R&G|MAGAZINE Edition #12 - July 2015 | 页面 12

1 How and where you buy your groceries is a key determinant of how much money you spend. It’s called ‘shopping’ for a reason – go to different stores (markets too) and see where you can find the best prices for things you purchase on a weekly basis. 2 3 Fuel is a big proportion of expenditure, especially in Zambia where we pay some of the highest prices in Southern Africa. Carpool with colleagues and split the fuel bill when going to work. The same thinking can be applied to school-going children. As a rule of thumb, rent should be no more than 30% of your income. For example: if you take home K5,000 a month, you should not spend more than K1,500 per month (0.3*K5,000) on rent. If you are not earning what you would like to be earning, split accommodation with your mates. 12 13 4 In Zambia, internet is pricey and about 3.4 million people access it through their mobile phones. Connect to free wireless as much as you can – especially at work. Avoid streaming YouTube content if you are using your own mobile data, because video (especially high definition) consumes a lot of data. Instead of using airtime to make voice calls, use Over-theTop (OTT) services like Whatsapp, Wechat, Skype or Viber which are much cheaper in comparison.