Rupiah Weakens: Tips for Managing Household Expenditure

Jakarta, VIVA – The decline in the rupiah’s exchange rate has the potential to cause an increase in the prices of goods and services. Consequently, it is vital to manage finances carefully to ensure that a family’s primary needs can still be met.

Financial planner Rista Zwestika, CFP, WMI, from the financial education and consultancy platform Finante.id, highlighted the importance of organising expenditure based on priorities during periods of rupiah weakness. “In conditions where the rupiah exchange rate is weakening and potentially driving up the prices of various necessities, the public needs to be more disciplined in managing expenditure priorities,” Rively stated when contacted on Monday, 8 June 2026.

Rista detailed the importance of setting expenditure priorities and preparing emergency funds to secure a family’s financial condition during periods of economic instability. According to her, the first category that must be maintained is expenditure for basic necessities, which includes food, transport, education, health, and routine household bill payments. Allocating funds for basic needs and routine household bills must be prioritised.

For those with debts or instalment obligations, she noted that they should strive to pay on time to avoid additional burdens such as interest or late fees.

Rista also suggested allocating funds for emergency reserves to serve as a financial buffer against unexpected risks, such as a drop in income, job loss, or urgent needs. Furthermore, she expressed the need to re-evaluate spending on consumer goods and non-urgent requirements when the economic situation is unfavourable. “Consumptive or non-urgent expenditures should be re-evaluated until conditions become more stable,” she said.

According to her, evaluating expenditure is necessary to maintain the balance of the household budget and prevent greater financial pressure in the future.