Engel coefficient for expatriate households (estimated)
September 7, 2022
・Unknown purpose
The Engel coefficient is the proportion of food expenditures in consumer spending.
In a free magazine, I saw a breakdown of food expenses for a certain expatriate family.
A typical model family with a father and mother in their 30s and two small children.
What? $900 for eating at home and $400 for eating out, for a total of $1,300?
No, no, no.
I can understand making a character bento for myself, but it's hard to imagine him making one for his wife. If he doesn't go to a hawker center that Seongju locals frequent, eating out with a 10% service tax is probably expensive.
The money for Dad's daily lunch, cupcakes in the evening, Mum's high tea, my shopping for lunch and snacks after school, etc.
With a large amount of unaccounted funds, food expenses are estimated to be more than 1.8 times this amount.
Speaking personally, as a middle -aged migrant worker (←that's me, me) who cooks over 99% of the time, doesn't go out at night, and doesn't even buy coffee, like a monk , I end up spending at most $300 a month, even if I eat more than a growing boy.
The all-you-can-eat rice, natto, miso, pickles, etc. are all homemade products, and the only things they buy are vegetables and seasonings.
This is what it looks like when you are mindful of your health and cook your own meals using a menu reminiscent of the Edo period .
By the way, the average Engel coefficient for a model family is 22%, and for a single man it is 27%.
・QOL
People who are particular about rice as a staple food and who can plan their diet mainly around cooking at home are also seen as being good at other things such as housework and household finances.
They also tend to spend less impulsively, are healthier than families that eat out a lot, and are more likely to save a certain percentage of their income from the start.
With the energy that comes from being planned and not spending anything unnecessarily, they are particular about their daily staple foods and have a strong desire and curiosity to cook.
Therefore, there are many opportunities for the whole family to feel happy through meals and other activities.
On the other hand, in Seongju, where eating out is extremely cost-effective, families who eat out often also tend to spend more impulsively, and are less likely to save money, which makes them anxious about their future. This is also worrying because it is unhealthy.
In other words, it seems like the total amount of happiness a family gets from eating is small...or maybe I'm criticizing them too much lol, sorry for being so rude.
What I'm trying to say is that I'll leave eating out until I return home.
"Be particular about ingredients and increase the variety of meals you can cook at home"
This increases the quality of life and also reduces the Engel coefficient to less than 15%.
Even if the relationship between husband and wife isn't the best, or even if the husband brings stress from outside into the home, doesn't it make you feel warm and fuzzy when the food is delicious?
Even children feel a deeper connection with their mothers who cook delicious meals than with those who mostly eat out, and a delicious lunch will make a big difference in how fulfilling their afternoons will be.
...Well, based on the relationship between the Engel coefficient and QOL, I think it's worth considering the philosophical question of what happiness is from a long-term perspective .
・Unknown purpose
The Engel coefficient is the proportion of food expenditures in consumer spending.
In a free magazine, I saw a breakdown of food expenses for a certain expatriate family.
A typical model family with a father and mother in their 30s and two small children.
What? $900 for eating at home and $400 for eating out, for a total of $1,300?
No, no, no.
I can understand making a character bento for myself, but it's hard to imagine him making one for his wife. If he doesn't go to a hawker center that Seongju locals frequent, eating out with a 10% service tax is probably expensive.
The money for Dad's daily lunch, cupcakes in the evening, Mum's high tea, my shopping for lunch and snacks after school, etc.
With a large amount of unaccounted funds, food expenses are estimated to be more than 1.8 times this amount.
Speaking personally, as a middle -aged migrant worker (←that's me, me) who cooks over 99% of the time, doesn't go out at night, and doesn't even buy coffee, like a monk , I end up spending at most $300 a month, even if I eat more than a growing boy.
The all-you-can-eat rice, natto, miso, pickles, etc. are all homemade products, and the only things they buy are vegetables and seasonings.
This is what it looks like when you are mindful of your health and cook your own meals using a menu reminiscent of the Edo period .
By the way, the average Engel coefficient for a model family is 22%, and for a single man it is 27%.
・QOL
People who are particular about rice as a staple food and who can plan their diet mainly around cooking at home are also seen as being good at other things such as housework and household finances.
They also tend to spend less impulsively, are healthier than families that eat out a lot, and are more likely to save a certain percentage of their income from the start.
With the energy that comes from being planned and not spending anything unnecessarily, they are particular about their daily staple foods and have a strong desire and curiosity to cook.
Therefore, there are many opportunities for the whole family to feel happy through meals and other activities.
On the other hand, in Seongju, where eating out is extremely cost-effective, families who eat out often also tend to spend more impulsively, and are less likely to save money, which makes them anxious about their future. This is also worrying because it is unhealthy.
In other words, it seems like the total amount of happiness a family gets from eating is small...or maybe I'm criticizing them too much lol, sorry for being so rude.
What I'm trying to say is that I'll leave eating out until I return home.
"Be particular about ingredients and increase the variety of meals you can cook at home"
This increases the quality of life and also reduces the Engel coefficient to less than 15%.
Even if the relationship between husband and wife isn't the best, or even if the husband brings stress from outside into the home, doesn't it make you feel warm and fuzzy when the food is delicious?
Even children feel a deeper connection with their mothers who cook delicious meals than with those who mostly eat out, and a delicious lunch will make a big difference in how fulfilling their afternoons will be.
...Well, based on the relationship between the Engel coefficient and QOL, I think it's worth considering the philosophical question of what happiness is from a long-term perspective .