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Planning for petrol and electricity price increases
Your first budget does not need to be perfect. Start with what comes in after tax, then list the bills that never move: rent, transport, airtime, insurance and school fees. Whatever remains is yours to plan.
Give each rand a job. Many South Africans use a simple split of needs, wants and savings, then adjust it to fit their life. Check it every Friday for ten minutes. If groceries ran over, trim something small next week. Ubuntuly lets you do this on your phone, so the habit sticks.
ACCESSORIES
A good budget starts with honest numbers. Open your bank statement and add up what you spent last month, including the small things like airtime, taxi fares and takeaways. Most people find a surprise or two. Once you see the real picture, you can set limits that fit your life. Start with the biggest costs first, then work down the list. Keep a little aside for emergencies, even if it is only R50 a week.
Debit orders and subscriptions are where budgets quietly leak. List every one of them with its date and amount. Cancel what you no longer use and move the dates so they land just after payday. That alone can free a few hundred rand each month. Put that money into a savings goal on the same day, before it has a chance to disappear into daily spending. Over a year, the habit builds a real cushion without any big sacrifice.
Related reading: Savings Goals
Debit orders and subscriptions are where budgets quietly leak. List every one of them with its date and amount. Cancel what you no longer use and move the dates so they land just after payday. That alone can free a few hundred rand each month. Put that money into a savings goal on the same day, before it has a chance to disappear into daily spending. Over a year, the habit builds a real cushion without any big sacrifice.
Related reading: Savings Goals
Debit orders and subscriptions are where budgets quietly leak. List every one of them with its date and amount. Cancel what you no longer use and move the dates so they land just after payday. That alone can free a few hundred rand each month. Put that money into a savings goal on the same day, before it has a chance to disappear into daily spending. Over a year, the habit builds a real cushion without any big sacrifice.
Related reading: Savings Goals
Debit orders and subscriptions are where budgets quietly leak. List every one of them with its date and amount. Cancel what you no longer use and move the dates so they land just after payday. That alone can free a few hundred rand each month. Put that money into a savings goal on the same day, before it has a chance to disappear into daily spending. Over a year, the habit builds a real cushion without any big sacrifice.
Related reading: Savings Goals
BUDGETING
A good budget starts with honest numbers. Open your bank statement and add up what you spent last month, including the small things like airtime, taxi fares and takeaways. Most people find a surprise or two. Once you see the real picture, you can set limits that fit your life. Start with the biggest costs first, then work down the list. Keep a little aside for emergencies, even if it is only R50 a week.
Budget Basics
Stokvels and savings groups work because people hold each other to a plan. The same idea works alone with an app. Pick a monthly amount, set a payment date and let Ubuntuly remind you. When a month is tight, lower the amount instead of skipping it. Staying in the habit matters more than the size of the deposit. After six months, most people are surprised by how much they have put away.
Savings Goals
Stokvels and savings groups work because people hold each other to a plan. The same idea works alone with an app. Pick a monthly amount, set a payment date and let Ubuntuly remind you. When a month is tight, lower the amount instead of skipping it. Staying in the habit matters more than the size of the deposit. After six months, most people are surprised by how much they have put away.
Family Finance
Stokvels and savings groups work because people hold each other to a plan. The same idea works alone with an app. Pick a monthly amount, set a payment date and let Ubuntuly remind you. When a month is tight, lower the amount instead of skipping it. Staying in the habit matters more than the size of the deposit. After six months, most people are surprised by how much they have put away.
Student Money
Stokvels and savings groups work because people hold each other to a plan. The same idea works alone with an app. Pick a monthly amount, set a payment date and let Ubuntuly remind you. When a month is tight, lower the amount instead of skipping it. Staying in the habit matters more than the size of the deposit. After six months, most people are surprised by how much they have put away.
A good budget starts with honest numbers. Open your bank statement and add up what you spent last month, including the small things like airtime, taxi fares and takeaways. Most people find a surprise or two. Once you see the real picture, you can set limits that fit your life. Start with the biggest costs first, then work down the list. Keep a little aside for emergencies, even if it is only R50 a week.
PLANS
Groceries are often the easiest place to find savings. Plan your meals for the week, check what is already in the cupboard and write a list before you leave home. Compare unit prices instead of pack prices, and watch the specials at your usual shop. Paying cash or using a set grocery card keeps you honest at the till. Even R200 saved a week adds up to a nice amount by year end.
Petrol and electricity prices change often, so plan for them early. Look at your last three months of bills and take the average, then add ten percent for increases. Keep that money in a separate pot. Small changes help too: combine trips, switch off standby appliances and use a lower geyser setting. When the new price arrives, you will already have the money ready and no stress at the end of the month.
Groceries are often the easiest place to find savings. Plan your meals for the week, check what is already in the cupboard and write a list before you leave home. Compare unit prices instead of pack prices, and watch the specials at your usual shop. Paying cash or using a set grocery card keeps you honest at the till. Even R200 saved a week adds up to a nice amount by year end.
Petrol and electricity prices change often, so plan for them early. Look at your last three months of bills and take the average, then add ten percent for increases. Keep that money in a separate pot. Small changes help too: combine trips, switch off standby appliances and use a lower geyser setting. When the new price arrives, you will already have the money ready and no stress at the end of the month.
Groceries are often the easiest place to find savings. Plan your meals for the week, check what is already in the cupboard and write a list before you leave home. Compare unit prices instead of pack prices, and watch the specials at your usual shop. Paying cash or using a set grocery card keeps you honest at the till. Even R200 saved a week adds up to a nice amount by year end.
Petrol and electricity prices change often, so plan for them early. Look at your last three months of bills and take the average, then add ten percent for increases. Keep that money in a separate pot. Small changes help too: combine trips, switch off standby appliances and use a lower geyser setting. When the new price arrives, you will already have the money ready and no stress at the end of the month.
