How I Cope Up With Price Increases

            Adjusting my lifestyle to cope up with price increases is no big deal for me. Thanks to my relatives who reared me, I was a simple girl and am now a simple woman. Nevertheless, with the almost weekly increase in everything that has a price and the word “fee” on it, one must simply wake up and adapt to the changing economics accordingly.  There are so many things one can do to cope up with inflation aside from complaining about it.

            One of the first things I did was to cut back on the number of credit cards I had. These credit cards were all active before. Two years ago, I brought this down to two. By next month, I will only have one credit card left. This has a bigger limit but bringing this down to just one credit card that I can use helps me save on membership fees. My good husband said that the biggest positive effect of just having one credit card is that I only have one card to max out.    Well, maybe, my next goal is to limit my credit card purchases to the minimum. I am seriously working on it.

            Although I do not restrict myself in going places, I nevertheless limit myself in going to malls, bazaars, kiosks, and other places where there are temptations to bring out my wallet and pay. I only go to these places if it is absolutely necessary, meaning I really have to buy something that I need, not that I want. Although of course if I am in a place of commerce because of “need”, then I might buy also my “want”. But since I do not go there often, I save my money instead.

I am not a fan of department store “sales”. I do not like shopping where there are lots of people. I only enjoy going to book sales especially at Fully-Booked and National Bookstore. Speaking of which, I very seldom buy brand new books. I always buy books on sale. I even patronize the store Book Sale, and also Filbar’s where they put on sale back issues of magazines I like. For me, if I have not read a book or magazine yet, it is still new to me.  Of course, the books and magazines should still be in good condition.

I do not buy clothes on a monthly basis  anymore. I do not need too many clothes anyway since I do not go to an office anymore. I only buy clothes once a year and when I only need it. The same goes for bags and shoes. Before, I give out my bags and shoes that are more than a year with me because then, it is time for me to replenish them again.  Now, I even have it repaired if it is still repairable.

Gasoline expenses take too much out of our resources but my husband needs it to go to his office everyday. However, he makes sure to supplement his salary by having some income-adding sidelines.

When I do grocery shopping, I do not anymore just get everything on the shelves that I think we are running out of. I have a list that I strictly adhere to. Before leaving the house, I  check all supplies and If I think it will still last until the next time I go to the grocery again, I do not include it on my list.

 I also control myself purchasing junk foods, chocolates, dried sweets, sodas, and other expensive caloric foods. In addition to reducing expenses for these needless items, it also forces me to diet.  

I also avoid buying imported bath items as shampoos, conditioners, and bath soaps that do not have a visible effect on me anyway.  Honestly, I find that locally produced bath items are more favorable to Filipino skin.

Ditto for makeup, too. But I do not anymore put on makeup, just powder and lipstick. If I will be buying some in the future, I would like to try Ever Bilena. They say it is a quality product at par with other imported makeup. Aside from the items being inexpensive – imagine a lipstick costing less than a hundred pesos - I will be helping the local industry, too.

 Hmm, maybe I’ll try selling Ever Bilena? This is also one way to cope with increasing prices, that is,  converting idle time to money-making ventures.