Every family starts with a budget.
If it is not thought out or wasteful, it will sooner or later become a reason for quarrels and misunderstandings. To prevent this from happening, it is worth paying attention to its composition.
First of all, you should think about how much you are willing to spend on food per month. Plan your family's diet so that it is "cheap and cheerful".
Set aside about 10% of the total amount for purchasing products with a long shelf life, such as pasta, cereals, sunflower oil, spices, and for the cost of replenishing this stock. Divide the remaining amount by 30 days.
Thus, you will get a figure indicating the daily budget. Taking this value into account, make an approximate menu for the week.
You can do it another way: first, make a menu taking into account the variety and taste preferences of your household, then calculate the funds for purchasing the necessary products and divide the resulting amount by the number of days. This figure should become the key one on your way to saving.
Daily expenses, i.e. the cost of purchases, should not exceed it. Exceeding it is possible only if you managed to save on something before. Or, on the contrary, spent more than planned - this means that the next day will be "unloading", spend less.
In general, the weekly budget should remain unchanged. In order to save, it is worth following certain rules:
1. Record all your food expenses and analyze the records. This will allow you to see unnecessary purchases and make adjustments over time.
2. Don’t skimp on vitamins, seasonal vegetables and fruits.
3. Minimize or eliminate semi-finished products or ready-made food. If you really want to save money, get into the healthy habit of cooking at home. You can make the same semi-finished products yourself, for example, make pelmeni and vareniki with your family on the weekend.
4. Go to the store with a list that includes only the necessary products. Accordingly, you need to think about this in advance.
5. Make preparations for the winter. You can freeze fruits in season and then use them to make delicious and healthy desserts.
6. Another important rule: you need to finish everything that has been cooked or prepared for future use. Leftovers can easily be stored in the freezer or used to make a new dish. You can find a lot of recipes for different occasions on the Internet.
And most importantly, don't perceive saving as a punishment. Feel the excitement and enjoy the results.
Previously, we wrote about how you can use baking soda around the house.
