- How to survive inflation
- Tips to save money on shopping
- Where can I get high-quality fruits and vegetables at a low price?
- Where to buy grocery at cheap rates?
A Brief Overview
According to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, inflation has increased by over 40 percent, during last few months. The market prices are much higher than the official figures. The unprecedented fuel price hike and rupee depreciation has cut the buying power of average citizens to less than half. How to survive is a question faced by many.
The best way to combat rising inflation is to return to the basics. Increase your income, or reduce your expenses. If you find increasing your income hard, due to recession, reduce your expenses.
In this guide, we will tell you simple techniques and practices which will help you in reducing your expenses and save money during the year 2023, without compromising on quality of living or food.
To save money, rule number one is to avoid impulse buying and plan for a month or months. Perishable fruits and vegetables cannot be bought monthly, but you can buy them weekly from the wholesale market. Below are some of the tips to buy good quality items at cheaper rates. This guide is for the residents of Rwalpindi and Islamabad, however, the general rules are the same and applicable across Pakistan.
Guide to Buying Groceries
If you can afford to travel to Rawalpindi, buy your groceries from the wholesale market near Raja Bazaar. You will find grocery, dry fruit, cloth, kitchen items and different utility retail and wholesale shops in a radius of almost two kilometers. To get a good bargain, you need to find a wholesaler. If you are visiting Raja Bazaar for the first time, simply walk around the shops and inquire about prices. From Raja Bazaar, you can buy kitchen utensils, crockery, cloth, electronic items, at much lower rates. If you want to buy toiletries, cigarettes, imported coffee, tea, and other similar items, go to Nankari Bazaar. Wholesale shops don't sell single items. If you need soap, buy a dozen to get a good bargain. On the narrow streets of the market, you will find hundreds of wholesale outlets. Before buying anything, visit a few shops, compare the price and quality, and then buy. Close to Nanakari Bazaar, there is a grain market, where you can buy premium quality pulses, rice, pasta, and other similar items for around 10–20% less than retail prices in Rawlpindi and Islamabad. Some are around 50% cheaper. Pasta noodles, for example, are available in the Nankari bazaar for Rs 180 per kg, whereas the retail price in Rawalpindi and Islamabad is about Rs 300. Adjacent to Nankari Bazaar is the dry fruit market, where you can buy premium dry fruit at cheap prices. City Sadar road, near Raja Bazar, is the wholesale market for electronics and paints. You can also explore hardware, plastic and medicine wholesale markets.
Raja Bazaar Market Tips
1- Buy in bulk
2- Raja Bazaar is the interior of Rawalpindi and too crowded. Avoid going on weekends and in the evenings. If you reach the market early, say 9am, you will find a parking space for your car easily.
3- Although wholesale rates are almost fixed, you should try bargaining.
Buying Fresh Fruits and Vegetables at Cheaper Rates
Islamabad Sabzi Mandi is the best place to buy premium vegetables and fruits at a reasonably low price. Islamabad Sabzi and fruit Market, on I-11 near Metro Cash and Carry super store is the biggest market, where fruits and vegetables come from all over the country. Here you will find jumbo-sized apples, melons, pomegranates and grapes from Quetta, even Afghanistan, Gilgit Baltistan's delicious cherries, sweet mangoes from Sindh and southern Punjab, and ripe pineapples, papaya, varieties from Sindh and different varieties of Kashmiri fruits. The fruit laden trucks are parked at auction platforms, where they sell their inventory through bidding. Resellers and whole sellers buy from the auction platforms and sell at their shops and stalls in the Sabzi Mandi. If you buy directly from the auction you will save a lot of money. For example, if an 8-10 kg crate of grapes is sold for Rs 1000 at auction, the shopkeepers and stallers will sell it for Rs 200 / kg. For each seasonal fruit, there are dedicated auction platforms, where vendors sell their items in a competitive bidding process. Anyone can participate in the bidding. Just go close and observe different auctions, soon you will know what quality is being sold at what price. The bidding starts from highest to lowest. Be patient and observe. Remember, auction platforms not only bid for fresh produce but they have stored ones also. The key to Sabzi Mnadi buying is to check every layer of the crate, the better you taste the crop. Fruit auctions start after 8 am and the minimum buy is one carton.
Similar to fruits, farmers across Pakistan bring their products to Islamabad Sabzi Mandi. Vegetables are auctioned before Fajr time. Unlike fruit, vegetable auctions are not for the general public as they deal in large quantities. You can buy from the wholesalers who sell the vegetables in the makeshift temporary stalls on the roads. These road stalls are set up in the early morning and at around 8 am the market committee close them to clear roads for the traffic. It is the best time to buy vegetables. You can get a 5kg bag of any seasonal vegetable, worth Rs. 350 at retail, for just Rs. 100. The trick to buying at the fruit and vegetable market is not to trust anyone. Some vendors re-assemble crates, placing expired fruit on the bottom and fresh fruit in the upper layers. Don't hesitate; check every layer of the cardboard, thoroughly and physically. Pick a piece from the bottom of the crate and taste it, if you like. Beside the auction platforms and road stalls, there are permanent stalls and shops also in Sabzi Mandi. They are retailers and sell at higher rates. Buying from an auction or whole sellers could save you good money. If you are not experienced, you may be cheated once or twice, so start buying fewer items to have an experience.
CDA weekly bazars is a good option if you cannot go to Sabzi mandi in the morning. G-9 weekly Bazaar is open every Tuesday, Friday and Sunday. Bazaar gates start closing after Maghrib prayers and sellers start winding up their makeshift shops. Only gate number-1 near the metro station remains open till 8 pm. Near closing time, many vegetable and fruit stallers start offering their products at half price. Give it a try if you can.
How to Save on Electricity Bills
According to different official estimates, you can reduce your bills by 10 percent, if you unplug appliances after using them. Yes, remove the plugs completely from the socket. Do not leave plugged-in mobile phone chargers, laptop chargers, washing machines, televisions, or other appliances. Cracks appear over time on the refrigerator gasket, which seals the door to the body. Sometimes, it becomes greasy and loses grip. An improper seal allows cold air to escape from the refrigerator. This causes the refrigerator compressor to run more often, increasing your utility bills. Clean the gasket with hot water, dry it and then apply petroleum jelly thoroughly. The hot water will remove the grease, and the petroleum jelly will restore the elasticity needed to seal the air. Adjust the refrigerator thermostat to the lowest setting in the winter. Keep the air filters of all your air conditioners clean. In many large houses, water pumps keep running even after filling the storage tanks. Keep an eye on the pump and turn it off as soon as the tanks are full. By covering glass windows or the entire sun-facing area with bamboo chicks, you can lower the temperature of your home. In winter, covering the glass windows with bubble wrap and sealing the cracks between windows and doors with foam can save on heating bills.
Tips to Save on Gas Bills
Check for gas leaks on a regular basis, whether you are using Sui gas or LPG. Change all connecting rubber pipes every year. Over time, stove and heater jets get blocked. For gas stoves and heaters, jets with large holes are used, while for LPG, small hole jets are required. Using the proper-sized jets could save you 10-20% on gas. Avoid pallets and coal stoves inside homes, as they produce lethal gases and are hectic to operate. Just ignore fancy ads promising big savings. The long term cost of LPG and coal is about equal.
Cutting Transport Costs
After the recent hike in fuel prices, fuel has become a major expense. If you live away from your house, try relocating to some place near to your work and near to your kids' school. If relocation is not an option, try the Metro. The government is planning to open new routes. You could also consider carpooling. Find people in your neighborhood who commute on your route, by placing an ad at any supermarket close to your home.
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