Codes of Living - 4

Kitchen Expense Calculation for a Family of Four:

We've been calculating for a few days to find a magic formula for living, and while it's easy to breathe, it's not that easy to live.

Let's pick up where we left off.

In our account, we are trying to figure out how much income we need in a month for a middle-class family of four people.

Prices change every day but there is nothing to do, these days Turkey realities and our standard of living are like this.

I will try to finish the feeding expenses today.

We had found the last juicy food expense, the remaining main courses are meat, chicken and fish. According to our calculation, when we calculate the cost of 60 servings of food per month from 20 servings, the chapter on home cooking food will be completed. Let's start.

Cost Calculation of Meatballs and Rice Option:

Our first option is meatballs and rice

Dried dumplings for 2 people: 300 grams of minced meat, one egg, one onion, one tablespoon olive oil, two tablespoons of galette flour, two pinches of parsley, salt, pepper, cumin, thyme

Rice for 2 people: one cup rice for rice, 1.5 cups chicken broth, one teaspoon olive oil, one tablespoon butter, one teaspoon salt

Let's calculate for 20 people:

Minced meat: It's always finished in the most economical grocery store I've ever looked at, so I looked at prices from another grocery store nearby, 109 pounds 75 cents a kilo. We need 3 kg. 329 pounds cost 75 cents.

Egg: The pack of 30 was 29 lira 90 kuruş, we need 10 pieces, it costs 10 lira.

Onions: 5 pounds 50 cents per kilo. One medium onion was 100 grams, we need 1 kilo, 5 lira is worth 50 cents.

Olive oil: This oil was extra virgin, 52 pounds 90 cents per liter. One tablespoon was 15 milliliters, one teaspoon was 10 milli-liters, we need 250 ml, 13 pounds is worth 20 cents.

Rice for rice: Yayla pilaflik, 2 kilos 44 lira 90 kuruş. A cup of rice is 180 grams, we need 1 kilo 800 grams, 40 liras is worth 40 cents.

Butter: This milk, 350 grams of which was 40 lira 95 kuruş, 116 lira 85 kuruş per kilo. A tablespoon of butter was 14 grams. We need 10 spoons, 140 grams, 16 pounds is worth 40 cents.

We add the chicken broth, two pinches of parsley, salt and spices to the wholesale price afterwards.

Cost Calculation of Chicken and Pasta Option:

Let's move on to our second food option. Chicken and pasta.

Baked whole chicken for 4 people: one small whole chicken, 1 slice of lemon, salt, 1 tablespoon of yogurt, 1 teaspoon of tomato paste.

Pasta for 2 people: half a package, 250 gr. of pasta, 1 tablespoon of butter, 8 cups of water, a tablespoon of wiping salt.

Again, let's calculate for 20 people:

Chicken: Bupiliç, 1950 grams, discounted price, 33 lira 90 kuruş (33 lira). I found this to be the most economical price. It's a little big, but let's say we're lucky, we separate some of the breast meat and add it to the salad, and we need chicken broth in between. We need 5, it costs 169 lira 50 kuruş.

Yogurt: half a kilo of 8 lira 40 kuruş, a tablespoon of yogurt is 15 grams, we need 75 grams, we will already make buttermilk next to dinner, yogurt will be needed. From there we use a little. I don't take that into account.

Pasta: it's cheaper, but let's eat some delicious pasta, Bumakarna is  spaghetti, half a kilo is 5 pounds 40 cents. We need 2 kilograms 500 grams. It costs 5 packages, it costs 27 pounds.

I add 16 pounds and 40 cents for butter with the same calculation.

We will add the water, salt, spices later.

Cost Calculation of the Fish Option:

Let's move on to our third option,

This option is my favorite, fish.

In Moscow, we usually eat sea bass or chupra, it comes from Turkey, sometimes from Greece, chilled. But I looked, the prices in the form of fish are very high, the weight of medium-sized sea bass is 80-95 pounds, let's say we eat in season, let's make a calculation on the mackerel.

There will be arugula and parsley next to it, and half a lemon next to each serving. There is no longer buttermilk as a drink, but we take buttermilk into account, and if you want, you can replace it yourself with a more suitable drink.

We will make fish for 20 people.

Grilled Fish: 300 grams of mackerel per person, half a cup of oil, salt and corn flour, 100 grams of arugula.

Istavrit, weight 25 lira 71 kuruş, we need 6 kg, 154 lira 30 kuruş.

Oil: Bumize corn oil, 2 liters of 31 pounds 10 cents. 1 cup was 70 milliliters. We need 700 ml. 10 pounds costs 90 cents.

Arugula, parsley: a bunch of both is 4 liras 45 cents, a bunch is 100 grams, we need 20 bunches, it costs 89 liras.

Lemon: 16 lira 90 kuruş per kilo, one of them is 60 grams, we need 10 grams, 600 grams, the price is 10 lira 15 kuruş.

If we collect the cooked meal ends with the chapter, when we add our salad, buttermilk, the second bread that we have not yet taken into account from the two daily breads, and a plate of fruit after dinner in the evening, our food cost at home will be determined. Then we sit down and have a cup of tea after a meal. Of course, in the tea account, we should not forget the afternoon tea of the lady and the child. We will calculate the expenses of the baby and the guests arriving in the afternoon separately.

Now let's collect what has happened so far, meatballs rice 415 lira 25 kuruş, chicken pasta 212 lira 90 kuruş, fish arugula 264 lira 35 kuruş. All 892 pounds 50 cents.

Cost Calculation of Other Side Plates:

Yes, salad, buttermilk and bread left.

I think half an onion, two tomatoes, two or three charliston peppers and a little lettuce are enough for a dish of salad. It will be exquisite if it also has oil, salt and lemon. Although I usually use homemade vinegar instead of lemon, let's do our calculations with lemons.

Let's calculate on a plate at dinner and half a plate at noon. 30+26/2=43 plates.

Onions: 5 pounds 50 cents per kilo. One medium onion was 100 grams, we need 2 kilograms of 150 grams, 11 liras is worth 60 cents.

Tomato: It is still on sale, the price is 9 lira 90 kuruş. One medium tomato was 110 grams, we need 9 kilograms 500 grams. It costs 94 pounds.

Charliston pepper: 9 liras 90 cents a kilo, one piece is 35 grams, we need 110 pieces, about 4 kilos. 39 pounds costs 60 cents.

Lettuce: 6 liras 95 cents each, discounted price, chopping a third of a third of a plate each time is enough for us, 97 liras 30 cents.

Lemon: 10 lemons is probably enough, we have made the calculation above, 10 lira 15 kuruş is for lemon and our salad is ready.

Let's collect, our salad costs 248 pounds 65 cents.

Let's calculate our buttermilk, everyone should drink a glass of buttermilk at every meal, some drink only water, some carbonated drinks, some compote. For the average calculation, we calculate the cost over our national drink ayran. Let's calculate the round calculation over 150 cups of buttermilk. One cup of water is 240 ml, a total of 36 liters of buttermilk.

If it were me, I would add water directly to the yogurt and make buttermilk, but I found a recipe on the internet called a delicious buttermilk recipe, let's make it.

With our recipe we can make a little more than half a liter of buttermilk, if we make 70 of them we will do our job.

Yummy buttermilk: a cup of yogurt, half a teacup of milk, half a teacup of mineral water, 1 cup of cold water, a teaspoon of salt.

Let's start with the buttermilk that meets the recipe:

Yogurt: half a kilo of 8 lira 40 kuruş, a cup of yogurt is 245 grams, we need 17 kilograms 150 grams, we need a little for chicken, let's say 17 and a half kilograms, we need to buy 35. It costs 294 pounds.

Milk: When I was at university, Atatürk Forest Farm milk was sold in the canteen of Faculty Colleges (FYO) in the evenings, we used to buy in glass bottles, we would buy one by one, sometimes if we were late, we would not catch up, it would end. I don't know if the milk is so delicious now.

In Russia, there is still milk in a glass bottle. Although we have been bringing it from the village in recent years, weekly. We found someone around Moscow, he has cows, thanks to his son every Sunday he brings him to the exit of the subway, he sets off fresh, as soon as he milks, he just keeps his way for an hour and a half. It keeps the price more or less at the market price, a little bit more expensive, but whether it's that much, I have three fingers of cream on it, I'm used to natural milk anymore, I can't drink milk from the market. With most of them we make yogurt ourselves at home.

Yes, let's go back to our account, there is no milk in a glass bottle in the market where we look at the price, so I looked at the price of pasteurized milk in paper packaging. This milk is 2.5% fatty, 15 lira 95 kuruş per liter. A teacup 96 ml, we need 3 liters of 360 ml. 53 pounds 60 cents.

Mineral water: Mineral water in the buso,  6x200 ml, 13 lira 75 kuruş, 3 liters 360 ml 38 lira 50 kuruş.

The rest is water and salt. If we collect, our buttermilk is 386 lira 10 kuruş.

Bread and fruit remained.

We had taken one into account with breakfast, and our second bread is 3 liras to 90 liras.

If we call the fruit two apples or oranges per person during the day, the number of grams is 600 grams per day from 100 grams, 18 kilograms of fruit per month. Let's collect from various fruits.

Apple: 11 pounds 90 cents per kilo, I guess the most apples are eaten, let's buy 8 kilos of apples. 95 pounds 20 cents.

Orange: 10 pounds 95 cents a kilo, 3 kilos if we take 32 pounds 85 cents

Banana: There is a local, 13 pounds 90 cents per kilo, and discounted. 3 kilos of this 41 lira 70 kuruş

Cherry: 24 pounds 90 cents a kilo, a little expensive, already seasonal, let's take a kilo. 24 pounds 90 cents

Pear: Camel, 21 pounds 90 cents per kilo. Let's get 2 kilos from this too. 43 pounds 80 cents.

Melon: Forty trees, 14 pounds 90 cents per kilo. We have a kilo left for it. 14 pounds 90 cents.

Okay, I think we've completed 18 pounds.

I did not feel comfortable, would it be a fruit plate without watermelon, I will add a kilo of extra watermelon, 5 lira 95 cents per kilo.

If we add it up, 259 pounds 30 cents.

Total Cost Calculation:

Now let's sum everything:

Breakfast: It cost 1350 pounds.

Soup: 167 lira 20 kuruş

Juicy meal: 497 lira 35 kuruş

Other dishes: 892 lira 50 kuruş

Salad: 248 lira 65 kuruş

Buttermilk: 386 lira 10 kuruş

Second loaf of bread: 90 liras

Fruit: 259 pounds 30 cents

I also put 30 pounds for salt and spices.

All together 4180 lira 40 kuruş. If we add our enjoyment tea, coffee and treats for the neighbors, it will reach 4500 liras with its trinket.

Together with housing and dues, the expense has already become 6800 liras. Let's see where else it goes.

We have not finished our feeding expenses yet. We needto calculate our father's daily allowance for lunch, our baby's feeding expenses, the child's daily allowance for a cake, ice cream or a pastry he bought from the school canteen, and at least one day of picnic or restaurant expenses on weekends.

Let's call those expenses and the continuation tomorrow. This time it's been quite long, and even when you're reading, your eye is plunging.

Love and respect from Moscow.