I was busy with our budget for August and honestly it depressed me! We are earning the most money we have ever earned now. Overall we are a lot more financial stable but there are so many items on my budget that are increasing and it feels like there is nothing I can do.
Having four kids with only one income for a few years means I know how to stretch food and money. It also means we have worked very hard on our budget to cut out the things we don’t really need. We have also cleared 90% of our debt AND we have increased our income.
Yet this month I felt so deflated. Our electricity account has doubled, our food budget is pretty close to doubling – and we honestly are not eating more. Our levy has increased, rates have increased, both kids have added an additional activity.
We don’t eat out or buy take out. We have a really low bond repayment. We don’t have a car repayment. We pay a school fee for Emma but it is nowhere near what we would pay if both her and Jack were at a public school. I buy online and only buy whats on the list. We also now make 90% of our coffee at home instead of buying it which, according to the internet, should mean we can retire millionaires but alas here we are.
Every month I reassess the budget to see where we can cut things and honestly there really is nothing else I can cut. The things that are increasing are the things I can’t control – food, utilities, petrol etc. We don’t have cupboards fill of snacks or treats. We buy the basic groceries on special and I buy only what we need. But simple things like sugar, rice and flour have increased in price so much that they are no longer “cheap” staples. Mince also is not a cheap meat anymore – sure it stretches but its still doubled in price. (In 1996 when I was studying we paid R18.99 p/kg for mince – now it is close to R100 p/kg).
The sad part is its not just our family that are feeling it – it is everyone. A friend of mine has a line for every single thing they buy so she can see each month how much the toilet paper, toothpaste etc was.
My neighbour is the queen of bargains. So we are both always on the lookout for where to get things cheaper and often buy things in bulk that we both need because sometimes the bulk price is cheaper. I have just invested in a chest freezer so I can bulk buy things that are cheap (when we have the spare cash) and make freezer meals to help with our meal planning.
I sell and then buy clothes on Yaga – for the saving but also for the environment. And I try to buy only the things I really need. My kids also get clothes from their siblings or their grandparents but we also second hand clothes for them when it is available.
But despite my best efforts – I feel like this meme. I stock up on the basics and only the things that are on special suddenly I have a bill that looks like a bond repayment.
I know we are still incredibly fortunate, we have a good income and despite months like this overall we are able to still afford a few luxuries here and there. But it does still feel like we are fighting an almost losing battle with the cost of living.
Just me or are you feeling it too?
Oh we are definitely feeling it too; our property taxes are about to go up by $5,000 this year and while we typically don’t have electricity expenses in the summer (since we have solar panels) they changed the billing this year and we are still getting “delivery” charges even though the bill clearly shows we are using 0 watts a month… and don’t even get me started on groceries! While we could definitely cut costs there since much of the sale/cheaper food is all the highly processed garbage we don’t eat I refuse to go back to that. It boggles the mind that things like crackers and other processed foods that have to go through so much prep work are cheaper than fresh fruits and vegetables.