Covid-19 has hit the economy like a tsunami, and in this economic fallout, minor cuts can be your life jacket and help you stay afloat.
Before this pandemic, the economy was already observing an increase in the inflation rate, and it was expected that the economy might come across a global recession because of the rise in oil prices and other economic variables.
Still, unfortunately, the world was hit by covid-19, which made the situation far worse than economists could have predicted. Crashing of the stock market, lowering the indices index to 30% was just the beginning.
Where developed countries see sluggish growth, emerging developed countries face a high level of debt to cater to the needs of their people.
Though the international world is taking every measure to prevent firms from getting bankrupt, widespread business shutdowns, financial strains across the system, rapid increase in job losses, extended salary freeze but still it isn’t enough.
Disruption in almost all industries has been observed mainly in sectors like tourism, hospitality, traveling, entertainment, etc. The damage is much more significant than the policies and measures being taken across the world. Lockdown has restricted business activities, and the world is seen in chaos.
According to a report on BBC News, the age bracket that bears the most adverse effect is youngsters. Firstly, because of the decrease in the payroll of recruits and young staff and secondly, because the youngsters could not get the job as companies stopped their recruitment and staffing processes.
Moreover, we are unaware of when it will end as a new variant of Covid is being discovered, and you never know what the future brings for you. In this economic fallout, minor cuts have become necessary, especially for those who have prominent families, to save money and survive.
Do Small Cuts Make A Difference?
It’s true because now every penny and a cent you save will make a difference. It doesn’t matter how much your annual income is because every person will be the prey of this economic fallout.
People have to change their way of living and prioritize their expenses. You don’t need to see what you buy, but instead, you need to think about what you already had and can be used for a while longer.
Being all emotional about the salary cuts and unemployment is useless, accept the reality and think of it like “it is the way it is and stop running away. Many believe it is stupid to think like that, but we need to realize that frugal is not a sin.
How Can People Manage Their Cash Flows Correctly?
People need to make smart choices and save money by avoiding brand names and saving money on shopping, comparing prices of different items at grocery stores, stopping getting haircuts or beauty treatments, buying what we need instead of what we want, doing minor repairs ourselves, block or restrict credit card usage as this credit will not return any time soon.
To manage the cash flows accurately, you can use a paystub generator and keep track of your cash flows, including salary information, tax payments, and overtime payments.
You can increase your physical activity and improve your health and save money at the same time by stopping paying housekeepers and doing the chores yourself.
Instead of paying for the babysitters, try taking care of your children yourself. Similarly, ditch the sports club and go on a walk yourself.
You can also make minor cuts by cutting back on cable and electricity bills, utilities, etc. Stop paying for the things you are not using, such as stopping paying subscription fees of newspapers if you are not reading it, stopping paying for the membership fee for a club if you aren’t visiting, etc.
Furthermore, instead of buying, borrow things, if possible, like borrowing a tie for an interview instead of buying, or borrowing a coat from a friend for a party, etc. You can trade things as well and can find more valuable items.
For small businesses, hire remote employees and freelancers instead of permanent employees because this way, you can save on cost and hire more extraordinary talent at lower rates.
Eliminate office space and work remotely. This will help you save office rent and utility costs. Negotiate better deals and cut down businesses traveling. You can use remote tools to increase the connectivity between team members and enhance the team’s productivity by managing tasks efficiently.
It will take time for people to get used to the new ways of living, cope with lockdowns, follow SOPs, maintain distances, avoid going outside unnecessarily, skip events and other family gatherings, etc.
The economy will recover, and people will come out of this abyss with the help of minor lifestyle changes, making smart decisions, and with the support of family, friends.
Especially the government that is introducing various schemes and spending millions on the people to aid them in tough times by reducing the prices of utilities, giving them loans, giving them monthly discounts on necessities, etc.
