Many wage earners are finding ready-made food, available in markets, convenience stores and at pavement eateries, increasingly unaffordable and are seeking advice on how to cook for themselves.

One desperate soul turned to a Facebook group translated as “beloved household chores” for help. The post has attracted widespread attention, and being shared over 100 times.

Many comments were also received, with several recommendations for low-cost meals, such as making meatballs with pork, mixed with tapioca flour, at home and keeping them in the fridge for use over a number of days in various dishes, including meatballs in boiled instant noodles for breakfast, fried meatballs or meatballs in soup with a lot of vegetables.

Chilli shrimp paste (nam prik) is another recommended item, which can be eaten with boiled vegetables or fried egg fried with Acacia leaves. Other recommended dishes include spicy egg salad, spicy mushroom salad and a lot more.

One netizen said she feels better now, because her homemade food does not contain seasoning powder and saves her money. Another said he has even started growing vegetables for consumption.

A wide range food items have experienced a surge in price, due to rising fuel prices and other inflationary factors. The price of mackerel, for example, has increased by 20-30 baht/kg. An increase of 5-10 baht per serving has been reported for street food. Stir fried basil with meat on rice (Pad Krapow) now averages 59 baht, up 3 baht since the beginning of the year.