New Brunswick — With the inflation rate climbing 9.1 per cent in New Brunswick last month, New Brunswickers are feeling penny-pinched like never before.
With some of the lowest median income levels in Canada, New Brunswickers are used to stretching their loonies to make ends meet. However, many are having trouble keeping up with highest price spikes in decades.
Have no fear! The Manatee has consulted widely with ordinary New Brunswickers, and we’ve compiled the best budgeting tips from across the province. These are the top ten ways to tighten up your budget in New Brunswick:
- Grow your savings – Put 20% of your after-tax income into a savings account, then convert that money into gasoline to put into your F-150 gas tank.
- Cut back on luxuries – For example, buying Alpine instead of good beer. Ha!! Just kidding, can you imagine? Yuck.
- Cut up your credit cards – And, once you have a bunch of little credit card pieces, tape them back together into one gigantic frickin’ Frankenstein monster super-card! When you tap that sucker, Interac will go offline again! Technically, this is just a flex.
- Don’t keep up with the Joneses – Stop comparing yourself to all of your neighbours. Just pick one really annoying neighbour and use your credit to blow them right out of the water! BOOM! How do you like me now, Cheryl?!
- Establish “needs” versus “wants” – Make sure you pay for necessities first like your rent or mortgage, car, electricity, internet, groceries, insurance, telephone, water and/or sewage, gasoline, school fees…holy shit, that’s a lot! What about retirement savings? God knows you’re not getting a defined benefit pension! Do you have anything left now? No? You better find something for Netflix because your spouse wants to watch Stranger Things! Maybe you can “borrow” your brother’s password? Anyway…anything else you spend on to bring a faint hint of joy to your life is a “want.”
- Use separate accounts for bill payments – Separate your bill payment money into one account. Everything else is straight cash…preferably under the table if you know what I mean. *wink wink*
- Plan your meals in advance – If you know what you plan to eat before you buy, you’ll buy less food and reduce waste. For example, pick out the kinds of chips you’ll eat in front of the TV while wearing your comfy pants before you go to the store.
- Don’t buy your daily coffee – Do you spend at least $2.50 per day on coffee? That’s $17.50 per week, or $70 per month! Instead, make it at home! How much do those pods cost anyways? Oh,… the pods are bad for the environment? Hmmm…what about the drip coffee thing? But, I just want a cup, not a whole pot. I can never get the amount of grounds just right anyhow, and I think you have to put salt in or something? My grandfather did that. Or, get one of those French press things, maybe? Ummm, yeah. Anyways, never mind. That all seems like a lot of work. Your total is $2.50, drive up to the window please.
- Sleep on big purchases – And by this I don’t mean think about it. I’m saying, sleep in big purchases. Like, have you ever tried sleeping in your car? Yeah, it might get that “bed-fart” smell, but think of the money you’d save!
- Pay yourself first – Before you get a cent in your account, you’ve already paid a shit-ton to the government. Get that money back by going on EI as soon as possible. Enjoy your paid vacation!