With ArcelorMittal SA, Glencore, Massmart, Telkom, Sibanye, Aspen and other companies retrenching, we must reduce our debt levels just in case we find ourselves in the same situation.
Hopefully, you will find something that works for you in the list. If you have other suggestions, please email them to us – sharing is caring

1. Buy online – it is quicker, cheaper and your staff gets delivered at home free of charge if your purchase is above R400. It will also save you from impulsive buying. So you save time and petrol or transport costs as well

2. Geyser- wise – this is a simple device that you can get your plumber to install for you. You time it so that your geyser only heats up at certain hours of the day rather than 24/7. We reduced our electricity bill by an average of R4 000 per month by installing geyser-wise

3. Reduce cellphone costs – the competition commission has already told us that MTN and Vodacom prices are anti- poor, don’t get stuck with expensive cellphone costs- port your number to cheaper alternatives

4. Is it time to get a Travel Buddy if you are driving to work daily? Others could help you pay for your petrol costs
 
For the following, you must speak to us if you are interested

1. Assess whether you need credit life/ credit assurance / loan protection policy on your debts or not – you could save yourself a lot of money if you don’t need it
2. Reduce your funeral policy premiums, we can consolidate your funeral policies into one and save you a lot of money
3. Do you have accidental death cover? What if you don’t die in an accident? Is this worth your while? We can quickly check for you if you are not sure
4. Kill your debts, this will put extra cash in your pocket monthly. Visit our blog www.thuthuka-sa.co.za for the 7 Steps to get out of debt series

This is the picture of Rethabile’s credit cards, she cut them up to pieces

Here is the rest of them

9. Plan your meals carefully and do not cook every day of the week, it is a waste of electricity – thanks to Adrienne Bogatie for this suggestion

10. Reduce your car insurance cover- shop around. Your car depreciates and your insurance should reduce over time, not go up annually

11. Do you need to manicure your nails weekly? How about doing them only if you are going to have a function?

12. Write down every time you spend money, you might find some rude awakenings e.g. that you are spending too much money buying drinks, snacks, cigarettes, airtime, etc… These are not even good for you anyway

13. If you have a swimming pool, don’t let the pump run 24/7 – get a timer and save electricity!

14. A good friend taught me that you don’t have to wash your clothes every time after you put them on. She has a lot of afro- designer clothes and they all look brand new because she simply turns them over and put them in the sun for about 2 hours. Free Vitamin D does a great job of dry cleaning them and she puts them back in the wardrobe, smelling fresh and ready to be put on the next time

15. Get solar geysers – this will cost you money but will save you money over time plus it is good for the environment

We would like to publish your own tips on ways to reduce monthly expenses. Email us your own tips to info@thuthuka-sa.co.za  to complete the list above and we will publish the best tips.

Tune into Radio Pulpit 657AM every Wednesday at 13h30 and phone in to give us your views
Studio line: 012 334 1322
SMS line: 37871
Telegram: 082 657 2729