SATURDAY STAR
Desperate times call for desperate measures and, unless consumers put their pride in their pockets and go back to basics, they will not keep up with the continuously rising cost of daily living, consumer experts warn. File photo: Siphiwe Sibeko
Durban – Desperate times call for desperate measures and, unless consumers put their pride in their pockets and go back to basics, they will not keep up with the continuously rising cost of daily living, consumer experts warn.
Apart from the recent petrol price increase of 81 cents a litre, the latest Food Price Monitor showed the inflation rate for food and non-alcoholic beverages was 6.2 percent between January 2012 and January 2013, and predictions are that the global economic situation will not improve for two years.
Some consumers are already sacrificing luxuries and changing their lifestyles to keep up with the ever-increasing cost of necessities, but others fight to hold on to their comfortable way of life, particularly the social image they portray.
Durban economist Professor Bonke Dumisa said splurging on fancy vehicles or other luxury items or pleasures should only be done by those who could afford it and whose quality and comfort of life would not be affected.
For everyone else, however – those who have to go out of their way to afford such lifestyles and then suffer financial difficulties as a result – it was time to bite the bullet.
Dumisa said the first thing families needed to do was to talk about their circumstances and to start living within their means.
“You need to put everything on the plate and involve everyone in the family, including kids. You say, ‘Right, this is how much we have as a family and we have to now live within our means.
“‘These are the expenses we have, and this is how much this is costing and how much that is costing’.”
Consumer activist Ina Wilken agreed, saying: “The key is to get all the family members around a table and tell them of the difficult times we are in, and everybody, from youngest to eldest, must start saving on whatever they use.”
She said the days of milk and honey were over but, by sticking together, families could make a difference in their lives.
Both Wilken and Dumisa emphasised the need for strict budgeting.
Durban resident Donnee Viljoen, a single mom with two toddlers, said she had moved to a central area which allowed her to walk her children to school and walk to work, saving a lot on petrol. She said she also shopped for specials and cooked low-budget meals that “stretch far and fill tummies nicely”.
“Instead of private parties for my kids’ birthdays, I’ve done school parties, where you only need to supply the cake and not cater for adults and all the extras that go into a party at home.”
Francois van der Linde, also from Durban, said he had just bought a R5 000 scooter, which gave him 30km/l, a saving of R700 to R800 a month compared with using his car.
“I don’t have DStv or a pool, so a scooter was my way to save a little bit,” he said.
Ballito resident Gareth Woodford said: “DStv became Top TV, Camel filters became Winston Reds, Kellogg’s became no-name brand, and life became very different.”
Robyn Hingley, from Durban, said she was downsizing her car, limiting the number of days a week that she employed a domestic worker, and looking out for specials, particularly three for the price of two specials on toiletries.
“I’ve also sold a lot of stuff that was just lying around unused, and used that money to buy things we really needed.”
Other consumers listed the following as some of the ways in which they tried to save money: buying in bulk; not driving unnecessarily; planning menus, so as not to waste money on luxury or unnecessary food; shopping for competitive prices; changing light bulbs to energy-saving globes; not tipping car guards; and not having clothing accounts.
bronwyn.fourie@inl.co.za
The Mercury
