Families scramble to make ends meet

Families scramble to make ends meet

Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The recent fuel price increase has forced families in the capital
to rethink how they spend limited resources.

A husband and wife in Karet, Central Jakarta, for example,
entered into a heated debate on Saturday on whether or not they
have to axe spending for their baby's diapers in order to save
money.

"I could understand if we cannot cut spending on her milk.
But, the use of diapers. I don't think it really matters," the
husband told The Jakarta Post on Saturday.

His wife argued, however, that cutting spending on diapers
would "cause our baby to wake from her sleep at night and wet the
spring bed."

The husband thought that they would be able to save at least
Rp 200,000 a month if they cut the purchase of two bags of
diapers, each priced at Rp 100,000.

"So, I will suggest we replace the expensive milk that costs
us Rp 700,000 monthly with a cheaper brand. But, we will be at
war," Gugun, 30, told the Post.

For many families of modest means like Gugun's, the Oct. 1
fuel price hike really deals a severe blow to their cash-strapped
budgets.

Widyawati, a resident of Rawabunga, East Jakarta complained
that now she has to fork out Rp 60,000 from her pocket a month to
buy kerosene for her stove, far higher than the Rp 25,000
previously.

"I don't know how to save on kerosene. Perhaps I will have to
cook meals that consume less kerosene. We cannot stop eating, can
we?" she said.

The government cut the subsidy for fuel by raising the
kerosene price to Rp 2,000 from Rp 700 previously. But, in
reality, residents have to pay between Rp 4,000 and Rp 5,000.

The fuel price increase not only deals a severe blow to the
poor but also to the middle class since the government has also
raised the price of Premium gasoline to Rp 4,500 from Rp 2,500.

"I will leave my car at home. Instead, I will use a motorcycle
to go to my office," said Irwanto, a resident of Bumi Serpong
Damai in Tangerang.

"I will also consider asking for a lift from friends who are
going to the same direction with me to save transportation
spending if necessary," he said.

Onny, a resident of Pulogebang, who is renovating his home,
decided to stop hiring the three workers who were helping him.

"I can't afford to employ the three workers helping me to
renovate my home. I have to spend at least Rp 45,000 for each of
them per day," he said.

He complained that the prices of materials have soared
recently as shops had already anticipated the fuel price
increases.

"A bag of cement is now being sold for Rp 38,000 from Rp
34,500 previously," he said.

A truck of sand, he said, also jumped to between Rp 1 million
to Rp 1.4 million from Rp 800,000 previously.