BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - AS the economic turmoil drags on and the cost of living continues to skyrocket, with no signs of relief in the near future, persons continue to struggle to meet their needs.
Since the economic downfall which hit the Caribbean in late 2008 and the implementation of Value Added Tax (VAT) in November of 2010, the cost of living has risen beyond affordability, and with little or no signs of a turnaround, persons, not just minimum wage earners, are struggling to make ends meet.
Speaking with a number of individuals whose earnings range from minimum to high-end, SKNVibes found their individual struggles were not very different and many can relate to the woes they recount.
When comparing the cost of living now to what it was like five years ago, everyone's responses were the same. Life five years ago was a lot easier as the cost of living was not this high.
They said that the cost of living now is not only high but is ever increasing which often makes them wonder how they would be able to make ends meet in the not too distant future.
SKNVibes spoke with Ana (not her real name), a 33-year-old mother of three, who works for minimum wage.
Ana works at a factory where she makes a little over $300 each week. She said that her paycheck goes exclusively towards bills - mortgage for a low income home, electricity, water, cable, small savings and a few items on hire purchase - no internet, no home phone.
She said that after handling her responsibilities there is nothing left.
Ana revealed that, had it not been for her children's father paying child support she does not know how her children, or even she herself, would eat.
"All I can say is that I am grateful that my children's father is the type of guy who looks after his children because, honestly, I do not know how my children and I would get by. When I am done paying my bills and handling all of my other responsibilities, there is no money left for food or anything else for that matter.
"So it is his money I depend on to buy food for my children and myself. If it were not for that money coming to me every week, I would have had to short-pay on one or more of my bills in order to have a little change to buy food," Ana explained.
Ana expressed that she would like to be able to have life and health insurance, not for her sake but for her children but with the current economic situation coupled with the high cost of living and her living "hand to mouth", the chances of getting insurance does not look possible.
"I struggle to keep my life balanced; it is not easy but I manage to scrape through every time. I fear that one day I may be thrown off balance; something might come up that I have to deal with financially and then everything would go out of control," she said.
Amoy (not her real name) works as a receptionist and is a 37-year-old mother of five making $1 800 per month.
Her expenses, like many others, consume her entire salary and she is left dependant on whatever little she collects from child support to provide food for her children throughout each month.
Amoy said that after making her monthly payments of rent, electricity, water, phone and internet - no cable - among a few other items, she literally has nothing left to take her to the next month.
"I feel like I work to be broke, because once the bills are paid that is it, nothing left. I have to pray that the child support comes in otherwise I am left scrabbling to buy food. You would not believe how many times I count out ‘one cents and two cents’ and those small coins to make up for food, and how much times I 'knock up' some noodles for the children and stay hungry.
"I am telling you, it is not easy. And to say I don't even work for minimum wage. I pray to God night and day to keep away sickness, because there is nothing there [financially] for emergencies," Amoy expressed.
"I shed tears at the thought of not being able to provide for my children. I don't want to think about it but I do because things [economy] are not getting any better and it does not look like we are going to see any relief soon," she said.
This publication also spoke with Jane (not her real name), a 24-year-old mother of two, whose salary ranges between $2 200 to $2 500 monthly.
She told the media house that while her salary may seem reasonable, her expenses still consume every dime. She lives on her own with her children, whom she takes care of with the help of their father.
She explained that, on average, her budget stays the same as she is cautious not to spend money on unnecessary things, but lately, her grocery bill has been climbing.
"My budget usually stays the same, so I am usually in the clear as I am careful not to overspend, but for the past couple of months I realise I have been spending more and more on groceries, which could only mean that the food prices are rising because my shopping list does not change.
Jane said that she is not in a position to cut back in any area of her expenses as she has always been careful with money but with the cost of living on the rise, the only solution she finds is another route to groceries.
"It might be hard to believe but I am spending over $1 000 per month on groceries and it is only my two children and I. Sometimes I find it hard to believe. It has gotten to the point where I am considering doing my grocery shopping overseas," she explained.
Jane has found creative ways to save money, which, she says, does not amount to much but describes the process using the term "one one full basket".
"Sometime last year I decided to take a jar and put one dollar in it every day and at the end of the month I would, if I can afford it, add $20 to the overall $30 to make $50 and put it on a saving account. I know it does not sound like much but as the saying goes 'one one full basket' and it has worked well for me since then. That is my saving/emergency fund," she explained.
Jane expressed that the her overall fear, with the cost of living rising, is that she would not be able to take care of her children in the manner she hopes to.
SKNVibes also spoke with the manager of a media company who said that despite the money he makes, he too, is in the "struggling arena" as he is feeling the economic pressure as well.
The 31-year-old father of three says whose monthly salary is above $5 000 says that despite his hefty income, he is on the struggling end, like most persons.
The manager said that his three children live with him and so does his girlfriend and her two children. His girlfriend recently lost her job due to cutbacks and his household suddenly went from a two income to a one income home.
"I get paid almost at the end of every month but by the 5th of the next month, the money is gone. Mortgage, bills, groceries and other expenses consume my entire salary. Now that my girlfriend is out of a job, all of the responsibilities fell on me, which I don't mind but the burden has gotten a lot harder to bear," the manager related.
He explained that in order to adjust to "living on less", his family had to make some cutbacks which included going out to parties, spending less on clothes and shoes among other things, all of which, he said, has helped him to budget better.
"Cutting back has helped me tremendously but with bills and food prices ever increasing, I am continuously looking at ways I can cut back even more.
"With what is happening with this economy no one is excluded from the chopping block even us as managers have a lot to fear because, with the cutbacks of jobs, we too can get laid-off and find ourselves unable to provide for our family," he said.
SKNVibes spoke with Hon. Dr. Timothy Harris who gave a few suggestions as to measures one can put into place to defray the burden of the economic pressure.
Harris suggested cutting back in areas such as forgoing some entertainment events and cooking one’s own meal instead of purchasing, but noted that the areas in which persons would want to cut back on depended on the person's budget responsibilities and lifestyle.
He also noted that, with regards to minimum wage earners, it is not an easy task to tell them to cut back.
"It is always challenging to tell persons on minimum wage to cut back because they will tell you that the wage is so small there is nothing to cut and in the context of the economic recession, what we would want to advise people on is to be prudent in their expenditure," he explained.
Harris also suggested persons invest in backyard gardening as a means of saving money on certain food items.
"When you reduce the amount you have to spend, it gives you greater pleasure in managing your cash flows," Harris said.
