The Russians were told how to save money on preparing for the New Year

While local authorities in cities and villages are deciding in what format to organize a meeting in 2023, the residents themselves are increasingly thinking about their New Year’s menu and what to serve on the festive table. There is just nothing left. And it is known that how you celebrate the New Year, so you will spend it. Therefore, everyone wants everything to be “like people have”.

Against the background of declining demand and falling incomes of the population, many Russians do not plan on New Year’s Eve and the long “vacations” that follow it for something sparkling and extravagant. From our “amateur” survey on the streets of Moscow, it became clear that most people will meet 2023 as in Soviet times, when there were no special culinary delights.

Traditional appetizers, jelly, Russian salad, cold cuts, vegetable salads and Abkhazian tangerines. Many intend to buy something here and now, until prices go up.

If we rely on official statistics (the latest Rosstat data is based on the results of October), then against all expectations, it was not red caviar that rose most of all, which traditionally happens by the New Year (by only 2.4%), but chicken eggs. They gave 7.17% in relation to September.

At the same time, chicken meat itself has risen in price only by 0.95%. So decide what comes first: the chicken or the egg? By the way, both are traditional dishes on the festive table. A specially prepared and oven-baked chicken carcass is a separate delicacy in itself. And the hostess has 15 or even 20 chicken eggs for sure – this is Olivier salad, and mimosa salad, and stuffed with anything, even with the same red caviar. Unless, of course, she still does not go up. Now a jar of 140 grams costs from 728 to 910 rubles.

In general, the prices are already exorbitant. That gives great opportunities to all sorts of scammers. In bustling places, they sell “real, Sakhalin” salmon caviar at a price of 200 rubles per jar. And if there are 3 cans, then the discount is for 500 rubles.

Forecasts for meat in general and chicken in particular are disappointing. It must also be placed on the festive table in different guises. And in general, for the winter period, it is impossible to live without meat. In the cold season, the body needs additional calories, and animal protein gives them to us.

According to experts, in 2023 there will be a fairly sharp jump in prices. And the most convenient springboard for such a takeoff is the end of the year and New Year’s shopping. It is clear that beef will rise in price, but it has long become, like red caviar, inaccessible to us.

But why should pork and poultry rise in price if we not only switched to self-sufficiency in these products, but even export something abroad?

The farmer, and part-time doctor of economic sciences Dmitry Valigursky suggests not to look for hidden economic reasons in the upcoming rise in prices. Everything, in his opinion, lies on the surface.

– The consumer market is unbalanced, the purchasing power of the population has decreased this year – he explains. – Due to this uncertainty in demand, any seller will raise prices before the holidays. To make some profit. But the rise in price, as it seems to me, will be moderate. Pork and poultry will rise in price not much, in the range of 5-10%, beef – by 15 percent. It is better, after all, to buy today. You never know – the market is unstable after all …

Experienced housewives advise now to buy meat for jelly and various snacks. After all, you can cook boiled pork from it, and other delicacies. In the freezer, it will lie quite calmly and in New Year’s preparations you will take a big step forward. With meat, as you know, it’s good, without meat it’s bad.

– I’m going to the third store – and not in vain, – the familiar housewife rejoices. – Everywhere the neck is 500 rubles a kilogram, but here it is 350 rubles. I bought two kilos. In general, I already stocked up on pork for the holidays, I have 5 kilograms in the freezer. I also bought everything that is stored for a long time: mayonnaise, condensed milk, canned food – vegetables, meat and fish. You need a lot of flour – for pancakes, pies and Napoleon cake. The holidays are long, we’ll eat everything, ..

As the customer explains, vegetables, in comparison with the main expenses, cost a penny. However, it is good to have them in stock. Potatoes, onions (it fell in price by 3.3% in October) and carrots became cheaper by 3.2%.

In general, vegetables will rise in price by the end of December, especially cucumbers and tomatoes – experts predict a 50 percent increase.

Domestic alcohol will not rise in price, as authoritative experts say. As Vadim Drobiz, director of the Center for Research on the Federal and Regional Alcohol Markets, told us, retail trade never raises the price tags for domestic alcohol by the New Year. And she makes a profit due to the exponentially increasing sales volume.

Well, at least here we have price stability. You don’t have to worry about alcohol, it has never let us down.