Tweet of the Week #89: Budget Savvy Mom Shares Tips to Keep Monthly Food Expenses at ¥20,000

Japan’s painful economic stagnation since the early ’90s taught Japanese families to keep their grocery expenses in check in order to save money.

This life skill is learned from a young age thanks to compulsory home economic classes (家庭科（かていか）) in elementary schools, junior and senior high schools. From sewing, child-rearing and elderly caretaking, to food and living, Japanese kids study how to manage a household budget. In particular, they train themselves to use a 家計簿（かけいぼ） (budgeting notebook or ledger) where you can keep track of everything and see your expenses habits.

But when a Japanese mother of three shared her tips to keep your monthly food budget at ¥20,000 (roughly $187), a lot of folks felt the line between savvy shopping and survival was maybe crossed.

家族3人で食費2万は、節約上手じゃなく普通に貧困です。

— 榎宮祐 (@yuukamiya68) July 14, 2020

家族3人（かぞくさんにん）で食費2万（しょくひにまん）は、節約（せつやく）上手（じょうず）じゃなく普通（ふつう）に貧困（ひんこん）です。

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“A family of three with food expenses amounting to ¥20,000 isn’t being good at saving, it’s regular poverty.”

One sure thing, there’s no two food budgets alike. So can ¥20,000 really feed 5 people?!

今日のテーマは「食費2万円」のようですね。我が家は昨日１日だけで食費が8,000円でした。主婦のみなさん安心してください。食費が月2万円は都市伝説です。

— パイパイしぼ美 (@nyaru_pippi) July 13, 2020

今日（きょう）のテーマは「食費2万円」のようですね。我（わ）が家（や）は昨日（きのう）1日（いちにち）だけで食費が8,000（はっせん）円（えん）でした。主婦（しゅふ）のみなさん安心（あんしん）してください。食費が月（つき）2万円は都市伝説（としでんせつ）です。

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“Today’s topic is apparently ¥20,000 of food expenses [a month]. Yesterday, we spent ¥8,000 on food in one day. To all housewives, please ease up. ¥20,000 worth of groceries per month is an urban legend.”

What’s the average grocery bill for a household in Japan?

In a survey conducted on the average cost of living in Japan in 2019, the Statistics Bureau of Japan revealed that a single-person household spends approximately ¥40,000 per month on food on average, while a married couple’s grocery budget is closer to ¥75,000. We’re far from that family’s strict ¥20,000 cap, while admittedly, regional differences as well as which supermarket you go to play a huge role in how much you’ll spend on food in Japan.

たまに節約とか貯蓄の雑誌読むが、創作としか思えないようなものも多い
食費2万円台も不可能ではないと思うが、記事の買い物内容を見ると3万は超えてそう
これで収まってるなら、料理する人だけじゃなくスーパーも有能 pic.twitter.com/yDvt4MnUuS

— りあちゅう＠響P (@0308hibiki) July 14, 2020

たまに節約とか貯蓄（ちょちく）の雑誌（ざっし）読（よ）むが、創作（そうさく）としか思（おも）えないようなものも多（おお）い

食費2万円台（だい）も不可能（ふかのう）ではないと思うが、記事（きじ）の買（か）い物（もの）内容（ないよう）を見（み）ると3万（さんまん）は超（こ）えてそう

これで収（おさ）まってるなら、料理（りょうり）する人（ひと）だけじゃなくスーパーも有能（ゆうのう）

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“Sometimes I read magazines on savings but many look like a made-up story. I don’t think it’s impossible to keep your food expenses at ¥20,000, but seeing the article’s shopping content it seems to be over ¥30,000, so if it’s inside the budget (¥20,000), not only the person who cooks but the supermarket is also efficient. ”

In the article, our savvy mum explains how to shop smart, double checking the price per gram, looking for special discounts and time sales, as well as utilizing profit from point cards. Many praised the mother’s incredible efforts in lowering the household expenses.

食費2万ってのは家事をしている人が想像を絶する努力した上での数値だと理解してもらいたい

例えば数十円安い食材を求めてスーパーをハシゴし、ステーキや刺身など手のかからない物は買わずやっと到達するレベル

これを安易に求めるのは
「明日から倍働いてね」と言うのと同意義です

— リュウジ@料理のおにいさんバズレシピ (@ore825) July 14, 2020

食費2万ってのは家事（かじ）をしている人（）が想像（そうぞう）を絶（ぜっ）する努力（どりょく）した上（うえ）での数値（すうち）だと理解（りかい）してもらいたい

例（たと）えば数十円（すうじゅうえん）安（やす）い食材（しょくざい）を求（もと）めてスーパーをハシゴし、ステーキや刺身（さしみ）など手（て）のかからない物（もの）は買（か）わずやっと到達（とうたつ）するレベル

これを安易（あんい）に求めるのは

「明日（あした）から倍（ばい）働（はたら）いてね」と言（い）うのと同意義（どういぎ）です

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“I’d like you to understand that the person doing the housework managed to keep the food expenses at ¥20,000 after making unimaginable efforts.

It’s a level you reach for example when you go from one supermarket to the next, looking for food ¥10 yen or cheaper, without buying stuff that’s easy to make like steak or sashimi.

Casually asking for this is like asking ‘to work double from tomorrow.'”

The need for a family to cut their food expenses also raised concerns, with netizens angry that in today’s Japan, families have to control their living expenses down to the last yen.

なんか「食費2万」とかって節約ツイートが大量に廻ってくるんだが、日本が目指すべきなのは限界まで節約して食費2万で家計を切り回す社会じゃ無くて、『節約しなくても余裕で廻せる食費を使える給料が払われる社会』であるべき。
方向性が明らかに地獄の方を向いてると感じる。

— 青木文鷹 (@FumiHawk) July 14, 2020

なんか「食費2万」とかって節約ツイートが大量（たいりょう）に廻（まわ）ってくるんだが、日本（にほん）が目指（めざ）すべきなのは限界（げんかい）まで節約して食費2万で家計（かけい）を切（き）り回（まわ）す社会（しゃかい）じゃ無（な）くて、『節約しなくても余裕（よゆう）で廻せる食費を使（つか）える給料（きゅうりょう）が払（はら）われる社会』であるべき。

方向性（ほうこうせい）が明（あき）らかに地獄（じごく）の方（ほう）を向（む）いてると感（かん）じる。

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“Somehow there are a lot of tweets going around about ¥20,000 of food expenses and savings, but Japan shouldn’t aim to be a society where the household budget is cut down to the limit of ¥20,000 for food, but a society in which salaries can be used to spend a good margin on food without having to save money. I feel we’re heading toward hell.”

Talking about the cost of living and expenses in Japanese

Wherever you are at the moment, the best way to control your spendings and save up money is to sit down and check everything incoming and outgoing. We know it’s easier said than done, so here’s some Japanese vocabulary to help you get started.

When it comes to your expenses, you’ll frequently encounter the kanji 費（ひ）, which stands for “cost,” “allowance,” or “expense”. To budget your 生活費（せいかつひ） (living expenses), you’ll have to list them all up and maybe cut the non-essential spending.

• 食費 = food expenses
• 交通（こうつ）費 = transportation expenses (general)
• 通学（つうがく）費= commuting expenses for students
• 住居（じゅうきょ）費 = housing expenses
  （
• 雑費（ざっぴ） = miscellaneous expenses

When it comes to taking a closer look at your utilities (光熱（こうねつ）費) individually, you’ll meet the kanji 料（りょう） (with or without 金（きん） meaning “money”), which translates to “charge” or “fee.”

• 電気料金（でんきりょうきん） =  electricity fee）
• ガス料金 = gas fee
• 水道（すいどう）料金 = water fee
• 保険（ほけん）料金 = insurance fee
• 電話（でんわ）料金 = phone fee
• インタネット料金 = internet fee

A good tool to keep track of all your spending is certainly to invest in a 家計簿. It might be emotionally hard to have a closer look at all your expenses, but over time you’ll gain better control of your budget and be better prepared to face what life throws at you. If you’re considering living in Japan, check out our Japan 101 section where you’ll find more about the initial move-in costs, how to set up utilities, and other useful tips.

Can you keep your monthly food expenses in the ¥20,000 range? Let us know if you’re supermarket savvy or cashing out every chance you get in the comments.

Vocabulary

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