Tell me what you eat and I’ll tell you who you are. For our brand new format soberly titled “In the fridge of…”, readers of all ages and with different incomes open the door to their kitchen and fridge.
Organization, budget, spending, sharing tasks as a couple, inflation and ecology: you will know everything that happens in a different family, every week.
Today it was Kelly* who agreed to show us her refrigerator and share her organization with us.
- Name or nickname: Kelly
- Age : 22 years old
- Residence : Martinique
- People living under the same roof and their age : Nobody
- Family income : €990, lunch vouchers included
- Monthly grocery budget : €110
- Dietary specificities (diet, religious restrictions, allergies, etc.) : Nobody
A budget burdened by inflation
Kelly is 22 years old and a Masters in HR student. She lives alone in an apartment located in Martinique.
The low salary requires, Kelly tries to limit her food budget as much as possible. She estimates it at around 110 euros a month and she spends it mostly in supermarkets.
«I mostly shop at Carrefour because non-food items can be paid for with meal vouchers. Sometimes I go to E.Leclerc and Pli Bel Price. I go there at least twice a week because the maximum limit for lunch vouchers is €25 per day and I almost only use this payment method. »
Because she lives in an overseas department, Kelly has to deal with an average of food products at the supermarket. 40% more expensive than in metropolitan France. She explains:
“With the sea duty transferred to VAT, the products are sold at higher prices than at a national level. Inflation and Ukraine have been there and guess what, prices fluctuate every week. The same item can increase 20 to 50 cents in a week. It's incredible ! Paradoxically, our local products are sold at higher prices than imported ones. »
The choice to eat local
To be able to eat healthily on her limited budget and despite inflation, Kelly prefers local fruits (melon, watermelon, pineapple, orange) and vegetables (yellow banana, sweet potato, cabbage). She also goes to the organic department, especially to stock up on dried fruit and seeds.
“I also regularly buy oatmeal, lentils, milk, rice, pasta, broccoli, carrots… These are the types of convenient foods that fit into my student budget. »
In general, in order not to squander his entire work-study salary on food, Kelly says he has to choose “the cheapest products”. “I calculate the price while adding products to the cart. »
“But in any case, inflation really affects my consumption of meat and fish. I really skip it because the prices are high.
I only eat fish if he cooks it for me! It's not a food I like to take the time to prepare on a daily basis. The situation is similar for meat! But sometimes I try to buy and cook some once or twice a month. It must also be said that I don't particularly like meat.
I also buy fewer sweets than usual. This is a bright spot right now. »
Few pleasures to respect your budget
When at home, Kelly prepares her own food. This also allows her to save on meals when she's at work, although she realizes that's not always easy.
“I cook two or three times a week, trying to prepare several daily meals to take to work. I organize myself this way because I find it very tiring to cook in the evening after a long day of lessons or work. Plus, cooking good food takes time. When you are a student and don't have much time, it's still difficult to eat well. »
Kelly never orders takeout or gets food delivered because her budget doesn't allow it.
“It only happened once since I started studying because I didn't know how to cook and I was too sick to go out and buy food. That day it cost me €16 just for one meal. »
But every now and then he allows himself some small pleasure. His latest “meltdown”? “A packet of stinging sweets!” »
“Honestly my budget doesn't allow me to break down very often, unfortunately. I remain reasonable with my purchases. My favorite food is clearly cranberries, these very sweet little dried red fruits! »
What if the movie you were going to see tonight was a dump? Each week, Kalindi Ramphul gives you her opinion on which movie to see (or not) on the show The Only Opinion That Matters.
Source: Madmoizelle
Mary Crossley is an author at “The Fashion Vibes”. She is a seasoned journalist who is dedicated to delivering the latest news to her readers. With a keen sense of what’s important, Mary covers a wide range of topics, from politics to lifestyle and everything in between.
