According to statistics, from 25 to 50% of the average Russian's earnings come from food. Compatriots love and know how to eat well, but in conditions of austerity, trips to grocery stores should be treated with the caution of an experienced housekeeper.
Planning
The thrifty hostess plans everything - the menu, the shopping schedule and the approximate budget that can be spent on one grocery basket. At first glance, scrupulous planning seems boring and ineffective.
The main habit that should be instilled in everyone who wants to save on food is to avoid frequent trips to the grocery stores. It is optimal to purchase once a week or less. Before going to the store, you should make a list of what you really need to buy. For this, a menu is being drawn up for the coming days. On the day of preparation, only perishable food is purchased - everything else from stocks, which are replenished approximately every two weeks.
It is very effective to instill the rule of an empty refrigerator. It consists in adjusting the menu based on what products have already been purchased and until they are used to refuse unnecessary trips to the store.
First of all, it should be prepared from perishable foods - fermented milk group, meat, fish, eggs, vegetables. It is better to freeze what is impossible to cook now. In the long term, purchasing a separate freezer will reduce the amount of food going to the basket.
New home traditions
Economical housewives prepare pickles and pastries on their own, giving up colorful jars and semi-finished products. Homemade delicacies are not only tastier and safer, but they can also significantly save on ingredients. For example, a slice of pie in a pastry shop will cost from 70 to 250 rubles. At the same time, the cost of a whole baking sheet of delicious homemade delicacies will cost from 150 to 300 rubles. The most budget-friendly baking options for tea are homemade charlottes, sweet pies and oatmeal cookies.
Also uneconomical purchases are cuts of sausages and ham, semi-finished products for the microwave and vegetable sets for ready-made meals. This category of products is designed for busy customers who are ready to overpay for cutting, shredding and packaging.
Shop rules
All household members must clearly understand that they should go to the store on a full stomach. Otherwise, there is a great risk that the basket will end up with deliciously packaged cakes, donuts and other not the most economical products.
In this case, it is best to take not a cart, but a basket. So during the shopping process, the real weight of the chosen one is felt, and the overkill very quickly becomes noticeable.
It is very important to pay attention to discount promotions. Contrary to popular belief, promotions do not always include products with an expiration date. If you watch them carefully, you can replenish stocks of products with a long shelf life at a bargain price, saving very significant funds on this.
