Opinion – Maria Inês Dolci: Small expenses also blow the budget

Beware of the beads – those slips and daily expenses that seem insignificant. Precisely because they are apparently irrelevant, they can multiply and help to unbalance the budget, something even more risky in times of high prices and low wages.

These are cases such as coffee, app trips, impulse purchases in pharmacies, clothing stores and supermarkets. There is another risk: that of not posting these expenses, because they are too many. And, reinforcement, small, innocent.

As they were not recorded, they are not computed. But that added value may be needed before new money enters the current account. It doesn’t mean that we have to give up small satisfactions, like drinking coffee at the nearest bakery in the middle of the afternoon. The ideal, however, would be to release all these expenditures, and temper the appetite for further cash outlays.

The lucky ones who still have a formal job and food stamps also face a dilemma: eating out has become much more expensive. The benefit amount does not always cover the entire expense. So, some people don’t know if they eat less so they don’t have to top up the bill, or if they eat at ease paying out of pocket. The way out can be to bring fruit or candy from home for dessert.

Another trap is to buy some foods (milk, coffee, beef and chicken, soy oil, chocolate, etc.) without planning ahead. Prices have skyrocketed in recent months. It’s hard not to eat what you like because the bill got too salty. That’s why it’s so important to calculate at home the approximate cost of what we will buy at the supermarket, to have a clearer view of how much we can spend.

Even when saving money, common sense must be maintained. Let me explain: there are products close to expiration with much more affordable prices. It is worth it if we are sure to consume such items in a very short time. But if the quantity is very large and consumption is small, they will expire and will have to be discarded.

A tip: small expenses should not be paid with a credit card, because we will have the impression of not having to pay anything to have access to certain products and services, but the amounts will appear on the monthly invoice, obviously.

In short, the financial crunch requires more practical thinking, and curbing the emotions that are so common in human beings: the desire to enjoy life, eat and dress well; desire to have fun and be more comfortable. It is very boring to face a scenario like the one we have in recent years in Brazil. If we go into debt, however, what is already unpleasant will become more worrying, it will take away our sleep and peace.