The aroma of war taints our daily routines
How to adapt your family budget and banal female desires is not an easy task in wartime. Increasingly, in Ukrainian news and social networks, I see smiling, positive people who advise us how to properly allocate our budget during the war, how to save.
Last year continued to test Ukrainian consumers’ resilience and ability to adapt their own habits and approaches to military realities. An important sign is the gradual recovery of consumer activity in Ukraine. Some indicators, for example, the frequency of food purchases, have already recovered to pre-war levels
If at the beginning of the war in Ukraine there was a shortage of food, household chemicals and cosmetics, now there is plenty of everything on the shelves of our stores. The only thing people lack is money.
According to the latest statistical study, 77 per cent of Ukrainians live in a mode of constant savings. We spent the largest share of our budget in 2023 on food and basic payments. This indicator reaches 66 per cent — more than twice the world average.
According to my observations in the supermarket, the baskets of Ukrainians are filled with basic products. It is not so often that you can see a bottle of good wine or elite cheese. We see a growing commitment to the Ukrainian manufacturer. This is a natural phenomenon and a firm civic position. In this case, it is not the price factor that plays a role, but the desire to support Ukrainian production.
Ukrainians are rethinking their eating habits and changing their priorities. Visiting restaurants and bars decreased in 2023: 55 per cent of respondents do it much less often than in pre-war times. Instead, cooking at home is growing in popularity. If Ukrainians visit a restaurant, we choose those establishments where the price for lunch will be not too high. Casual restaurants are now becoming popular.
To tell the truth, not everyone is ready to admit that the war made us poorer. People save money and are ashamed of it. Many perceive this as their personal failure.
Another thing that stands out is that there are very few new car models in our city. Before the war, especially in the spring, Ukrainians liked to show off their newest car brands. There are many cars on the roads now, but most of them are not new, with high mileage.
Of course, there are people who continue to earn money, and during the war their profits became much larger. Someone carefully hide it in fear of being judged.
There are those who boldly post their beautiful images on social networks, show off their travels and expensive clothes. War is sharp contrasts.
The civic position remains an integral part of the consumer behaviour of my compatriots. Last year, the majority of consumers continued to boycott producers of goods that have not left the market of the aggressor country.
Donations are another integral part of the expenses of Ukrainians. Donations have become almost as popular as food. We all made an unofficial social contract: everyone works for those who fight. It is like a new tax for Ukrainians, which we give from the bottom of our hearts.
Ukrainians are increasingly trying to save on clothes and shoes. Each purchase is considered. As for the beauty industry, on the contrary, there is an increase in demand. The beauty salon I visit is always full of customers.
I often joke: even under rocket fire, I will go to my manicurist. Because if I miss my visit, a free place will appear in a month. For Ukrainians living through the realities of war, the beauty industry offers much more than just the prospect of smoother skin, shiny hair and manicured hands. First of all, it is a psychological release for Ukrainian women. It is a feeling of normalcy and awareness of our femininity.
The central street of our city is always crowded. Its historical name is Hundred Meter Street. It is lined on both sides by Canadian maples donated by our sister city in Saskatchewan many years ago. Now this street is like 100 metres of grief and 100 metres of coffee shops. Endless posters of dead Ukrainian soldiers are displayed on one side. On the other side, people are sitting in a café drinking coffee, relaxing and talking.
I am sitting in a café in front of a large photo of a fallen soldier. He is handsome, he smiles. He often smiles at me because this is my favourite café. Tears appear in my face. Is it sorrow …? No! This is the taste of my morning coffee with the aroma of war.