Brazilians replace “traditional” products to make Christmas dinner cheaper

Most expensive Christmas

Cod, olive oil, turkey, chester and even the traditional fruit panettone have undergone adjustments and price variations

Christmas dinner is a tradition in many Brazilian homes, but this year is one of innovation. According to the Brazilian Association of Supermarkets (Abras), dinner will be more expensive in 2023. The research predicts that the basket made up of Christmas birds, olive oil, a box of chocolates, sparkling wine, sirloin, panettone, ham, turkey, cider and tender will have the value R$ 321.13, an increase of 8.9% compared to last year.

As typical Christmas products become more expensive at this time, some substitutions are essential for the supper to be plentiful and affordable for the worker. According to research by the Economic Research Institutes Foundation (Fipe), the most sought after at this time is cod, with an increase of 15.65%.

The price range for desalted morhua cod fillet 1 kg can be found from R$79.90 to R$239.90. To replace the noble product, the most popular options are: dogfish and hake fillet. In the case of dogfish on sale, the price per kilo can vary from R$25.90 to R$59.90. Frozen hake fillet per kilo can vary between R$22.90 and R$46.90.

For Fernando Lamounier, financial educator and director of Multimarcas Consórcios, Brazilians need to plan as soon as possible what to serve to family members and thus take advantage of seasonal products and save money during the end of year festivities.

“The country’s economic instability is the agent that hinders a healthy financial standard of living for ordinary citizens. As a result, many families end up spending more than their budget to provide a hearty dinner for their family and friends, a mistake that can end up being costly. Keeping an eye on promotions and even exchanging some seasonal products are important actions to reduce spending and thus prevent consumers from going into the red,”

highlights.

Like cod, olive oil was one of the products with the highest readjustment on the list, on average 35.7%. The average price of a single 500ml bottle of olive oil can range from R$32.90 to R$51.90. One option is to use compound oil (soy + olive oil) which can be found from R$ 10.99.

Turkey and chester can be replaced by chicken, sold at lower prices. To make it look pretty at the table, filling it with crumbs and decorating it with strands of eggs or pineapple slices, exactly as is done with typical Christmas birds, are good options.

Lamounier explains that the difference in the sum at the end of the purchase ticket can be used for other purposes, such as, for example, paying a bill or saving for January bills.

“There is a lack of awareness among people about spending, making it increasingly necessary to carry out financial planning in order to benefit not only the person holding the money, but also everyone around them. Writing down expenses and highlighting priorities helps with budgeting so that you have healthy conditions to maintain yourself financially, without impulse spending”,

concludes Lamounier.

Price variations

A point of attention that the consumer must pay is in relation to the price variation of the same product. For example, a 500g candied fruit panettone can cost from R$18 to R$27. The expert recommends researching at least three different places to make the right purchase.

A tip from the expert is to look for products that have experienced deflation, such as: bone-in ham (10.41%), grapes (6.7%), red wine (1.7%), among others. Use your creativity and don’t forget to celebrate with family and friends.

*With information from consultancy

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