To determine the minimum required amount of money that a certain person or family can live on for a month, the concept of a consumer basket was introduced. It is also used to compare real and estimated levels of purchase of certain goods, calculate the rate of inflation and determine the purchasing power of each of the currencies.
Legislative regulation
Before you determine the cost of the consumer basket, you need to find out its composition. It is on the number of products included in it and the prices for them that will depend on how much money everyone needs to spend on living. The composition of this basket is approved by the relevant federal law of 2012 for three main population groups: able-bodied people, children and pensioners.
The food basket for Russian citizens consists of 11 items. Separately, it is indicated that the cost of non-food products is set at 50% of the cost of food, the same percentage is set for services. But in previouslegislative acts, the necessary norms were calculated for paying for services, buying clothes and essentials.
Minimum set of products
At the federal level, the minimum number of products that should be consumed by different categories of the population per year was determined. Thus, the law establishes such norms for children, pensioners and the working population.
| Product category | Unit | Children | Pensioners | Working population |
| Bread (including cereals, pasta, beans, bread in terms of flour) | kg | 77, 6 | 98, 2 | 126, 5 |
| vegetables and melons | kg | 112, 5 | 98 | 114, 6 |
| potatoes | kg | 88, 1 | 80 | 100, 4 |
| fresh fruits | kg | 118, 1 | 60 | 45 |
| sugar and confectionery (converted to sugar) | kg | 21, 8 | 21, 2 | 23, 8 |
| fish products | kg | 18, 6 | 16 | 18, 5 |
| meat products | kg | 44 | 54 | 58, 6 |
| eggs | pcs | 201 | 200 | 210 |
| dairy products (converted to milk) | l | 360, 7 | 257, 8 | 290 |
| fats, including vegetable oil and margarine | kg | 5 | 10 | 11 |
| other products (spices, tea, s alt, etc.) | kg | 3, 5 | 4, 2 | 4, 9 |
The annual nutritional package for every resident of Russia looks exactly like this. The grocery basket for the month looks the same. Its composition is no different, just the number of products from each category can be divided by 12, and you will find out how much meat or bread should be eaten within 30 days. By the way, if it seems to you that the tables give too large and unrealistic numbers, then to determine the average daily norm, simply divide each of the indicators by 365. So you will find out that an adult can eat about 275 grams of potatoes per day, 300 - other vegetables and a little over half an egg. The daily norm of meat is 160, and fish - 50 grams. True, in some regions the set of its components canbe different.
How is the content of the basket determined?
Looking at what the grocery basket includes, many are perplexed. They are interested in what legislators proceed from when they allocate, for example, 88 kg for a child, and 80 kg for a pensioner. To understand this, you need to understand how it is compiled. First of all, please note that it must be updated at the legislative level at least once every 5 years.
When updating the basket, its biological and, of course, nutritional value is taken into account. It is believed that each new set of products should be better and more useful than the previous one. That is why, at the legislative level, more meat, milk, fish products and eggs, fruits and various vegetables are included in it. But the share of potatoes, bread products, fats is gradually decreasing.
Also, the food basket takes into account the content of fats, carbohydrates and proteins, and the number of kcal in it is also determined. These indicators must necessarily comply with the standards established for each of the categories of the population.
What is the consumer basket for?
In many countries, it is customary to determine the minimum set of products and goods that are necessary for living. Based on its value, the minimum estimated amount that a person can live on is calculated. Of course, the established set is more of a theoretical nature, because it is not enough for a full life. living wage andthe consumer basket is two interrelated concepts, because the first indicator is determined based on the cost of the second.
It is the living wage that is taken as the basis for calculating various social supplements, determining the amount of benefits and other payments. By the cost of the consumer basket, it is easy to determine the level of inflation, it is enough to calculate how much it has grown over the billing period.
Can I live on the estimated amount?
Seeing the composition and cost of the food package, the allocated amount for services and other non-food items, many are wondering if it is realistic to survive a month on such a ration. If you decide on such an experiment, then keep in mind that many habits will have to be abandoned. For example, the grocery basket does not include alcohol. For the allocated amount, you are unlikely to be able to buy overseas fruits, you will have to be content with the cheapest apples, although in winter they will become something inaccessible.
The cost of living does not count on you wanting to develop culturally, so going to the cinema, museums or theaters is also prohibited. At the same time, keep in mind that you need to pay for utilities, set aside a certain amount for global purchases (including the purchase of outerwear and shoes).
Thus, the calculated cost of the consumer basket for 2014 is 6300 rubles for an adult, 6400 for a child, 5400 for a pensioner.
