South Africans are reeling from an onslaught of rising fuel, food and electricity prices — and more on the way — with interest rates expected to climb in the coming months.
On The Village Facebook page, launched in 2017 by media consultant and author Vanessa Raphaely as an online community of parents, several of its 44,000 members are sharing their despair as incomes increasingly fail to meet their expenses.
Each post is followed by a host of “me too” responses.
Lee posted: “I can’t do this any more, I’m losing hope. I can’t manage to provide the basic needs of my two sons.
“How do single parents raise two children on their own?
“I work two jobs, one full-time and one part-time, but I can’t keep up with the cost of food and fuel and just the basic needs.
“Believe me, I’m thankful for my jobs; I’m thankful I have a roof over our heads; we have water and I manage to keep the lights on, just.
“I can’t be the only one in this boat.”
Readers quickly assured her she was indeed not alone in this dilemma.
“The most common expression of gratitude I receive with respect to the group is: ‘I don’t feel alone any more,’” Raphaely says.
“I don’t expect this group to be anyone’s magic transformative wand, but small improvements in a day, sometimes as small as one’s pain, fear or distress, being acknowledged, can really help strengthen the backbone.”
Sunday Times Daily asked Villagers to share their stories and what they were doing to cut back expenses.
Cassandra was not optimistic: “We spend about 50% of our work days on the road, so this fuel hike is going to sink us, and that’s not even counting the rest of the economic repercussions.”
Marion had to cut back on everything. “I don’t even have a TV. My geyser goes on for 30 minutes at most every second day, and it stays warm enough to shower.
“I have to travel to work, which is adding up rapidly, but on the weekends I park my car and relax. I eat no red meat and no fish, and I buy cheese directly from a farm. No takeaways.”
Many reduced their grocery and fuel costs dramatically by being extremely mindful about their consumption.
Carefully planned, only essential car trips, shopping only once a week for basics, cutting out or reducing meat purchases and eliminating food waste.
“I plan my shops and the meals to come out of them so as not to waste any food, down to the last tomato!” Keri said. “I don’t believe in bulk buying or panic stocking.”
But for some, having to return to their workplaces recently after almost two years of working from home is playing havoc with their budgets, thanks to the cost of fuel.
Several people spoke of giving up gym memberships, DStv, restaurant meals and takeaways, doing without domestic help and, worryingly, cancelling medical aid and insurance.
Catherine, a single mother of four, said with her electricity bill now at R1,600 a month and her monthly fuel spend at about R3,000, she has almost no money left for food.
“It’s just no longer viable at all. I have to ration bread rolls for my children.”
Some single mothers spoke of sharing a home with other women in the same situation.
“I felt like a complete failure, but it ended up working well for all of us,” Keri said.
“When you find the right spot with the right boundaries, it works so well.”
Some commenters were clearly feeling totally overwhelmed.
“We’re still trying to recover from almost two years of unemployment,” wrote one woman, who asked to remain anonymous.
“Debt collectors are on our arses, demanding payment. I’ve had thoughts of rehoming my dogs because their food has become so expensive.”
Another “anonymous” told me: “I am now the main breadwinner in our family — Covid wiped out my husband’s photography business.
“With all the recent price hikes, we are just barely coping. I am savvy and frugal and cut whatever expenses I can, but we have no fallback plan, we’re simply in survival mode.
“The only way to have more access to cash, should the situation get worse, is to make tough, potentially life-changing decisions. What more is there to cut? Dread diseases cover? Life insurance?
“It’s all so very frightening, and living life in a heightened state of anxiety has had a severe effect on my mental and physical health. I’m feeling defeated and overwhelmed.”
The do’s and don’ts of cutting back
• Geysers, washing machines and air-conditioning units guzzle electricity, so be very mindful about how you use them. Geysers shouldn’t remain permanently on. Work out by trial and error how to meet your hot water needs with the least amount of geyser-running time.
If you have a gas stove, use a gas kettle instead of an electric one. The latter use a lot more electricity than most people realise.
• Work out what you’re spending on food every month — grocery bills, takeaways, coffees, ready-made meals — and strip away everything that’s a convenience or impulse buy.
Buy food in its most unprocessed form and get into the habit or preparing and cooking meals from scratch. Soups and stews made with legumes and vegetables are relatively inexpensive and very nutritious. Porridge made from scratch or an egg on toast are cheaper and healthier breakfast options than highly processed, boxed cereals.
When it comes to food, convenience costs — a lot.
• Grow your own herbs and vegetables if you can.
• If you have store cards, make a plan to pay them off and close them. The interest rates on them are incredibly high, there are lots of add-ons and they tempt you to spend when you’re feeling low.
• There are bargains to be found in second-hand clothing shops.
• If your car has more to do with perceived status and performance than functionality, consider replacing it with a cheaper one, making fuel consumption one of your main purchase decisions.
• If travelling long distances to work or your children’s school is resulting in crippling fuel costs, weigh up the cost of moving closer to your workplace or the school.
• Practise driving as smoothly as possible. Dramatic acceleration and harsh braking have a dramatic effect on fuel consumption.
• Sharing is caring and cost-effective. Investigate carpooling and house sharing with family, friends or fellow single mothers.
• If you’re considering taking a break from your medical scheme payments, it could turn out to be a costly decision, even if you don’t suffer a medical calamity.
That’s because the Medical Schemes Act allows medical schemes to charge late joiner penalties to those who join a medical scheme after the age of 35, or who were not members or dependents of a local medical scheme before April 1 2001, as well as those who’ve had a break in membership of more than three consecutive months since that date.
And here’s the thing, the schemes can keep adding that sizeable penalty indefinitely. In other words, it’s a penalty for life.
• Rather than cancelling your annuities and life policies, speak to your broker about options which will reduce what you pay every month.
• Cancelling your car insurance could be a financially crippling mistake, especially if you rely on your car to generate an income. At the very least, have third-party insurance.
CONTACT WENDY: E-mail: consumer@knowler.co.za; Twitter: @wendyknowler; Facebook: wendyknowlerconsumer
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