In light of global inflation and exaggerated prices on the part of some greedy merchants, the increase in family requirements, and the lack of resources, a smart home lady must manage her home budget successfully, after planning every resource of the family, and trying to reconcile income and expenses; Until she succeeds in passing her family safely from the current global crisis.
says Dr. Wafaa Shalaby, Professor of Home Administration, Faculty of Home Economics, Helwan University: The common meaning of a budget is to identify resources and needs and try to reconcile them.
But the true meaning of the budget is the planning whose purpose is to exploit the available resources, in the sense of achieving a balance between revenues and expenses, and there is no doubt that setting an annual budget for the family is better than setting the monthly budget, and during this budget the total income of the family is calculated from a salary, or income from agricultural land , or the income of any other place that is calculated to organize the items of this budget, and the budget is calculated annually instead of the monthly budget; Because the annual budget is better to achieve the stability of the family, by calculating the income that enters the family, and calculating fixed expenses such as housing rent and school expenses, or if there are installments paid monthly or annually such as car or insurance premiums, then the variable expenses are calculated in total, such as electricity, gas, water and other expenses. . After that, the food item is calculated, which should not exceed 45% of the family’s income, and an important item must be identified for emergencies that the family may go through, and the savings item should be set, even if a small amount each month, as many families do not pay attention to these items, and put most of the family’s income in an item Food only, and this is not acceptable, as the budget should be distributed to all the needs of the family, from not being extravagant in the private lessons; Because it drains a large part of the family budget, especially in the initial stages of education such as the primary stage; As the mother can attend with her child instead of burdening the family with additional burdens that are not needed.
Dr. Wafaa Shalaby stresses the necessity of rationing the use of the Internet and mobile phones, because they drain a large part of the family budget for no benefit.
We can also reduce the purchase of meat and poultry and use plant-based alternatives. Soft drinks should not be used while eating, and the head of the family should make alternatives from natural juices.
Dr. Wafaa Shalaby advises the need to reduce the use of electricity as much as possible. The mobile charger should not be left in the electricity all the time; Because it consumes part of the electricity bill, and the air conditioning is not opened all the time, and the kettle that is used to make hot drinks must be dispensed with; Because it causes many diseases, and the housewife should not run after the offers of the big market; In order not to buy useless goods unnecessarily, and goods should not be stored at inappropriate temperatures that cause damage to these goods. Every good has a time for preservation, whether it is legumes, meat, poultry or fish.
Dr. Wafaa Shalabi advises men to participate in setting the family’s secondary budget, as the man is a primary partner within the family, and he must participate in the home and kitchen as much as possible, and not leave the entire burden on the wife.
The children should draw up with the family the plan for the future; So that they can succeed in their family life later on. Those of the children who do not participate lose the taste of responsibility, and the monthly budget must be left in the hands of the children with follow-up so that they learn how to manage family affairs, especially the girls who are about to get married.
Dr. Iqbal Al Samalouti, Professor of Development and Social Planning at the Higher Institute of Social Work in Cairo, says that the budget issue is one of the most important life issues facing the family, and this issue should fall on the shoulders of all family members, not the wife alone. The husband, wife and children must meet to set this budget; Because the happiness and stability of the family is the responsibility of all family members, not the wife alone, and there is no doubt that the economic crisis is a global crisis that does not concern Egypt alone, even developed countries are affected by this crisis, but the policies for dealing with this crisis differ from one country to another, but in Egypt the matter is different, the people The spirit of social solidarity and cooperation among people prevails in Al-Masry, in addition to state-led policies to help the poorest villages and families through several initiatives, including the Dignified Life Initiative and other economic and health initiatives that aim to provide support to those who deserve it from poor families.
Dr. Iqbal Al-Samalouti defines the meaning of the budget as the systematic planning to provide a stable life for all family members, and this is done by limiting all the family’s resources, defining the items of expenditures while trying the economy as much as possible to meet the current conditions and the economic crisis that the whole world is going through.
Dr. Iqbal confirms that this budget is set annually through planning
In the long run, and also set a monthly budget to achieve goals in the short term.
Beware of waste
Dr. Iqbal Al-Samalouty advises not to waste food products and throw them in the garbage, as many Egyptian families may bring more food than they need, and then throw what is left in the garbage box, especially in family engagements, and every female head of the family should take into account these conditions, especially young wives, i.e. “year.” The first marriage,” good planning of the family budget, and not running after fake offers for supermarkets; Because these offers drain a lot of money without us in need of the offered goods, and they must also write what they need from these markets, and not buy what they do not need, because this purchase is a waste of the family budget.
Dr. Iqbal Al Samalouti advises the husband to participate with his wife in setting the family budget, and to plan with her the near and far goals that she wants to achieve so that this family settles on solid and strong ground, and can face the upcoming challenges.
Dr. Fawzi Al-Shobaki, Professor and Head of the Nutrition Department at the National Research Center, continues the previous dialogue, saying: In light of the difficult global circumstances that all countries of the world are going through, we must be well aware that planning is an essential factor for the success of any family. increase income as much as possible; To achieve the stability of the family, the housewife must abandon the idea that the higher the price of food commodities, the higher the nutritional value. This is a wrong view, as many cheap foods have a high nutritional value; That is why she has to choose better.
This requires a high nutritional culture, and in general it is known that foods from animal sources are expensive, while the prices of foods from plant sources are lower, and here the head of the family must search for suitable alternatives at low prices, for example, fish from foods rich in animal protein, and less Its price is for meat and poultry; Therefore, it can be a meal of fish for family members for a modest amount, and meals of eggs such as omelette and others can also be used as a substitute for meat, and the head of the family can rely on meals rich in vegetable protein such as beans, lentils, beans, cowpeas, etc., as for starches, they are available in bread, rice and pasta, They are often cheap in price, and are available with ration cards that support the Egyptian family. As for vegetables and fruits, the housewife can rely on storing vegetables at times that are cheap, and the fruits are brought into the family from time to time according to the existing budget, thus fulfilling the component of a healthy meal. From protein – starches – vegetables, and the head of the family has to make what is known as proportionality in the budget, she must choose the available alternative in the appropriate quantity for her family, and to determine the basics of food, Dr. Fawzi Al-Shobaki advises the following:
First: It is necessary to know the basic needs of the family for food, which are represented in energy-generating foods such as starches represented in bread, rice and pasta, which represent 04% of the meal.
Second: the building foods that the body needs in building tissues, and they are represented in vegetable and animal proteins. There is no doubt that the Arab kitchen is famous for many meals with vegetable protein such as koshary and beans of all kinds, whether it is in the form of fava beans, falafel, or Basara; So as not to cause a kind of boredom within the family, as for lentils, they can also be served in different varieties, such as lentils with vermicelli, lentil soup, koshari with yellow lentils, and others. As for cowpeas and beans, they can be served in the form of a stew cooked with sauce, or boiled in the form of salad, or other innovations that The housewife can rely on it, and do not forget to provide a meal of meat or poultry weekly, whether that meat is in the form of kofta or resort to buying meat from consumer complexes at a low price and is of high quality, and do not forget to mention the camel meat, which is relatively cheap by comparison. to other types of meat. As for poultry, it may be fairly inexpensive. It can be available in the form of chicken breasts, staples, or shish, and these types are lower in price than whole poultry. As for fish, the head of the family can provide a weekly meal of sardines or tuna, which are fish rich in omega-3 and of high nutritional value.
Third: immune foods such as vegetables and fruits, and the housewife can provide her family with a daily dish of vegetable salad next to the meal for a small amount, and accordingly the housewife must improve the diversity of food within the family in light of this small amount, and the housewife and the speech is still on the tongue of the doctor Fawzi Al-Shobaki: Does the family not feel deprived of food? Because this feeling may generate many psychological problems, but with good management and diversity in choice, the family’s contentment increases with the food it has. A healthy meal consists of 40% of carbohydrates, 20% of protein, whether animal or vegetable, 20% of vegetables and fruits, and 20% of protein. % of fat found in food; Be it oils or ghee, there is no doubt that oils are better than ghee.
Dr. Fawzi Al-Shobaki recommends the media to focus on the nutritional culture of the family instead of focusing on consumption patterns that harm the family more than they benefit. We must realize that proper nutrition is not in the abundance of food, but rather in the quality of food. We do not eat until we are hungry, and if we eat we are not satisfied,” as he, peace and blessings of God be upon him, said, “The son of Adam does not fill an evil vessel from his stomach.” Everyone takes what he needs from food; So we don’t throw the rest into the dishes.
Dr. Fawzi Al-Shobaki confirms that in developed countries, we find that every family prepares food for family members; So that the number of people and the food needs of each person are calculated “a piece of meat + a plate of vegetables + a plate of rice, pasta or potatoes” according to the purchasing power of the family; Therefore, it is not required to make large quantities of food, but only what is sufficient for the family, and this method is not applied in Egyptian society despite the fact that the number of poor people is large, but the food culture is in need of change; To match needs with purchases, it is necessary to move away from the culture of ostentation that prevails in Egyptian society. When planning a decision, it is necessary to calculate the number of individuals, and their share of food, and to put food in large plates; So that each guest gets just what he wants, without leaving the leftovers in the individual plates.
Dr. Fawzi Al-Shobaki advises to overcome the problem of high budget, that we learn to take each of us only what he needs from the food, instead of large dishes that he cannot eat, and if he wants more after finishing his plate he takes what he wants.
If we find leftovers from today’s food, there is no objection to preserving this food in pottery vessels coated with an enamel layer. To kill bacteria that reach the food, and after the food cools down after boiling it is covered with a tight lid and placed in the freezer, then when needed it is taken out and served again, and this food can be renewed by adding white sauce, for example, and entering the oven, or chopping the remaining meat or chicken to make kofta Chicks, and other ideas that serve the family and save its budget.
المصدر: نبأ العرب
