Have you noticed how your bills are all slightly higher than they were last month?
Slightly??? It’s a bit more serious than that!
Old people often like to tell stories about how back in their day you could “buy a pony for 2 tickies and a bob” (or whatever they say). And the figures they mention often seem funny because things used to cost so much less.
Well, prices do always tend to creep up over time but yes, things have been going up quite a bit recently (the SA Reserve Bank hope for 6% inflation or less).
People who have debts linked to the Repo Rate/Prime rate are all feeling the pinch right now. And there may be more hikes to come. Even though fuel prices have not shot up again this month the Rand seems to be on a speeding rollercoaster taking us all for a ride every time a politician in SA or USA or Russia says almost anything.
Even those not relying on credit get effected as businesses and professionals reactively put their prices up so they can maintain their profit margins and keep the lights on.
Regardless of the reasons why prices are up, it is happening all the time. And salaries? Well, it would be nice to say they are shooting up as well but, truth be told, they are not. They often lag far behind. So, how do you cope with having to spend more with the same amount of income?
‘So, how do you cope with having to spend more with the same amount of income?’
That’s what we dive into this month in the magazine.
We also feature some advice, tips and news along with a deeper dive into why debt review is so great. Seriously, it is a wonderful service and can not only help you make ends meet each month but also save a lot over time. There are many benefits (some more obvious than others) which means you really, really should think long and hard before ever deciding to walk away from the process with debts remaining.
So, we hope that this issue will help you be more informed, empowering you to make wise choices. Maybe it will help you make some significant decisions that will assist you to stay in the process.
As time goes by it can become tricky to keep up your debt repayments while things around us get pricier. But if you focus on the benefits of totally getting out of debt then you can and will be able to stick with debt review until you are totally debt free.