Savings Tips: Bring Food and Drinks

Do you frequently eat out but find it difficult to budget due to successive price increases on almost all goods? Are you certain that your family is getting enough nutritious food? Is your allowance constantly scraped and you have almost nothing to spend in the coming days? What should we do in order to save money?

Food consumes a large portion of our income. Is that correct, sir/ma’am? In a family of five, Php 256 per day or Php 7,680 per month, equivalent to 50% of Metro Manila’s minimum wage, is sufficient to eat enough nutritious food. Just don’t be picky about what you eat. Fast food and restaurant meals are not included.

How much will it cost to eat out as a family?

If you’re looking for a cheap meal in a typical carinderia, Php 35 per meal is the cheapest. This is equivalent to half a plate of vegetables or a piece of small fish (50 grams or less) and an 80-gram serving of rice. It comes with a complimentary glass of water. No desserts, and only juice or coffee for breakfast. It is popular among students and working people whose pay is adequate for school or work. In fact, the above is only a bare minimum, and it does not imply that it is sufficient for them, especially if they work as porters or construction workers.

For those who enjoy extra rice, a serving costs around Php 10 in carinderias and school canteens, and Php 45 in fast food restaurants such as Jollibee. In restaurants, fried or brown rice is more expensive.

If the entire family eats out, it will cost Php 125 per meal for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, or Php 375 per day or Php 11,250 per month. Snacks and beverages are not provided.

According to my research, the price of each dish in cafeterias located inside schools and markets in town averages Php 40-55, and Php 60-80 if located in the central business districts. This includes JolliJeeps located behind Ayala Avenue buildings, in social areas, and near high-rise buildings.

Meanwhile, if Mom can learn to cook for the entire family and not be ashamed to bring food and water, every time Mom and Dad leave for work, then so can all children, regardless of grade or year level. You will save more money on food every time you go to school or wherever you go.

FIRST, LET’S DISCOVER WHY PILIPINOS EAT OUT (Fast Food or Carinderia).

• There isn’t enough time in the day to cook. They will shower, dress, and get ready to go to work FOR NOT be late every morning.
• They do not have a housekeeper or a relative to cook for them.
• They are sick of cooking and serving food at home. They want to eat something different, even if only for a short time.
• There will be guests, and they expect the food served to be social.
• They are embarrassed by their coworkers’ invitations to fast food & restaurants.
• Heavy to carry in the bag, easy to get dirty, especially if they stay outside the house for an extended period of time, especially for employees who work overtime in the office or students who spend hours outside the house with classmates to go shopping, park, etc.
• Among those living in the dormitory, most of the rental owners prohibited them from bringing LPG because it is a possible cause of the fire.
• It is not permitted to bring food or drink to those attending a movie or concert unless you purchase your food or drink at the venue.

Why is it more expensive to eat out than to cook at home?

Customers do not just pay for the food they eat at a fast-food or restaurant with their entire family. The brand name and location, as well as the ambiance and operation costs, are also expensive, particularly if they are located in social and crowded areas. Each meal of this value costs between Php 100 and Php 200.
Salaries for cooks, market shopping, transportation costs, gas, oil, electricity, and water, among other things, are all paid in carinderias or side-by-side eateries.

PRACTICAL SIDE: How much money will you save if you bring food and drinks to work?

In the supermarket, a sachet of 1-liter powdered juice drink costs Php 17 and lasts for 5 days. If you buy juice from a store, it will cost you Php 8 per glass, or Php 40 per week. Why not bring your juice and save Php 23 per week? You can purchase a school project or increase your savings in the piggy bank.

It is natural for us to be thirsty, so we purchase water outside to quench our thirst. In the supermarket, a 500 ml bottle of water costs Php 8; if two bottles are consumed, we spend up to Php 16 on water per day. If we can learn to bring water in a 1-liter BPA-free recyclable container that costs around Php 200 per container at the department store and can last for 1-2 years, we will not have to spend more money on bottled water every time we leave the house.

Daily food budget challenge of Php 300:

If you’re going to eat all day at a fast food restaurant, restaurant, or carinderia, you’re the only one who can eat. Just kidding, your breakfast at the carinderia will set you back Php 60. Your order consists of two servings of rice and one serving of meat or fish. Water is completely free. Your coworkers invited you to lunch at a fast-food restaurant near the shopping mall. A value meal, including dessert, will set you back PHP 120. You worked extra hours. When you get home from work (8 p.m.), you’re hungry, and you’re stuck in traffic, so you eat at a fine dining restaurant near where you board the UV Express. When your food bill reaches PHP 120, the waiter instructs you to take out your ATM card and pay for your order. Today, it has risen to Php 300 just for your food.

Meanwhile, bringing food every time you go to work allows your entire family to eat delicious food for Php 300. If you are single, your father and mother, as well as your second and youngest siblings, If you are already married, you and your wife will have three children. It is nutritious for the body as well as the wallet because you will not run out of funds, which is especially important for breadwinners and singles who are laying the groundwork for their future.

According to the study, the cost of one meal (equivalent to Php 60) at a carinderia is equivalent to three meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) if you eat at home and bring food every time you leave the house. Don’t you make a lot of money bringing food and water to work or school? Begin saving now, especially since it is difficult to earn money.