By: Jhimli Mukherjee Pandey and Krishnendu Bandyopadhyay
KOLKATA: Ours is a big family and the expenses are high, particularly the ever-spiking
prices
of cooking gas —
LPG
cylinder. This time I spent Rs 861 on a cylinder. In the past seven months, the price has risen by almost Rs 250. Since we sometimes need more than two cylinders a month, it hurts the budget.
With the rising fuel bills, travelling expenses have shot up and now we are trying to make the most judicious use of the car. The elders in the family have monthly medical bills that are shooting up too.
If you look at the market, there has been a price hike of at least 50% on an average. We have been forced to revise our monthly budget almost every month. It is impossible to stay within the budget that fit us six months ago. We have cut down on dining out, which invariably causes a
deep hole
in the pocket. Only once in a while are we getting some food delivered, but we are trying to keep within the budget and are not splurging by ordering extra. We have curtailed our weekend mall visits, since, with two school-going children, we end up buying extra things that are not really necessary.
After so many days of staying cooped up at home, it does feel exciting to hang out at the malls, but we are controlling ourselves. Even when we are buying grocery and monthly essentials, we have stopped going for the “offers” because that way, we won’t be buying what we don’t need immediately. There is no point stocking up stuff at home.
We have also stopped impulse buying from online stores. This is quite an addiction and keeps us mentally busy, but also burns holes in the pocket. We, as a family, have decided to strictly follow the budget for the time being. We are comfortable with what we have and we don’t want to experiment.
Kumar, the principal of a school, lives with husband Maneesh, the regional head of healthcare company, two school-going kids and her in-laws. Kumar spoke to Jhimli Mukherjee Pandey and Krishnendu Bandyopadhyay
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