Buying food and drinks at the lowest prices. This reduces the cost of food in Germany, Holland and Austria. When buying groceries in inexpensive supermarkets, consumers try to strictly follow a predetermined list. Americans buy more pasta to save on food.
Germans never throw food away. It is customary to buy in Germany once a week or ten days. This is done when the refrigerator becomes almost empty.
They postpone buying expensive items. Both Europeans and Americans prefer to postpone buying things like cars, boats, houses, appliances and furniture until they have accumulated the required amount, or at least most of it.
Make savings. Germans are especially famous for their love for piggy banks. They fill huge piggy banks with change for a year, and then exchange them in a special machine and spend on vacations and travel. In the evening, coming home, the Germans pour all the change from their wallet into their bank, and only bills remain in his wallet. These savings translate into a significant amount - 1000-1500 euros per year.
Less frequent going out. The French, British and Germans do not indulge themselves in evening entertainment outside the home: cinemas, concerts, theaters, etc. They try to attend more free street concerts and exhibitions, buy theater tickets an hour before the show starts, when they are cheaper. Go to museums on the day when they are allowed in for free.
Cost planning. Here the British are setting the best example: they never spend a pound unnecessarily. The same is true for every Dutch family, which clearly knows what the money will be spent on from the next paycheck.
Savings on water. The Germans, the British, the Dutch close the water even for three minutes while brushing their teeth. Water is not taken into the bath at all, they wash only in the shower - this way much less water is consumed. Usually in every house in Holland there is a boiler that heats up the required amount of water. The Chinese have gone even further - they never pour out the water with which they wash vegetables. Then they use it to water the flowers.
Heating devices and air conditioners are used less often. The British, Dutch, Germans go to bed in sweaters and warm scarves. It's cold in their homes because they save on heating costs.
Reducing the cost of buying clothes and shoes. More than a third of Germans save money when buying clothes, and this is more often said by women, not men. In the US, people also prefer to buy goods from lesser known and cheaper brands, and used clothing stores are in demand here. The French love to dress up for sales.
"When leaving, turn off the light!" Americans and Germans, leaving the room, be sure to turn off the light. In Germany, all electrical appliances are switched off immediately after use, and so that no light is on. According to the calculations of German experts, such "burning nonsense" can result in a hundred euros in a year. In China, home residents are installing energy-saving equipment: photovoltaic hot and cold water taps and soundproofed driveways. Example: in a dark entrance, clap your hands loudly - the light turns on. Until it goes out on its own, the person manages to wait for the elevator or reach the second floor, where he will clap his hands again and turn on the light again.
They use a car less often. For the sake of saving on fuel, the British, Germans and Dutch prefer to ride a bicycle to work. Even high-ranking officials and bankers do not shy away from this type of transport. On the rear windows of cars in the UK, you can see catchy stickers: "Everyone on bicycles!", "Save fuel - get on a horse!" Cyclists in Holland have separate paths and their own traffic lights. It is clear that bicycles are not only saving on gas, but also on going to the gym.
"I'll give you a lift" service. In Holland it is customary to save on gasoline like this. Today you give your neighbor a lift to work, and tomorrow he will give you a lift.
They visit bars and cafes less often. This is how 48% of residents of Germany, 45% of France, 41% of Austria and 42% of Italy save on everyday expenses. Europeans now prefer to buy take-out food in cafes in order not to pay for the service. Americans carry food to work from home, and they also enjoy alcoholic drinks in the apartment, not in bars. Czechs buy fewer ready-made meals and more staple foods, which they cook themselves at home.
They order a "budget" menu. With the onset of the crisis, residents of Italy began to order an inexpensive and nutritious sausage sandwich instead of a traditional croissant in a cafe for breakfast - it costs one euro less. World-famous French gourmets are less likely to go to their favorite restaurants, preferring a cheap pizzeria. Instead of wine, most French people now choose ... ordinary water, and the inhabitants of Italy, instead of a cup of coffee, order water with lemon.
Refusal from home feasts. The Germans will not host dinner and dinner parties. They estimate that this will save at least one hundred euros. They will go with friends to a restaurant with great pleasure, where everyone will pay for themselves and not spend too much.
It is customary to draw a typical European in the head as a wealthy, sleek and well-fed person who does not deny himself the pleasure of having dinner on the terrace of a Michelin restaurant with wine or going on a weekend in Paris. But even if all the listed characteristics are left in place, they will not sweep aside the fact that Europeans are still economists. Of course, this applies to the younger generation to a greater extent than the adults of the middle class, but everyone has their own thrifty habits. These "frugal" tricks vary from country to country, but you can still find a common link in them and, perhaps, take note of something.
On food and drinks
In every European country there is such a concept as an economy class supermarket - a store where the cheapest types of basic grocery basket are collected and where special promotions are constantly arranged for the purchase of two or more goods at a lower price. In addition, in Europe, no one considers it shameful to walk four or five instead of one store, buying discounted toilet paper in one, fresh vegetables in the other, two bottles of wine for the price of one in the third, homemade olives and feta in the fourth. by weight.
Mar 21 2017 at 1:42 PDT
On utility bills
Those who have ever flown to Italy, Greece or Spain in winter have discovered for themselves the main disadvantage that "summer" travelers have no idea about: in these beautiful houses with balconies planted with flowering plants, it is terribly cold in winter, and a room is an extremely costly exercise. Many apartments in southern Europe simply do not have central heating, but there are electric heaters that are turned on punctually - only for the time when the owner or hostess is at home, so that the amount in tickets for the light does not go beyond the bounds of decency. Saving on payments affects the way of life: many people prefer to leave home as soon as possible in the morning so as not to turn on the heater, buy warm pajamas and blankets, use a minimum of household appliances, and still do not favor guests who take a bath for 40 minutes, because the water is heated often also comes from an electric boiler ...
Jan 21 2017 at 12:48 PM PST
On clothes
With all the variety of all kinds of shops on the central European streets - from famous boutiques to affordable mass-market - small shops are in favor among young people, which are united by the concept of a "humane" sales policy. It can be like second-hand, which gives Europeans the feeling that they do not encourage capitalism and the exploitation of workers in poor countries at least at the stage of buying clothes (and by the way, in the same Amsterdam, you will be surprised to find that clothes in second-hand also more expensive than in regular stores), as well as a tiny store of local designers or a local market like those that are now gaining popularity in Moscow.
Apr 27 2017 at 3:42 PDT
On cars
Savings begin already at the stage of choosing a car, because the more compact the car is, the easier it will be to park it in the city center, and the less horsepower it has, the lower the annual tax on owning it will be. It's no secret that a car in Europe is more of a luxury than a necessity, although it shocks us Russians, because a good used car is almost twice as cheap there as ours. But the trick is that after the purchase, you can easily "catch up" the difference in price due to the use of the car: for example, paying for parking at 4 euros per hour, changing the oil at a car repair shop for 150 euros, or shelling out for speeding tickets.
Apr 15 2017 at 4:24 PDT
On holidays
The tradition of booking a huge hall with columns for the celebration, ordering food and drinks for all guests and organizing a special entertainment program is a purely Russian phenomenon, which Robbie Williams boldly sang in his last video, Party Like Russian. The Europeans, the closer to the north, the more modest they relate to any holiday - be it at least a wedding, at least a birthday. The latter, in principle, often turns into a semblance of an ordinary friendly meeting: only close friends give gifts, and all other guests bring their own snacks and pay for alcohol on their own.
Apr 15 2017 at 9:07 am PDT
On transport
The impetus for saving on transport, despite all the romanticization of the cycling culture, is still not least the cost of the ticket: from 1.5 euros in Eastern Europe to almost 5 euros in some Sweden for one metro ride. Travel cards and youth savings cards are cheaper, but they can still easily cost € 50–70 per month, depending on the country. In this case, the bicycle is a real salvation - your own autonomous mode of transport, which costs nothing. Although the word “nothing” would be worth clarifying: for example, in Paris, a fine for drunk driving on a bicycle is equal to a fine for drunk driving, and in Barcelona, if you are caught driving a red car and with music in headphones, you will be easily obliged to pay to the state 250 euros for both violations.
Feb 17 2017 at 10:03 PST
Rental housing
The popular TV series "Girls" ends with a very real scenario in Europe today: the heroines decide to raise the child of one of them together as friends who have actually turned into a family. Russian deputies will have their own opinion on this case, but no matter how indignant the traditionalist conservatives and ordinary critics of Europe, in many countries what can be freely described as "hipster communism" has been flourishing for a long time - young people and girls do not seek to take off for themselves separate housing, but deliberately live with neighbors and, instead of complaining about the lack of personal space at 35, they sincerely enjoy the fact that they arrange dinners and parties with their roommates, share the costs of a communal apartment with them and leave their pets to them when they leave for weekend in Berlin.
Apr 29 2017 at 11:03 PDT
Taken from http://www.rg.ru/2015/02/09/zhizn-deshevle-site.html#
According to experts, in 2015 the incomes of Russians may decline, so you need to start saving today. Residents of other countries that have already experienced difficult periods in the economy have learned to get out of the situation with minimal losses. The best in the world to save money in everyday life are the Germans, Austrians and Dutch.
"Rossiyskaya Gazeta" tried to collect not only the most effective, but also the most unconventional ways of personal and family frugality.
Don't make a cult out of food
Every four out of ten Dutch and Austrians always buy the cheapest food. Any Korean will proudly declare that their family is always saving on food. In the UK, the popularity of online stores selling expired food products is growing: their products are three to four times cheaper than fresh counterparts. The British call this diet "anti-crisis diet".
Egyptians save on food in their own way: for breakfast they eat bean porridge with vegetable cutlets from tameya (composition: beans, herbs, spices). They say that after such a breakfast you don't want to eat until the evening.
Old is better than new
The first thing Germans do is refuse to buy household appliances and continue to drive used and frankly old cars. Last year, the average age of cars in Germany reached a record 8.7 years - that is, the Germans began to save on new cars with the first signs of the 2009 crisis. The average age of German cars then did not exceed 7.7 years.
The picture is similar in the United States: the average American car is now about 11 years old.
The popularity of sites "I will give for free" is growing in the USA, where you can find free furniture and household appliances, clothes and shoes, and even the very devil in a mortar.
Women's logic
Korean women buy colored shirts for their husbands - to wash less and save powder.
Australian women hang freshly washed shirts on a hanger in the bathroom next to the shower. While they wash themselves, steam "iron" the shirt, saving energy for the iron.
American women rarely cut their hair and visit beauty salons. With the onset of the crisis, they even began to dye their hair at home when they calculated that it would save $ 560 a month.
French women love sales, plan their visits in advance, for which they even take time off at work. You can buy clothes on sale with a decent discount, which reaches 70-80 percent.
Spanish women adhere to the principle: "An old boot is better than two new ones, do not save on repairs, but save on extra shoes."
Brazilian women urge their families not to go to the toilet in the morning, but to immediately run to the shower and there, while washing, to relieve themselves. They believe that once a day, without flushing the toilet, using a two-in-one shower, there are significant savings.
In spite of the electric meter
In Poland, just enough water is poured into a teapot to be enough for only one tea party. During the 2009 crisis, the use of electric kettles was prohibited in all police commandant's offices, and every second light bulb was ordered to be turned off.
The British turn off the doorbell when no one is at home. Australians unplug unused household appliances from outlets to eliminate standby power consumption.
Finns advise washing windows more often, because with dirty ones, according to a study, the lights have to be turned on earlier. According to the Finns, you shouldn't often look into a half-empty refrigerator: from the constant opening of the door, the electricity consumption increases noticeably.
In Estonia, they prefer to turn on electric radiators only at night, when energy is cheaper. And during the day, you can shove 18 bricks into the oven of a gas stove, heat them up in 15-20 minutes, and then open the oven - and the heat will last for many hours. A couple of turns on the fan will spread it throughout the apartment.
Together - a friendly family
In Ireland, in order to get through difficult times, some families refuse all purchases and payments for one week a month. By any methods, but absolutely do not waste money. Since this is only possible in theory, in practice costs drop to 50-40 percent of the normal weekly rate, and inevitably rise by 25-30 percent the next week. But the cumulative savings are about a third of the week's cost - not bad either!
In Belgium, it is customary for spouses to "dump" or distribute them on a monthly basis: the husband pays for something, the wife pays for something. All this is discussed at family councils, where additional savings reserves are identified along the way.
And one of the comments on the article:
26.02.2015 - 21:25
Dmitry Budkov
Yeah))) Here it is our dream of the 90s, America, Europe - a better life! At that time we did not know everything and did not understand everything, and they always had redneck. And they don't see life, they save everything, eco, eco, eco))) Now I am very glad that I was born and live in Russia! I have a couple of friends living in Europe. France - initially there is no heating in houses (not south), even batteries, they bathe in one bath with the whole family and a sink! my wife's mother came to them, froze, went and bought a little e-mail. heater turned on. Daughter: thank you mom, you cut our budget by 500 euros in 2 days))) And so for everyone! They stupidly envy us that we live so freely, they are so strangled by a toad that Russian rednecks do not deny themselves anything. So they come up with all sorts of garbage about us and spread rot on us. And the Europeans, as I was told, also burst out those and drunks. The Vedas, they invented a perfume in order to fight off the stench from themselves! Hehe, like that!
Communal savings
“Saving water and electricity is in their blood. I think they are born with this. They do not have such a thing that the lights are on throughout the apartment. They constantly monitor this, ”says the Italian emigrant Nina Sidorenko. According to her, European thrift sometimes even grows into greed. For example, when Europeans take a shower, their water does not constantly flow. The Italian will go into the shower stall, get wet and be sure to turn off the water. Then he will soap himself and only after that he will turn on the shower again to wash himself. At the same time, they are genuinely surprised and outraged by the extravagance of immigrants from the former USSR, who can stand for half an hour under an open shower just for the sake of pleasure. “Sometimes it gets ridiculous. Especially economical Italians put a basin and collect water in it after a shower. And then the floors in the apartment or house are washed with this water, ”says Nina Sidorenko.
A similar frugality is characteristic of the Dutch. This is understandable, because you have to pay a lot for utility bills. For example, the rent for a modest apartment is about 750 euros per month. At the same time, you have to pay 250-300 euros for utility bills, and even more in the heating season. “Bathrooms are rarely accepted here - it’s expensive. I know a couple of families where fathers drive their daughters out of the shower, who, in their opinion, have been there for too long. They simply turn off the water for them so that they can come out, ”said Maria, who moved from Ukraine to Holland a few years ago.
In addition to this, Europeans are sure to install "economical" plumbing in their homes. All of their toilets are equipped with a double flush button: pressing one of them drains only half a tank of water.
In addition, in order to save hot water, European housewives in recent years have been actively using detergents and powders that dissolve in cold water and after which there is no need to rinse the dishes. At the same time, few of them use running water for washing dishes - this is considered a waste. Plates and cups are washed in a basin and only then rinsed with running water.
The practice of heating their homes deserves special attention. Many European apartments do not have central heating; instead, individual double-circuit boilers work. And in southern countries, for example in Italy, there is not even that. “They have“ shtupy ”- this is an iron stove on wheels, like our stove. Only it is heated not with wood, but with gas from a cylinder, which is screwed to the stove. When the cold comes, they heat their premises with this stove, moving them from room to room, ”says Nina Sidorenko. The disadvantage of this heating method is obvious - if you turn off the stove, the heat quickly evaporates. They do not drown it at night - it is unsafe, so at night it becomes very cool in their rooms. But the Italians are not embarrassed by this. In order not to get cold, they actively insulate themselves: they sleep in pajamas on warm flannel underwear under thick winter blankets.
And, most importantly, the Europeans do not even think of not paying for utility bills. It is sacred for them. No delays or restructuring. The first thing that the money from salaries, pensions and scholarships is saved for is rent and utilities.
"Week of hamsters"
Have lunch in a cafe ?! Order pizza or sushi for lunch ?! Most Europeans consider this an unaffordable luxury. “Many people take home-cooked food with them. Or go to canteens with a company. Dine in a cafe is expensive. It's not like in Ukraine - you can go out and have lunch for 40-60 UAH. In the Netherlands it is much more expensive, ”says Dutchman Hans Ramaekers.
According to him, no one goes to expensive restaurants anymore - they prefer to look for more affordable establishments with good cuisine. Moreover, if earlier wealthy Dutchmen could afford to visit restaurants twice a month, now they limit themselves and arrange gourmet cuisine festivals no more than once every 30 days.
At the same time, the middle class does not leave home without sandwiches and drinks: why spend money on a snack somewhere in a cafe?
This is also true for residents of other EU countries. “Families with children first eat at home and then go out. This saves a lot of money. And most people save money by not going out too often. Previously, they usually did it three times a month, but now they start going out only once, ”says Dmitry Atanasov, 35, a resident of the Bulgarian city of Sofia.
Also among Bulgarians, a very common way to save money is to use membership cards. The most popular in Bulgaria is the SCI card. Its owners can save up to 20% on bills in cafes and restaurants. There are also discount cards from telephone companies for local customers, discounts on credit cards - usually up to 10%.
In an effort to save money on food, Europeans simply adore a variety of promotions from supermarkets. “A couple of times a quarter, so-called“ hamster weeks ”are announced in the Dutch supermarkets Alber Hein. So, people during these "hamster weeks" fill their refrigerators to capacity. Moreover, not only meat and fish are bought for the future, but even bread! They also put it in freezers and, as needed, take it out and defrost it in the air. Microwaves are not popular in Holland. After defrosting, the bread is very edible. Ukrainian bread would have collapsed, but theirs would not, ”says Maria.
Another way to save money in Europe is to refuse to buy food in one supermarket. “Many people buy food in different supermarkets - they are looking for discounts on different products. In one - vegetables, in the other - fish, in the third - meat and cheese. It's cheaper that way, ”says Hans Ramaekers.
Hungry Holidays
Abundant and lengthy feasts are not European style. None of them cook Olivier in buckets with rich snacks, drinks and a few hot dishes. Everything is much simpler. Hospitable hosts may well put only chips and nuts on the table as snacks. And this does not bother anyone. Another common practice is that guests must come with their own food. “If guests are called, the host prepares one or two dishes, and the rest are brought by the guests. Everyone comes with a dish, ”says Austrian Victoria Neumann.
Giving expensive gifts in Europe is also not accepted. For example, the average cost of a gift for a birthday person is usually 10-15 euros, no more. Less is possible.
“If you are visiting a friend and you know that they will not be fed at this evening, you can give him a bottle of beer,” says Maria about Dutch customs.
Those invited to the wedding will have to fork out a little more. And then, if they go not only to the painting, where the young receive exclusively flowers and verbal congratulations. Relatives of the newlyweds, invited to a feast in a cafe, must give the heroes of the occasion somewhere between 50-100 euros. “It is interesting that the newlyweds write down who and how much gave them for the wedding, and when this person invites them to their own celebration, they are obliged to“ give ”him the same amount, no less,” says Nina Sidorenko.
And, of course, all Europeans are not averse to eating and taking a walk on the "ball". This is absolutely not considered shameful, and this feature is actively used by various sellers. “For example, a clerk in an Austrian furniture store strongly recommends that my husband come and get a free serving of fries and a steak on his birthday. And many come, ”says Victoria Neumann.
Modest "outfit"
Europeans, like Ukrainians, observe a dress code at work. But the requirement to change clothes every day is not at all necessary, although it is accepted in many countries. Office workers usually have two or three business suits in their wardrobe, no more. Only people with above average incomes renew it every season. Everyone else has worn their clothes for several years in a row. The same goes for shoes. And no expensive fur coats with which you can "boor", or expensive brands.
“All expensive brands like Versace or Max Mara are not listed. We are looking for nice clothes, but cheaper. And everyone is waiting for discounts. During this period we buy 2-3 new clothes per season, ”says Hans Ramaekers.
In Italy, for example, the maximum discounts on clothing and footwear are announced before Christmas and August 15th. At this time, all Italians spend money on new clothes, which are discounted by 70%, and sometimes all 90%.
And Europeans do not shun second-hand goods. “The rich rarely go to second-hand, although they also run in to find interesting antique things. And the middle class, students and the poor buy practically everything there - clothes, furniture, curtains, and toys ... ”- says Maria.
But, despite its frugality, side by side with stinginess, in Europe it is considered good form to help the poor and needy. “It is customary for us to give clothes to relatives or to orphanages,” says Dmitry Atanasov, a Bulgarian.
And in Holland, in general, second-hand shops are run by volunteers. They send the money earned from worn-out things to good deeds: to children in Africa or to Ukrainian orphanages. Moreover, volunteer sellers do not receive any salaries for their work on such "second-hand" stores. This is strict here.
RIA Rating - Dec 6 The share of spending on food in the structure of family budgets is one of the important socio-economic indicators characterizing the standard of living in a particular state. The share of such expenditures in the budgets of families varies significantly in individual countries, as well as the living conditions of the population.
In prosperous countries with high incomes and relatively low food prices, food costs account for no more than 15% of a family's consumption expenditures. Residents of such countries can afford to spend the rest of the funds on entertainment, travel, dining, education, clothing, and more.
The population of less wealthy countries is forced to spend on food a much larger part of their funds (up to 40% -50% of consumer spending), because the level of their well-being does not allow spending significant amounts on secondary, in comparison with products, values. In such countries, there is also a significant influence of the dynamics of food prices on the living standards of the population - an increase in prices leads to an increase in the already high share of spending on food, while, accordingly, the share of spending on other needs decreases.
The next rating of European countries in terms of the share of food expenditures in family budgets, prepared by RIA Rating experts, largely confirms the above assumptions. The rating was compiled on the basis of the collected official data on household budgets in European countries at the end of 2015. The countries in the ranking are ranked in ascending order of the share of food expenditures in the structure of household consumption expenditures. To better illustrate the everyday life of European citizens, the ranking also contains data on the share of their expenses on tobacco and alcohol products, on visiting restaurants, cafes and hotels, as well as cultural and leisure activities.
Daily bread
Luxembourg remains the leader of the rating. Residents of this small state spend only 8.6% of their expenses on food purchases. At the same time, compared to last year, this share has slightly decreased. Next comes the Netherlands with 10.0% of total expenses, followed by the UK with 11.0%. Also, less than 12% of expenses are spent on food by residents of Denmark, Austria, Norway and Switzerland.
In general, it should be noted that in most cases there is an inverse relationship between the share of spending on food and such an indicator as GDP per capita, which is one of the main indicators of the country's economic development.
Eastern European countries, including the countries of the former USSR, have the largest share in consumer spending on food. In the last place in the ranking is Ukraine, which is going through the most difficult period in its post-Soviet history. The inhabitants of this country are forced to spend more than half of their expenses on food. A high share of spending on food is also noted in Kazakhstan and Moldova - over 40%.
Russia occupies 32nd place in the ranking, being located between Bulgaria and Lithuania. At the end of 2015, residents of our country spent 32% of their consumer spending on food, which is 3.5 p.p. more than in 2014. The increase in this indicator over the year occurred against the background of a fall in real disposable income of the population by 4% and an increase in food prices by 14%.
Note, however, that 32% is averaged. In different regions of our vast and multinational country, due to the economic and mental characteristics of its inhabitants, the share of food in the structure of consumer spending ranges from 58.7% in the Republic of Dagestan to 24.1% in the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug - Yugra (the difference is almost 2, 5 times). In addition to the named Republic of Dagestan, residents of the Republic of Crimea (48.5%), the Republic of Ingushetia (44.7%) and the Republic of Buryatia (43.7%) direct a significant share of their consumer spending on food. In total, more than 40% of their consumer spending is spent on food by residents of 9 constituent entities of the Russian Federation.
The smallest share of consumer spending on food products is in the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug (24.1%), the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug (25.1%), the Republic of Tatarstan and the Moscow Region (25.9% each).
To a large extent, the share of food costs in the context of regions depends on the level of well-being, but the level of prices for food and the historically established traditions of everyday life in a particular region are also of no small importance.
Bad habits and entertainment
Luxembourg, Cyprus and Moldova have the lowest share of spending on these goods. In these countries, residents spend no more than 1.5% of consumer spending on alcohol and tobacco.
The highest share of expenses is observed in the Eastern European countries - in Romania (7.8%), Serbia (4.6%) and Bulgaria (4.4%).
Russia is in the middle of the rating, taking 22nd place out of 40. In the family budget of our compatriots, spending on alcoholic beverages and tobacco is 3%, the closest neighbors are the Czech Republic and Slovakia. This position of our country can probably be explained by the relatively low prices for alcohol and tobacco.
The share of the family budget spending on cafes, restaurants and hotels also in a certain way indicates the standard of living in a particular country. As a rule, the higher this indicator, the more prosperous the living conditions. However, the historical habits of the population also have some influence on the spending of people in countries on eating out.
The largest share of expenses for catering and hotels in the structure of family expenses is observed in Switzerland - 10.6%. Portugal is in second place - with 10.4%, in third - Greece with 9.9%. According to this indicator, Russia is at the bottom of the ranking with a share of spending on restaurants and hotels at 3.5% (3.6% a year ago). Norway and Macedonia have almost the same share.
The smallest indicator in Europe in terms of spending on cafes and restaurants was recorded among residents of Romania - 1.4%. They were followed by their neighbors - residents of Moldova - 1.7% and Ukrainians - 2.4%.
RIA Rating experts also considered the indicator of the share of expenses in the family budgets of European countries for leisure and culture. The share of such expenses also directly depends on the income level of the population. The largest share of spending on culture, leisure and entertainment belongs to prosperous Western European countries - Sweden (18.7%), Great Britain (13.0%) and Austria (11.5%). Moreover, in the first two countries, the share of spending on leisure and culture even exceeds the share of spending on food.
Moldova has the lowest share of 1.4%. Ukraine (1.8%) and Macedonia (2.5%) also have a low indicator. Moreover, the inhabitants of Ukraine spend 2 times more money on alcoholic beverages and tobacco than on culture and leisure.
In terms of the share of spending on leisure and culture, Russia is in the middle of the list of European countries with an indicator of 6.7%. This share is decreasing - last year it was 7.1%. Slovakia and Poland have about the same share.
It is also interesting to consider the total share of expenses of European citizens on "bad habits" and entertainment (the sum of all indicators presented in the rating, excluding food costs). In this case, the leaders with the largest share of spending are Switzerland (23.5%), Great Britain (23.0%) and Austria (20.7%). It is noteworthy that Estonia is also in the top ten along with developed European states (19.0%).
Least of all in the structure of their budget are devoted to "bad habits" and entertainment residents of Moldova, Ukraine and Macedonia - 4.5%, 8.0% and 9.5%. The lower part is represented mainly by countries from the former USSR and the former Soviet camp. The exception was, oddly enough, Italy, which took 32nd place with 11.8%. Apparently, Italians, with their relatively high incomes, do not like to pay for entertainment or relax in some other way than their neighboring Switzerland. In this case, Russia shared 27-28th place with Romania (13.2%).
In general, the structure of household budget expenditures across countries does not change significantly over time, except in cases of major economic changes. In the near future, RIA Rating experts do not expect significant changes in the rating, at least in the lower and upper parts of it. For Russia next year, we can expect a slight decrease in the share of spending on food, which will be due to the projected slowdown in the rate of decline in household incomes against the backdrop of relatively low inflation.
RIA Rating is a universal rating agency of the media group MIA "Russia Today", specializing in assessing the state of companies, regions, banks, industries and credit risks. The main activities of the agency are: assignment of credit and reliability ratings to banks, enterprises, regions, municipalities, insurance companies, securities, and other economic entities; economic research in the financial, corporate and public sectors.
MIA "Russia Today" - an international media group whose mission is to provide prompt, balanced and objective coverage of events in the world, informing the audience about different views on key events. RIA Rating as part of MIA "Russia Today" is included in the line of information resources of the agency, which also include: RIA News , R-Sport , RIA Real Estate , Prime , Inosmi... MIA Rossiya Segodnya is the leader in citation among the Russian media and is increasing the citation of its brands abroad. The agency also holds a leading position in terms of citations in Russian social networks and the blogosphere.
