It is not new when people come up with innovative ways to cut down on their expenses. But one man in Australia has come up with a unique method to save money that will leave you awed. Martin Bongiorno from New South Wales’ Batemans Bay, decided to cut down on his electricity consumption after he fell behind by AUD 2,000 (approx Rs 1,11,000) on his bill payments. To reduce his expenses, he lights up only a single bulb and takes it from room to room with him.
“I have one lamp positioned in the middle of the room and if I need to move from one room to the next, I just take out the light bulb and move it to the next room,” Bongiorno told ABC News.
A single father, Martin Bongiorno has come up with different solutions to keep his expenses low. He takes cold showers when it is dark and buys food that does not need to be cooked like raw vegetables or canned foods.
A delivery driver by profession, Bongiorno was left dependent on compensation payments after a workplace accident last year. He decided to be strict with his budget since then, setting aside AUD 15 (Rs 833.60) a day for food and AUD 20 (Rs 1,111.47) weekly for his energy bill. But inflation has made it tough for him to survive on his bare minimum budget.
The cost of living has gone up all around the world including Australia. Inflation had reached a 32-year-high last year at 7.8 percent. This year, it has gone down marginally, but is still at 7 percent, causing prices of basic necessities like food and fuel to go up.
But Bongiorno and others like him could heave a sigh of relief soon. The Australian government announced an AUD 15 billion cost of living package in its budget on May 9. Treasurer Jim Chalmers believes that it will help slow down inflation. The budget has also increased rent assistance and single-parent payment.
The Australian government has not shied away from warning that the near future could hold tougher days. The government has predicted that electricity prices will go up 10 percent in the next financial year. Gas prices are expected to increase by 4 percent in the same period. While this is lower than the forecast in October last year, consumers could still feel a pinch in their pockets.
Comments
0 comment