised at the result. This amount is quite enough to purchase milk and bread for one dinner, or even more.
Do not be afraid that due to saving the family budget, your health may suffer and you will feel a loss of strength. During the experiments, experts proved that an economical menu for a week for a family of 3 may well contain the required amount of vitamins, nutrients and minerals, fully providing the body with them.
Do you think the 30-ruble price of a small pack of chips is inexpensive? Pay attention to the weight. One kilogram will cost about 1000 rubles. Isn’t it more rational to buy one kilogram of potatoes for 15-50 rubles and 1 liter of vegetable oil for 100-150 rubles. And you will get 2 times more chips, although you will have to spend time preparing them.
It's the same with chocolate. 50-60 rubles for one tile seems like an insignificant amount. But this is 100 g. And one kilogram is already 500 or more rubles. Yes, and retailers today often use this psychological trick, putting the price per 100 g on the price tags of sausage, cheese, and seafood. And in order to save money, you should buy products that cost no more than 300 rubles. Thus, you can meet 5000.
How to eat economically - 5 steps to the goal
- Budget planning.
- Drawing up a sample menu to make it as easy as possible to purchase the necessary products for the whole month.
- Use new budget recipes.
- Don't chase branded products.
- Live a month without delicacies and buy them only at the end of the month with the money remaining in your monthly budget.
List of budget products:
- buckwheat grain,
- oat flakes (rolled oats),
- pasta,
- potatoes and other seasonal vegetables,
- bananas and apples,
- chicken eggs,
- poultry meat,
- meat by-products,
- frozen mixed vegetables.
It is better to postpone preparing dishes with nuts, seafood, beef and pork tenderloin until holiday feasts. These are the basic principles of economical spending of the budget, only in this case it is possible to keep within 5000-7000 thousand rubles.
For home cooking you should always have:
- oil,
- herbal supplements,
- salt,
- pepper.
These products fall into the category of useful and relatively cheap. Replacing meat products with fish will also reduce food costs. Thus, the cost of 1 kg of capelin is only 40 rubles. Proper preparation turns it into a gourmet variety, the price of which is several times higher.
You can save a lot of money and sometimes live on a variety of vegetables. Beets and carrots are inexpensive in any season, and even more so in the fall. Just add garlic, season with sour cream or mayonnaise - and the nutritious salad is ready. And it’s generally enough to sprinkle some oil on the chopped radish.
Cooking semi-finished products yourself is another way to save money. For example, pickled cabbage with cranberries in a kilogram jar costs 50 rubles. And 1 kg of cabbage costs 10 rubles, i.e. almost 5 times cheaper. Juices, fruit drinks, jelly, compotes will cost less than packaged juices.
It is necessary to create a menu in such a way that there are no food leftovers. Or the leftovers were used as ingredients for other dishes. For example, if you cook cabbage rolls for lunch, then use the remaining small cabbage leaves to make a light salad for dinner, adding fresh cucumber and onions soaked in vinegar. The remains of kefir are suitable for the base of pancakes or for making shortcrust pastry.
- Calculate your daily needs and purchase cereal products for the month at a wholesale base or during a promotion.
- Refuse to buy alcohol, red meat, exotic and out-of-season fruits.
- Use boiled water instead of bottled water.
- Cook on your own, avoiding processed foods.
- In season, freeze, can and dry vegetables and fruits.
In order to save money, it is better to prepare soups, side dishes and cereals from cereals more often with a minimum amount of meat and fish ingredients. Porridge is very useful, especially if you have a child. And in order to avoid vitamin deficiency and an unattractive figure without muscles, your daily diet must include vegetables and fruits - raw or in salads.
If you succeed in saving on food, you can also manage to save on a small salary.
Where and how to buy cheaper products
The answer to the question “How to live on 5,000 rubles a month” is obvious - the menu must be drawn up correctly and its cost must be planned, correctly calculating expenses. And as you can see, everything is quite real, even if you have a child you can eat normally.
Advice written for students may well be suitable for anyone who wants to save money. Or - I am forced to save money, since there is a crisis in the country, perhaps it is worth tightening my belts? Although, I understand, it’s not solid!
I am very lucky, where there are a lot of excellent universities. When choosing a place to continue my studies, I did not consider other cities, since only Moscow could offer me something better. And even that is a dubious statement. As a true St. Petersburger, I didn’t even allow such ideas to hang around. Therefore, I spent my entire student life at home with everything ready. I had a roof over my head, three meals a day, money for incidentals and entertainment, and planned shopping with my mother a couple of times a year. Thanks to my active life position and chosen specialty, I started working early - in my second year. But my modest income then, oh blessed time, was not encroached upon by renting a home, utility bills and buying groceries. So I didn’t fully know the student life, I just started attending the university instead of the school across the street, the journey to which took much longer. That's all the discomfort.
Thanks to my pleasant disposition and sociability, I always had friends. Some of them lived in a dormitory, some of their parents rented an apartment, and there were those who, when approaching the equator, even bought their own apartments. True, only the very lazy or children of rich parents did not work at the journalism department by the third year. Perhaps, by the middle of their studies, the well-being of many classmates depended, first of all, on themselves. But for the first two years I witnessed the full-fledged student life of my comrades. You know, the kind of life when you decide what you like more - smoking or eating? Almost everyone at the journalism department smoked then. I would like to note that for those who rented an apartment and for those who lived in a dorm, life was not much different. Budget planning was not yet familiar to us at all, so there was always not enough money for everyone.
And it doesn’t matter whether your parents send you 40 thousand or 10 thousand a month - for the last week and a half, everyone has been counting pennies and borrowing from those who live with mom and dad.
I’m still a student at heart, and so I decided to find out whether it’s possible to survive in St. Petersburg for a student whose monthly income is 5000 rubles. Where does the number come from? In fact, from initial estimates: the cost of living in a hostel (approximately 1000 rubles) + travel card (725 rubles) - even the scholarship does not cover this amount. The amount of the scholarship received by students of my alma mater - St. Petersburg State University, the main university of the city, is 1272 rubles. And you still need to eat at least sometimes. This means that in order to survive in Dostoevsky’s city, but not become like his hero Rhoda, our student either has a regular influx of money from his parents’ house or works part-time. But the financial source should be minimal - so that life does not seem like honey!
You about your lack of money as a student and the tricks that you had to invent in order to feed yourself. Let's move from theory to practice - how to live in St. Petersburg on 5,000 rubles?
Simple counting
Monthly expenses: hostel and travel card - this is an immediate minus 1725 RUR. Stays with us 3275 RUR. It seems that it is impossible to live on this, especially in our almost capital-like expensive city. But that's not true! We went shopping and learned that a thrifty student can not only live on this money, but even eat a varied diet. And almost useful!
Our colleagues from Ufa have already conducted a similar experiment, but they had a slightly different option - every day the student is forced to eat on 30 rubles. We will approach things differently and plan our meals a month in advance.
And so, we divide our cosmic amount of 3275 rubles. for 30 calendar days - it turns out 109 rub. 17 kopecks. We take away pennies for the benefit of the poor, leaving 109 rubles for food for ourselves. The amount is more than modest, you tell me, dear reader? Yes, you're right, but I didn't write such a long story to give up! Let's go!
Available stores
My favorite places to shop are hypermarkets. The reason is simple - there are a lot of different things for every taste and, often, even exotic. But now the beloved Lenta, Okay, Prisma and Auchan will have to be forgotten, giving preference to Pyaterochka and Magnit.
In fact, Auchan is an amazing store! There are a ton of super expensive exotic goods, not always available even to a person with an iPhone in his pocket, but there is also rice and flour by weight, at prices that are more than affordable. But Auchan is rarely within walking distance from your place of residence, and the temptation to spend all the money spent on food there is very great. In the spartan “Five” you will not be greeted by exclusive Camembert for 40 euros/200 grams. There you will be greeted by evil old women, a bad smell, decay, hopelessness and endless Dacha radio. It’s very difficult to move away from the list there - there’s almost nowhere to go!
I do not recommend shopping in small non-chain shops, vegetable stalls, or at the market - the price tag there is always significantly higher, and the quality of goods, with rare exceptions, is the same as in chains.
So here is a list of stores whose prices will not confuse you:
"Pyaterochka"
"Magnet"
"Dixie"
"Polushka"
"7th family"
There is also a “Narodny” store, but it is for those who are used to walking on the edge of a knife and breathing deeply.
Go shopping
I’m a lazy student, so I went to the nearest store, and the nearest one is Pyaterochka. I didn’t draw up a preliminary menu, we remember - I’m a lazy person, so I decided to figure out what we would eat and with what for the next month.
Remembering the advice of experienced people from our previous text, the first thing that interested me was, naturally, cereals. But on the way to them there were other departments of the store, so we’ll start from the beginning.
First we have vegetables. The most democratic option is potatoes; other vegetables are a luxury for us now. There were different types of potatoes in the store, but the most suitable one was 14 rubles/kg. It fits perfectly into our budget, so we take it, 3 kg at once.
Here we should make a small digression - in the Pyaterochka store there is a private-lable, which is called “Red Price”. This is a brand - it’s right for us! Tea - 9.25 rub./20 packs. If you brew it in the student style, that is, a bag for five will last for 15 days. There is an option for six months - 39.85 rubles/100 pack. Both are suitable, but as thrifty owners we take a large package.
Unfortunately find it very cheap coffee failed - if you are a coffee lover, you will have to fork out some money. Our choice is ground coffee “Jockey” for 89.95 rubles/pack. We huddle together, but grab a pack of coffee (I wouldn’t drink instant coffee even on pain of starvation).
We're getting closer to cereals— a pack of pasta for 9 rubles. 65 kopecks - great choice! Let's take three.
Packaging of rice - 36.75 rub. Two packs are sent to the basket at once. Peas were also found for 20.95 rubles. But I know for sure that there is a lot of hassle with it, and to cook normal pea soup, you need a lot of expensive ingredients. I didn't take it. But buckwheat let us down badly. As I used to think - no money - buy buckwheat. I don’t like it myself, unless it’s buckwheat noodles. But it turns out that eating rice is more profitable. The only buckwheat that we managed to find costs 43.55 rubles/pack. Let's take one.
Now canned food: pork stew - 18.95 rub./can, beef stew - 20.05 rub./can, chicken pate - 29.95 rub./can. We take two pieces in total.
Additionally we take: ketchup - 16.45 rubles/pack (2), bread - 24.45 rubles (1), a dozen eggs - 42.95 rubles (1).
Also sent to our basket durable foods: salt (7.75 rub.), vegetable oil (37.45 rub.), granulated sugar (32.95 rub.).
The standard of living of the population in the Russian Federation, despite stable growth over the last decade, is still quite low. More than one million citizens live below the poverty line (or near it). Moreover, some live in such conditions all their lives.
How you can live on minimum wages, and how you can improve the situation - magazine Reconomica will answer these questions below.
The minimum wage in the Russian Federation is established by Federal Law dated June 19, 2000 No. 82-FZ. Indexation is carried out 2 times a year: from January 1 and July 1.
The minimum wage standard in Russia from January 1, 2018 is 9,489 rubles. This means that the minimum gross salary (rate + bonuses + other allowances in total) for any positions by law cannot be lower than this mark. True, an employee with such an official salary can receive even less - after deducting personal income tax of 13% (and if there is any - other fees: alimony, loans).
From January 1, 2018, the minimum wage was indexed to 85% of the subsistence level of the working population - for the 2nd quarter of 2017 this was 11,163 rubles - and from 2019 it is planned to equate the minimum wage to the subsistence level in the Russian Federation.
This is the federal minimum wage, in some areas its size is higher and is established by the laws of the region.
How many Russians actually live below the poverty line?
Director of the Institute of Social Policy of the Higher School of Economics Liliya Ovcharova:
Today, according to Rosstat, we have 5 million people receiving wages below the subsistence level - among employees of large and medium-sized enterprises and organizations, including the public sector. Outside the corporate sector of the economy, about 3 million more people receive wages below the subsistence level, for a total of 8 million - a gigantic figure.
In this case, the regional minimum wage may differ from the state one (naturally, only upward). We have collected the latest news and updates for 2018. Here are specific figures for regions in which an increased regional minimum wage has been established:
|
Region |
Minimum wage, rubles |
|
Moscow and Moscow region |
|
|
Komi Republic; Ulyanovsk region - only non-budgetary sector |
|
|
Oryol Region |
|
|
St. Petersburg and Leningrad region |
16000 , 10850 |
|
Kaliningrad region |
11000 (except for federal state employees) |
|
Pskov region |
|
|
Murmansk region, Nenets Autonomous District, Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District, Yakutia |
14632, 14260, 16299, 16824 |
|
Tula region |
|
|
Yaroslavl region |
For some regions (Sakhalin Region, Magadan Region, Khabarovsk Territory, Kamchatka Territory, Tomsk Region, Irkutsk Region, Krasnoyarsk Territory, Trans-Baikal Territory) the minimum wage is higher than the federal one, but is set separately for cities and regions, we did not add them to the table, please check the information for your city on the website of the city department of labor.
At the same time it amounts to(according to Rosstat at the end of 2016) 35,843 rubles. The statistics are incorrect; there is a significant imbalance in them due to high salaries in the North, in some million-plus cities and in Moscow() . In fact, the average salary in the regions is at the level of 20-25 thousand.Also, the salary in the envelope is not taken into account.
According to statistics from Rosstat in the Russian Federation at the beginning of 2017:
about 5 million citizens receive a salary in the amount of the minimum wage;
about 4.1 million unemployed (maximum benefit amount - 4900 rubles);
about 13 million disabled people (according to 2015 data) who either live on benefits or receive low wages;
about 30 million non-working pensioners (the average pension in the Russian Federation is about 13 thousand).
Total comes out: 52.1 million (with a total population of 146.5 million).
We can safely say that most of the citizens listed above live near the poverty line.
There is also a certain "poverty" statistics. According to Rosstat, 22.7 million Russians live below the poverty line(for 2016) - that is, approximately every sixth citizen, or 15.7% of the total population of the country.
How is the cost of living calculated and is it possible to live on it?
In 1997, on October 24, it was adopted law on the minimum subsistence level (134-FZ). It provides for the minimum subsistence level for various categories of persons.
The cost of living in Russia at the beginning of 2017 is:
at efficient person – 10,524 rubles;
at pensioner – 8025 rub. lei;
at child – 9677 rub. lei.
Like the minimum wage, figures may vary depending on the region. Indexation is also provided for this amount regularly (annually).
Statistics also provide a minimum set of goods that a person needs in the first place. In the Russian Federation, such a basket includes 156 items.
For comparison, here is how many points are used when calculating the cost of living in other countries:
UK: 350;
Germany: 475;
USA: 300.
We can safely say that the consumer basket is outdated, updated untimely, and always underestimated. In addition, the consumer basket contains only goods that a person needs, without taking into account unforeseen circumstances. For example, it does not contain any specialized medications (which is important for pensioners). It also does not include expenses for mobile communications, Internet, furniture renovation, apartment renovations, and car maintenance. According to the minimum consumer basket, a person is entitled to one pair of socks per year and one towel, which does not change for years. I wonder what to dry myself with if this never-dry towel starts to stink?
That is, even if a citizen’s salary is at the subsistence level, it will be extremely difficult to live on it.
For comparison: the minimum wage in other countries. The rate is a little outdated, but we all know that it still jumps by 20% per year.
The average cost of living for a family is calculated separately. The formula for calculating PM is as follows:
(PM1 * number of adults in the family + PM2 * number of children in the family + PM3 * number of pensioners in the family) / total number of family members, where:
PM1: cost of living per adult (10,524 rubles);
PM2: subsistence minimum per child (9677 rubles);
PM3: living wage for a pensioner (8,025 rubles).
Is it possible to survive on 10,000 rubles a month?
The question of how you can survive on 10,000-12,000 rubles a month is relevant for small cities. Some regions have such a level of wages (real in hand, not according to Rosstat). Moreover, part-time work in small towns is often impossible - because there are simply no options.
If your salary is around this level, you probably know what austerity is.However, these funds are quite enough for one adult to live.
Costs will have to be distributed approximately like this:
Up to 3,000 rubles for utilities. In the warm season the amount will be less.
5000-6000 rubles - for food.
The remaining amount is for other expenses: transport, mobile communications. From the leftovers you will have to save for clothes and any other expenses.
It will be extremely expensive to buy some other goods (for example, medicines) from such an amount.Therefore, instead of looking for an answer to the question of how to live on a small salary, it is better to make efforts to generate additional income.
How to live on 5,000 rubles a month: pensioner’s menu
Let's set ourselves an extremely difficult task: let's try to figure out how to live on 5,000 a month. Some may say that this is unrealistic. In fact, more than one million Russians know this from their own experience. Moreover, some people know how to live on both 4000 and 3000 a month. At first glance, this task is impossible, but even at current food prices it is feasible.
The truth is that no one wants to live like this, but millions have to. Yes, right now, in 2017. A shame!
We will only count food, per person..
First, a few general rules:
We buy only from the cheapest places. Welcome to Magnit, Pyaterochka, markets, fairs, vegetable warehouses and wholesale warehouses.
We try to buy products in large packs. The larger the packaging, the cheaper the products.
We forget about food to order, as well as about food in any establishments. Even belyash bought at the market costs 40-50 rubles, for which you can get almost 1 kg of buckwheat.
Getting into the habit of keeping your budget strictly in mind. You need to know how much money is left in your wallet, how many days are left until your next paycheck, how much you need to spend in the store, and so on. You can’t count change if you need to live on 10,000-12,000 a month. If funds are strictly limited, then every ruble must be in the account.
We give up alcohol, expensive meat, and out-of-season fruits and vegetables.
During the season, we do the canning ourselves.
We are drawing up a clear menu plan for the coming days(ideally for a week or a month). The quantity of products should be selected in such a way that nothing remains. If you still have leftovers, they need to be used in other dishes. When planning a menu, it is recommended to try to make it more varied so that the food does not get boring.
Learning to garden. Even if you don’t have your own summer cottage, but there is free space in the apartment (balcony, window sills, just a little space in the room) - it can be used for seedlings.
Learning the rules of healthy eating. Since the budget is minimal, every calorie should be used rationally. It is not necessary to understand the intricacies, but knowing about the calorie content of foods, the required amount of calories for your weight and the consumption of dietary fat is very useful.
If you plan to live on 5000-6000 for a long time (for example, several months in a row), you should care not only about saving. It is necessary to calculate both the calorie content and the content of nutrients in foods so as not to harm your health.
Now here is a list of the main budget products.
Sources of carbohydrates:
Oatmeal.
Buckwheat.
Pearl barley.
Pasta.
Potato.
Protein sources:
Chicken eggs.
Chicken meat.
Cottage cheese.
Milk, kefir, fermented baked milk.
Fruits (sources of vitamins and carbohydrates):
Bananas.
Apples.
Approximate list of products for 3000 rubles. Prices may vary depending on region.
Vegetables (sources of vitamins, fiber) - any seasonal.
You will also need daily:
Sugar.
Salt.
Pepper.
Vegetable oil.
The lack of vitamins (from fruits and vegetables) and healthy fats (from fish) can be replenished by taking cheap pharmaceutical drugs. You can buy the cheapest multivitamin complex and fish oil. Prices will be:
Complivit, 30 vitamins (for a month) - about 150 rubles.
Fish oil, 100 capsules (for almost 2 months) - about 70 rubles.
Lard can also be a source of fat. You can purchase it in large quantities at once and store it in the freezer.
Since a person, even in the most difficult conditions, wants to pamper himself with something, he can take the cheapest cookies or biscuits for tea.
The main part of the diet with such an economical regime should be porridge.
Sample family menu: super-economy option
If one person can easily eat on 5,000 rubles a month, then such an amount will be a real test for a family.
Let's try to make an approximatemonthly menu for a family of 4 with recipes and grocery list:
2 kg of carrots: about 70-80 rubles.
2 kg of onions: about 60-70 rubles.
Seasonings, salt: 50-70 rubles.
5 kg of potatoes at a vegetable warehouse, or on sale in an inexpensive store: 60-80 rubles.
4 packs of the cheapest butter: about 350-400 rubles.
4-5 liters of vegetable oil: about 500 rubles.
3-4 kg of rice: 200-250 rubles.
3-4 kg of buckwheat: 300-350 rubles.
8-10 packs of pasta (total weight - 5-7 kg): 500-600 rubles.
4-5 kg of sugar: 250 rubles.
Tea by weight, 500 grams: 250-300 rubles.
3 kg of flour: 200 rubles.
5 dozen chicken eggs: 250-300 rubles.
Bread: 300-400 rubles, divided into equal parts per month (for example, spend no more than 100 rubles on bread per week).
3 kg of millet: 150-200 rubles.
Chicken, 6 carcasses: 800 rubles.
Life in Moscow is not only the brightest, but also the most expensive. Pensioners also feel the high cost of living in the capital.
As in other regions, Moscow residents retire at the age of 55-60 years. (for “indigenous”: those who were born in Moscow or have lived here for more than 10 years). If someone receives a smaller amount according to the official calculation, social security reimburses the difference, and the pensioner receives a regular supplement to his pension so that he receives the mentioned 17,500.
The social pension is less: only 8,300 rubles. Non-indigenous pensioners (who have lived in the capital for less than 10 years) will also receive less: 11,561 rubles.
Despite the fact that the level of Moscow pensions is higher than payments to pensioners in the regions, these funds are still hardly enough. It would seem that the question of how to live on 18,000 a month (or rather, on 17,500) in Moscow is rather humorous, because for the capital this amount is extremely small. However, according to reviews, Moscow pensioners live quite well on it. True, this is only relevant for those who have good health. Frequent promotions at Pyaterochka and cheap products at Magnit allow you to buy basic products. Well, if there are various benefits (for example, a preferential travel card), then this further simplifies life.
The task becomes more difficult for those who have health problems. The mentioned pension is barely enough for treatment and medicine (which pensioners often need).
Many Moscow pensioners live thanks to the help of their relatives. . If both husband and wife work in a family, and both receive approximately the average salary, then from the amount received it is quite possible to allocate 5-10 thousand to help elderly parents.
We conducted a sample survey among Moscow pensioners on the topic “how to survive on retirement in Moscow.” From their answers, the following are the most common pieces of advice:
Garden. If a pensioner has his own 6 acres, this gives him both regular employment and the opportunity to save a lot of money by getting his own vegetables and fruits. Some people use the garden to grow food for themselves, while others grow something to sell.
Part time job. Even if reluctantly, “young” pensioners are hired as watchmen and watchmen.
Renting an apartment. The real wealth of a Moscow pensioner is living space. Capital real estate, even on the outskirts, costs more than one million rubles, and rents for at least 30 thousand. If a pensioner has a spacious living space (not a one-room apartment), he can rent out a separate room, or even the entire apartment, and he can move either to relatives, or to another city, or to a smaller and cheaper apartment.
Irina, a pensioner from the Moscow region:
I work in a budget institution, and I’m always waiting for me to be fired or for the entire enterprise to be disbanded. Our budget is being cut and cut. The last time I saw the award was last year, just a bare salary. You have to travel to the end of Moscow for a measly 20 thousand rubles. I spend half of this on travel and lunch, 4 hours a day on the road. And I’m not the only one, everyone lives like this. And if they kick me out of work, I don’t even know how to live: my pension is 12 thousand, and my utility bill is 8.
Should you control your expenses or is it time to increase your income?
In difficult situations when expense items equal or exceed income items, you have to either resign yourself and endure, or act. There are two options:
Tightly control and cut costs. Suitable for those who really have a lot of extra expenses. Otherwise (if you spend money only on the most important things and still fall short), if prices increase, you will still not fit into the budget.
Increase income. A more preferable solution.
Controlling and reducing expenses is also relevant for those who do not have acute financial problems. The task is to clearly assess the current state and “clean up”: eliminating unnecessary cost items.
Options for receiving additional income are:
Evening part time job- suitable for students and citizens who have a stable work schedule during the day.
Home work- suitable for all people who regularly have free time. This option is especially relevant for those who know how to do something with their own hands (for example, for seamstresses).
Finding a new job- with a higher salary and more interesting prospects.
Development at your own place of work. Suitable for those who have growth prospects and whose salary depends on work results.
For those who are really bad with time, or who live insmall settlementsah - there is an opportunity to master online work. This option allows you to work at any time of the day and from anywhere. Some of the specialties (for example, copywriters, editors, SMM- specialists) learn easily and quickly. Others (designers, programmers, layout designers) require more time to study.
Rely on the government, but don’t make a mistake yourself - how to save money with a small salary?
For those who are interested in how people live on the minimum wage: magazine Reconomica I have collected the most useful saving rules in one place. Conventionally, they can be divided into several categories - according to types of expenses.
Expenses for transport, leisure, passions:
Let's give up bad habits. Smoking and alcohol harm not only the body, but also the wallet.
We completely refuse (or limit it to certain limits) from going to clubs, cinemas, cafes and other entertainment venues.
Reviewing transport costs. If you drive a personal car, calculate how much money is spent per month (on gasoline, parking, minor repairs). Most likely, public transport will be much cheaper.
Utility costs:
We are reviewing tariffs for Internet and mobile communications. It is quite possible that you will be able to choose a cheaper package, the conditions of which will still be normal for you.
We try to run laundry at night, when a cheaper rate applies.
We replace light bulbs in the house with energy-saving ones.
Let’s get rid of the habit of keeping the TV on “for the background.”
We replace baths with quick showers.
Food expenses:
Getting used to clearly planning your shopping list. If you go to the store to buy “something for lunch,” you will probably take at least something extra. But if you go shopping with a specific list, then the likelihood of unnecessary spending will be lower.
We purchase from wholesale stores. They can be used to store various shelf-stable products (such as pasta, canned food, tea, sugar, and so on). They are cheaper in bulk.
We plan (at least roughly) the menu for the week/month in advance. This will allow you to accurately plan the list and quantity of needed products.
Expenditures on food are closely related to human well-being, and this relationship is twofold. The richer he is, the more money he can spend on purchasing food, but at the same time, as his income increases, a person has to spend an ever smaller share of his income to satisfy the need for food.
This is not at all surprising, because you still cannot eat more than a certain limit, and the quality of the products is also unlimited. Therefore, even when buying mostly expensive and high-quality products, it is difficult to limitlessly increase expenses on them. Sooner or later, a limit comes when the buyer decides that it would be more profitable to spend money not on more refined food, but on something else that can bring him more benefit or pleasure.
Thus, the higher a person’s income and the richer the society, the smaller the share of food costs in their expenses. And at the same time, the absolute amount of spending on food in a rich country, as a rule, is many times higher than similar expenses in poor countries. As for Russia, before the latest surge in food prices in the winter of 2014-2015 and the subsequent spring, Russians spent about thirty percent of their income on food. After a sharp rise in prices, this figure inevitably increased, although not very much; exact data is not yet available.
Of course, food consumption by Russians has not decreased sharply, because the latter are among the primary human needs and are the last to be sacrificed. Therefore, the sales level of most goods either remained at the same level or decreased slightly. The exception was the segment of previously inexpensive imported goods, which increased in price much more than their Russian counterparts. The fact is that the cost of foreign goods is tied to the ruble exchange rate, and the latter has fallen much more than food prices have risen.
Nevertheless, the rise in prices has hit the purchasing power of Russians hard, and a certain number of citizens are still forced to switch to austerity in their expenses for purchasing food. This article addresses the challenges of how to create an inexpensive, yet nutritious and healthy diet. The purpose of the study is to select a diet of foods that makes it possible to eat tasty and healthy food for only five thousand rubles a month.
Naturally, the conditions of the task exclude any visits to catering establishments, the purchase of street food and delicacies. Such expenses will make it impossible to spend only five thousand rubles a month on food. This entire amount should be spent exclusively on the purchase of products from which dishes will be prepared that will satisfy a person for a month.
With such a budget expenditure, it is quite possible to fit into its framework, moreover, you will not have to make sacrifices for this. It has been experimentally proven that the diet that can be provided to a person for this amount of money contains a sufficient amount of all the nutrients a person needs, fully satisfies the needs of his body and provides a varied and tasty menu for a month. What products need to be purchased and what dishes to prepare are described in detail in the text below.
Principles of menu construction
First of all, you should accept the fact that you will have to give up many expensive or unnecessary products. There is no opportunity to constantly buy red fish with a budget of 5,000 thousand rubles per month. The same applies to many less prestigious and expensive products:
- alcohol;
- red meat;
- fresh fruits in the cold season;
- and so on.
You can try to allocate funds for them only after meeting basic needs.
The latter are provided mainly by cheap products of plant origin. Since our goal is not only a cheap, but also healthy and tasty diet, preference should be given to grains. The latter, like all plant products, contain a lot of carbohydrates, very healthy and in decent quantities, but at the same time they also contain a lot of proteins and even have a small fat content. Therefore, various cereals and soups with cereals will be an excellent basis for the diet, and do not forget about bread.
Nutritionists say that the body should receive a significant part of its energy from carbohydrates. The latter are found in large quantities in plant foods, and therefore it will still not be possible to avoid consuming nutrients of plant origin, provided that you follow a healthy diet. Proteins and fats must also be present in the diet; together with them, the body should receive slightly less than half of all the energy it needs.
The main thing is not to focus on one type of grain, otherwise you will quickly get bored with it. It will also be beneficial to consume various legumes; their protein content is even higher than that of grains, but it is recommended to consume them in moderation. The total cost of grains and legumes will be very small, while their nutritional value is very high.
Other elements of the diet
You should definitely consume vegetables and fruits, their cost is quite low. Also, other components must be added to your side dish. The latter will enrich the taste of the dish and introduce elements into the diet that are necessary for the body, but which are not contained in grains:
- Dairy products.
- Meat.
- Liver.
- Eggs.
First of all, these are fats and proteins of plant origin. At least half of all protein consumed by the human body must be of animal origin. This norm, of course, does not have to be strictly followed, unless someone immediately begins to have health problems due to a slightly reduced proportion of animal protein in food. It is especially important to monitor the ratio of protein types and its total amount in the diet of an organism that is in the growth stage.
In order to provide the body with protein of animal origin, it is necessary to include meat in the menu. In our case, chicken meat and liver are ideal. These products are very cheap, but at the same time they contain a huge amount of elements necessary for humans. Another cheap way to add animal protein to your menu is meat and regular milk, which can also be purchased in moderation.
Fats are of great importance for the body; first of all, they are the richest source of energy for the body; their energy value is twice that of proteins and carbohydrates. The most accessible high-fat products are sunflower oil and mayonnaise, however, the latter mainly consists of this oil. Fats are very nutritious and satisfy hunger well; the body does not need large amounts of them. In addition to vegetable fats, it is a good idea to purchase foods high in animal fats, as the latter are better absorbed by the body. For a family budget, especially with children, purchasing a small amount of butter and lard will not be a serious loss.
As you can see, it is quite possible to live on several thousand rubles a month; the main thing is to make a list of the most necessary and valuable products in order to know what to buy. The table with a list of monthly groceries must contain all the components described in the article, then you can live on little money not only cheaply, but also healthy.
