Smart Strategies for Living Well on a Single Income
In the current economic climate, living on single income or salary can be difficult due to inflation outpacing wage growth. If you are the primary breadwinner or frequently send money home through cash vouchers to support your family, then here are some useful tips to help ensure a happy and fulfilling lifestyle despite money being a little tight.

Plan Your Grocery Shopping

Groceries can be expensive, especially when you buy them without planning. However, you can save a lot on your grocery budget when you take the time to compare the prices of key items and take advantage of specials. All grocery stores, such as Pick n Pay, Spar, Checkers, Shoprite, and Makro, among others, have monthly specials that allow you to make significant savings on certain items if you pay attention. Check your local newspaper for lists of specials at local stores, and then plan your shopping trips around these. If you haven’t signed up for loyalty cards with these stores, then do so, as this will enable you to take full advantage of their loyalty programmes. Some of them offer cash back or special discounts on select items.

Learn To Buy Cheap

If you want to save money, then you need to be prepared to buy cheap. Forget brand loyalty and go for the most cost effective option where possible. Don’t concern yourself with buying name-brand clothing or a specific brand of tomato sauce. Learning to be flexible with your tastes to accommodate lower-cost options for products can lead you to find a lot of surprisingly good deals – if you’re open to it. Also, take the time to explore second-hand stores for good deals on quality used items. Pawn shops have surprisingly decent items for relatively low prices, if you’re willing to do the leg work.

Find Ways To Have Fun For Less

If you like to have a drink every now and then, consider buying boxed wine for its good value for money, rather than going out to a pub and buying a drink there. You’ll save a lot of money this way. For entertainment, consider subscribing to Netflix, Amazon Prime, Showmax, Apple TV, or Disney Plus rather than going out to the cinema, or simply use free services such as YouTube or Vimeo to get your video-viewing fix. For context, one visit to the cinema is roughly equivalent to the cost of a one month subscription to one of the aforementioned streaming services. If you’re having friends over for a get together, make it a bring and braai rather than trying to provide everything yourself. Or if you want to go out somewhere with the family, rather than visiting expensive restaurants, try having a low-cost picnic at a nice park near you. Do you wish to manage your finances better and have complete control over cash? Buy one of OTT Mobile’s cash vouchers and experience the convenience and peace of mind that it affords.

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