site.btaChristmas Eve and Christmas: How Much for the Festive Meal?

The Christmas season is almost here, and preparations are already underway. Christmas presents are according to wishes and finances, but the main question is what money each household needs for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and for the purchase of basic food products. 

According to custom, the family gathers at home around a table set with an uneven number of festive dishes.

A check of the prices of the necessary food products reveals that a family of four will need a total of BGN 185 for Christmas Eve and Christmas, according to calculations made for BTA by Petar Mishev, an economic analyst at the Institute for Social and Trade Union Research, Education and Training (ISTURET) at the Confederation of Trade Unions in Bulgaria, and Teodora Pachedzhieva, a researcher at ISURET.

On Christmas Eve there are usually beans on the table, traditional bread with a coin inside, stuffed peppers, stuffed vine leaves, dried fruit, seasonal salad, and for dessert - pumpkin with honey and walnuts. Experts estimate that a family of four will need BGN 70 to prepare a festive evening meal, which includes alternative costs such as electricity and water, but not the labour required.

The ISTURET experts point out that among the items with an impact on the budget for the meal are dried fruit. For example, the cheapest prunes are priced at BGN 4.50 for 300 g, while nuts (in this case walnuts) can be bought for BGN 6.20 for 250 g.

For the Christmas meal, four-member households should allocate an average of BGN 115. The biggest burden on the family budget is pork, which is a traditional dish for the holiday with a price ranging around BGN 15 per kilogram of meat. For the purposes of the study, the estimated quantity is 1,5 kg. The Christmas menu must also include mince pies, which require yoghurt, butter, eggs and cheese. We cannot do without seasonal salads such as pickles, appetizers and even a bottle of wine, without which the celebration would not have its traditional authenticity. Again, the prices considered do not include the alternative cost of preparing the Christmas meal.

According to the two experts, next year's budget is shaping up to be a challenging one, but income policy is a must. For the coming year, an average increase of 10% in the personnel fund is needed to allow for adequate wage increases in all areas where the State is an employer. According to the experts, this figure represents a balanced request, which is also in line with the projected overall wage growth at the national level, which the Ministry of Finance estimates will range  betwee 9 and 10%. This ensures that, with inflation estimates for the coming year of nearly 3%, conditions will be in place for a real increase in the incomes of Bulgarian citizens next year.