The Ministry of Economy and Commerce (MEC) has offered tips to citizens and residents to shop smarter and plan better for the holy month of Ramadan.

This comes in the context of the increase in household spending on consumer goods and food that is generally witnessed during this period, the ministry has said in a statement.
The awareness campaign is the latest in a series of initiatives launched by the ministry during Ramadan under the theme “#Aqal_Min_Al_Wajeb”, Arabic for “#the_least_we_can _do”.
The tips highlight the importance of saving money and planning purchases in advance, allocating a monthly budget for food commodities, preparing a list of necessary family purchases and complying with it as well as avoiding shopping prior to Iftar as hunger is generally known to drive consumers to buy unnecessary products, the statement notes.
By offering these tips, the MEC seeks to equip families with the necessary tools to better plan their finances. It has encouraged families to prepare a detailed list of meals to be consumed during Ramadan and set money aside to shop for basic commodities such as rice, oil, sugar and other products before Ramadan begins and markets become crowded.
The ministry has also presented several tips on how to manage the household budget, using credit cards and making the most of shopping in small malls. It has urged citizens and residents to check newspapers and advertisements for the latest promotions and subsidised goods.
Qatar’s household spending on consumer goods and food traditionally peaks during Ramadan, going up by 30% as compared to regular days when the average household spending does not exceed 15% (of total expenses), the MEC has said.
The ministry has invited the public to follow its various accounts on social media networks, including Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube, under the name MEC_QATAR, and subscribe to its WhatsApp account at 66111400.