Quote: (09-13-2013 01:46 PM)presidentcarter Wrote:
Food wise...I'm sure "exotic" things like bananas are $$$ or impossible to find but hey, I heard you can buy a sack of potatoes for like $1 so I'll just carb load all the time.
I had a friend who lived in Moscow on a relatively low salary, and I lived in the former FSU (but not Russia) and in my early days, I was counting every penny. Here's some tips:
- Most cafes/bars will have a daily lunch special that is quite reasonable.
- In Russia, there are plenty of cafeterias/canteens for basic but hearty food, and it's cheap. The term is "stolovaya" if I remember correctly, and I usually found them in the basements of buildings.
- Alter your diet to take advantage of local foods, as they are cheaper. Start getting used to cabbage, potatoes, pork, etc and not tomatoes, oranges, etc. Those are all pricey since they are imported. If you get an urge to eat some greens, especially in winter, get the frozen stuff as the "fresh" stuff will be imported and pricey and probably already gone stale.
- Usually it's cheaper to buy local foods from the outdoor markets (stalls) instead of proper grocery stores.
Good luck! Sounds like a fun adventure!