How to cook a hearty meal for under R20 [video]

Frugal food blogger Olivia Viglatzis has posted a video on how to create a low-cost meal with ingredients that cost under R20.

The social media star is known for sharing her tips for cooking hearty, nutritious meals on a budget.

FOODIE CREATES BUDGET MEAL FOR UNDER R20

In one of her most-viewed videos to date, food blogger Olivia Viglatzis revealed how she prepared a meal for R20 that could easily feed more than one person.

The meal – boerewors, rice and butternut – contained protein, carbs and a side of veggies too. She paid R8.39 for the sausage, R4.51 for the butternut, and R3.25 for a quarter packet of rice.

Olivia purchased the ingredients at her local Shoprite supermarket, where she often finds food items at a fraction of the price.

Olivia cooked all the ingredients, using her own oils and spices, to reveal a hearty spread.

“This worked out to R16,50 – it’s delicious!”, she shared.

Olivia added that for many South Africans living below the poverty line, this could be their only meal of the day.

MORE LOW-COST CUISINE

Olivia Viglatzis has shared other viral budget meals on her social media accounts.

They include the following spreads;

Meal for two: Chicken, noodles and mixed vegetables – Total cost = R28.48

• Instant noodles: R7.99
• Mixed vegetables: R9.99
• Chicken fillet: R10.50]

Meal for two:  Rice, Polony, Tomato, and Potato Meal  – Total cost = Under R20

• Polony – R4,40
• Potato- R2,96
• Onion – R3,48
• Rice -R12,99

HELPING THOSE IN NEED

Olivia Viglatzis has spoken about using her platform to normalise cooking affordable, healthy meals on a budget. She is often seen hunting for a good deal in the vegetable or meat section.

She and her spouse cook and distribute budget-friendly meals to underprivileged communities in Cape Town

She shared: “I love cooking, but Covid made a big difference because that is when we really started helping people in our community and saw the struggle. As time went on, I realised there is a very big need out there”.

She added: “I want to try and support people who are trying to support themselves”.

WHAT DOES SOUTH AFRICA’S MONTHLY FOOD BASKET COST?

According to recent statistics, a household food basket – made up of commonly purchased food items intended to reflect the needs of low-income households – can cost approximately R5,488.

The basket includes staples like and other everyday foods such as:

• Maize meal, rice, flour and bread
• Cooking oil, sugar and salt
• Milk and eggs
• Meat, chicken and fish
• Beans and other legumes
• Potatoes, onions and other vegetables
• Fruit and other basic food items

According to figures from Stat SA, South Africans earn an average of R30,611 a month as formal, non-agricultural workers.

However, it is important to note that this is an average salary, not the salary earned by the typical South African. 

The salary bracket is not an accurate representation of what ordinary South Africans earn, given factors like the gap between mean vs median earnings, gender and racial wage gaps, and the exclusion of unemployed individuals, to name a few.