My name is Maria. I have recently started studying at the university. I have always dreamed of becoming a primary school teacher, and my dream has come true. I come from a small town far from the capital. The family I grew up in is not rich. In addition, I have a younger brother and sister, and a large part of the money goes to them. I didn’t want to cause my parents any problems. I started looking for an inexpensive place to live. I couldn’t live in a dormitory because I couldn’t concentrate on my studies when there were so many students around. Everyone was having fun and making noise. So I found a room in a three-room apartment rented by an old lady. The apartment was not renovated, but it was cozy and clean. It was located near the university, so I also saved on transportation. I saved some money from my scholarship to be able to go out on weekends and buy clothes.
My friends unanimously argued that you shouldn’t rent a room from the elderly, because they are usually very grumpy, and you won’t have any right to privacy with them, only unnecessary problems and control. Many of my friends have had bad experiences with renting. Elderly women always forbid bringing friends over, making noise, taking frequent showers, and using certain electrical appliances. I was afraid that I might end up like them. It took me a long time to find an inexpensive, but still good housing option. But, fortunately, I was wrong.
The grandmother I rented a room from was a very nice and polite woman. She was forced to look for someone to rent a room because her pension was meager and utility prices were only rising. She showed me the room I would be living in, gave me a shelf in the bathroom, kitchen, and refrigerator. From the beginning, we agreed that I would pay the rent as soon as I received the scholarship.
One day I noticed what was on the other shelves of her refrigerator. I wondered what older people with a small pension ate. And I was quite surprised by what I saw. There was a lot of food in the fridge. There were fruits, vegetables, and various dishes. There was fish, chicken, and minced meat in the freezer. There were also a lot of different cereals on the shelves of the kitchen cabinets, and a large bag of potatoes and carrots on the balcony. You could cook anything with so many products. It surprised me a lot. I don’t understand how you can afford so much food for a small amount of money. I try to buy the basic necessities, my mom and dad sometimes give me money, but I always don’t have enough for anything. I barely make it to the end of the month. And there are so many things here!
One day, over a cup of tea, I finally decided to ask my grandmother how she managed to buy so many groceries with such a meager pension. Then she smiled at me sincerely and said:
– “I had a hard life. So I learned to count every penny and plan all my expenses. My grandmother is used to watching for promotional items, because this way she can buy some products much cheaper. Recently, she bought minced meat, because it can be used not only to make cutlets but also to cook soup with meatballs. Earlier, my grandmother had a garden where she grew vegetables and herbs. Now she doesn’t have a dacha, but seasonal produce can be frozen or canned. In winter, greens are great for different dishes, like pickled cucumbers or tomatoes.
My grandmother had a lot of canned fish that could be used to make a salad. She also bought them on a special offer. She buys inexpensive fish – she looks for river or hake. As soon as there are any products on sale in the supermarket, my grandmother buys them with a reserve. So it turns out that grandma has stocks everywhere. The only things you can’t buy in reserve are bread and milk.
I listened to the woman and frankly admired her. Young people have a completely different attitude to money. They don’t count expenses or plan a budget. I learned a lot from my grandmother. Anything can happen in life, and the most important thing is to be able to manage even with a small amount of money.
