For that kind of money, you can eat healthy in the Netherlands and save €2,600

What if you only had ten euros a week to buy food, would you survive? comfortable! It's healthy food from the supermarket too.

Half the Dutch population can see at a glance that most people don't eat just to get essential nutrients.

However, imagine if I did. How much money will you need per week in the Netherlands to survive? We think we can do it with Tenner! And then eating healthy too.

You need at least that much money to survive

What humans basically need to survive is a source of carbohydrates and protein. Carbohydrates are starch, sugars and fibre. They provide energy to the body. You need proteins to make new cells.

Every community that has ever achieved anything has had adequate access to these two nutrients. Otherwise they simply wouldn't be able to keep enough people alive to achieve anything. For example, in Europe we had potatoes (carbohydrates) and grains (proteins).

The cheapest food and basic staples are in Asia, which is why there are so many people there. They have access to rice (carbohydrates) and soybeans (proteins). In order to eat as cheaply as possible, it's also smart for Europeans to follow in the Asian footsteps. After all, rice and beans are cheaper than potatoes and bread.

Healthy and cheap food from the supermarket

To survive you need 1600 calories a day. It translates to rice and beans, which is approximately 500 grams of rice and 200 grams of beans. A kilo of brown rice costs 1.69 euros in Albert Heijn. A 400-gram can of beans can be had for 58 cents. Assuming you have access to free water, surviving for one day will cost you a total of 1 euro and 13.5 cents. If you do seven this time, you'll spend €7.95.

Although you probably eat healthier with this diet than most Dutch people, the nutritional advice provided by the Nutrition Center is not called the “Monday Wheel”. To stay healthy in the long term, you also need some vegetables, fruits and oil. Fortunately, we still have €2.05 left from this ten per week. You can spend this amount, for example, on an apple, a carrot and a stick of butter. Is it possible to live on 10 euros a week in the Netherlands? easy!

Cheap food for 20 euros a week

We dare not deny that eating rice and beans three times a day (with the occasional apple as a treat) requires a Spartan diet. It is almost impossible for the modern Westerner.

That's why we also want to offer a weekly menu with which you can live not only healthily and cheaply, but also realistically. This will cost you twice as much as the Spartan menu: 20 euros per week.

Weekly menu

breakfast:

Oatmeal with water (or a cheap milk substitute) and a pinch of salt
Banana or apple

lunch and dinner:

Monday: Rice with beans (eg black beans or kidney beans)

Tuesday: Pasta with simple tomato sauce (use canned tomatoes, onions, and garlic)

Wednesday: Potatoes with steamed vegetables (such as broccoli, carrots, and cauliflower)

Thursday: Lentil soup with bread

Friday: Vegetable curry with rice (use cheap seasonal vegetables and curry paste)

Saturday: Omelette with vegetables (use eggs and cheap vegetables such as onions, tomatoes and peppers)

Sunday: Have leftovers from previous meals or prepare a simple vegetable salad with inexpensive vegetables

What can you do with all this money?

Accordingly Nepod The average Dutch person spends around €70 a week on groceries. If you were to eat from our weekly menu, you would save €50 per week, or €2,600 per year.

Is it worth it? Certainly not for non-signatories. But maybe you are if you are someone who wants to become a firebrand as quickly as possible!