The “Big Four” commonly known to consumers as fuel and transport; electricity; food; and interest rates continue to have an impact on the pockets of South African consumers despite recent fuel prices decreases.
“There is no doubt that most of us have financial nightmares as we see the prices of things going up, and our spending budget getting smaller,” John Manyike, head of financial education at Old Mutual said.
Manyike shares six ways you can save money:
Reduce car usage
With the fuel price at R22.06 per litre, you need to need to cut down on your car usage if you want to save money. You can do this by planning your shopping trips better, doing all of you errands in a single trip, and taking it easy on the accelerator.
Insurance
Contact to your car insurer about reducing your insurance premiums if your car spends more time at your garage at home and less time on the road.
Work from home
Speak to your boss about cutting down the amount of hours you spend working at the office and ask to work from home on certain days.
Avoid traffic
Plan your travelling by leaving home early to beat the morning traffic or negotiate an early knock-off time to avoid traffic congestion in the afternoons.
Shopping
Checking what grocery items are on promotion and buy those items in bulk. Consider doing online shopping and have your groceries came to you.
Loyalty programmes
Make use of the rewards and loyalty cards offered by retailers to reduce your costs at the check out point.
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