My grandmother always checked prices, prices, and payments. No matter if it what she paid in the shop, the tip she gave to the bus driver or milkman, the grocery, electricity company, or her bank account and insurances. She checked everything and with that, she saved herself a lot of money! Because of her, I started doing it and it's true there are an awful lot of "mistakes" made if it comes to prices we need to pay or what we are charged for. It's like robbing yourself if you do not take the time to check where your money went to. She had a debit card but used cash. She lived in a time where companies still sent bills or paying cheques and people had cheques as well or cards to fill out to realize payment. Nothing was taken automatically from the bank account. It's not said that bigger crooks, scammers, are more active today as, at her time, only the methods have changed. These days you can easily earn in a fast way with a scam online. At her time people showed up at the front door and tried to make her buy something. An article, insurance, books, magazines, Tupperware, Oriflame, etc. Articles you don't need and with prices, you cannot compare first because there is nothing to compare with and computers didn't exist.
At her time the baker, milkman, seller of chicken, eggs, and cheese visited every street. Just like the seller of ice cream still does during summer. She couldn't compare the prices with those in the supermarket but she bought it because it was a norm and service. No long walk to the supermarket. It gave some luxury just like having garbage collected in front of your house once a week at her time. These days we take it away ourselves and even pay more for it than ever before.
Do you know your prices?
On what you spent each cent you earned last month? Most people do not. Especially not those who "just buy what they need" without making a shopping list first. Spending goes way faster if you only buy what you need. You spend way more if you have a lot of cash in your wallet or can use a debit card or... credit card. It's different if you need to know the prices while shopping. If you walk through the shop, count, calculate what you can afford. If you know what is the maximum you can spend.
I am one of these rare people who knows what she has to spend. I calculate, while I fill my shopping cart, how much I can afford. I make a shopping list and write down on it what I need. What I need is what I used. Out of money means, I cannot buy it and it remains on the list till the moment arrives it is possible. If the shop is out of it I search somewhere else or wait. I never go for a more expensive substitute. I don't see any reason to do so. To me it's just a waste of money, the money I can only spend once and I wasted enough on food, items, things, I didn't need, and to others. The worse of all of it is it didn't make me happy and I created only more trash.
Always short if it comes to it?
Don't let us pretend life didn't become more expensive. Of all the costs of living over 85% are not made by me to eat and drink, those basics to keep me alive.
The highest costs are for rent. Rent and the tax I pay for this rental home. An old place still good for 50% of my income. I already moved to a smaller, "cheaper", place, away from the city on the country to reduce these costs but more isn't in it.
The next big bill is the one for health insurance! The health insurance isn't a free option in the Netherlands. The monthly payment is now higher than my electricity/gas bill. It's an insurance which cost me only money. Medication I need to pay myself, the first 885 euros is mine which means it's better not to visit a doctor. The dentist isn't included either. Every 18+ year old needs to pay. No job? The parents most likely need to pay for this adult too. If they cannot afford it it's wiser to kick out the child or it will live in debts. Debts with some bad luck the family can pay for.
Right after the health insurance, the electricity and gas company shows up. My number 3 in the high costs of living even though we sit in the cold for the entire winter (which is Autumn and Spring as well). With us, you pay, even if you do not use electricity and/or gas. The fact is the pipelines and wires go to the house and these are the highest costs of the total bill. Hundreds of euros a year are paid for this right. A "right" most likely paid off 50 years ago and a new investment will never take place. Over these hundreds of euros, tax needs to be paid. Next it's 0.22 cents/kWh and 0.80 cents/m3 (euro cents of course). Actually, this is the only part of the total bill in my hands, the part I can reduce my expenses in some cases still good for a few hundred of euros a year. Again over these expenses tax needs to be paid and over those 4 different amounts (2x gas, 2x electricity + tax) and administration costs of 6 euros or more a month tax is paid again. If you ask me this does smell like scam. A big scam.
Pricewise
It's the name of a site, Dutch site. Price wise.nl tells you where to find a cheaper electricity company or insurance. It can help you to save money especially if you search on. Pricewise needs to benefit from their advice too which means what they offer is most likely not the cheapest option. What you should keep in mind too is that the amount they show you "save" it is based on the present offer made by the company you are already with. This price says nothing about the price you pay now or will pay once the contract ends.
I asked the present company for an offer. They offer to make me pay more. Yes, you hear it right. A loyal customer pays more. Insurances do the same. Loyalty is not rewarded the new customer is.
Since my contract nearly came to an end I searched the internet for better offers. It might be I will end up paying the same but the same is still cheaper than paying more. The electricity company is not the only one I replace on an annual base. I do the same with all insurances and with the provider as well. I check them and keep checking them just like my bank account. My granny is right frequently there are amounts on it I cannot trace. I noticed a scam of sports lotteries and more. In many cases, these issues can be easily solved by me, online. I check the receipts in the shops too. On a frequently base there is charged more or there are items on it I didn't buy. Indeed it can be exhausting if you need to know all prices, are always calculating but it's worth the time and energy if I earn with it or receive my money back.
Am I always short? No, if it comes to it I have just enough because I take care of my expenses. I delete from the shopping list what I do not need once I go shopping (I do not shop daily). My cupboard isn't empty and I can do without a fridge, television, dryer, computer and so much more others see as necessary.
Yup, cost of living is definitely much higher today compared to 10 years ago. And the best part, the prices kept increasing with the excuse that petrol price was up or this and that is up but when those prices go down, the prices of things don't go down. They continue to go up. Health insurance, rent / property is expensive here too. I like it when there are good deals at groceries and such. I usually grab those.