The increase in the cost of living in recent years has affected many families, but in addition to the decrease in purchasing power, it also has repercussions on working and family life.
Kadri and Tarvo Veski raise three children. They have established their lives in Karula, Valga County, where they are their own employers. Tarvo, the father of the family, works in construction, while Kadri runs a veterinary clinic in Antsla. For Kadri, the clinic is the first place to raise the alarm that the economy is no longer the same.
“People try to get them as cheaply as possible. Sometimes they come and ask just like that, maybe they can get medicine just like that, so maybe they don’t have to come for a visit. Or they try to do it quite cruelly, so they come to the clinic as they pass and they ask a lot of questions and then they just say oh, but I don’t even have a wallet on me,” Kadri explained.
But even at home you can see that life has changed. Tarvo and Kadri saw the first direct change in purchasing power soon after the war began, when they began renovating their house. Due to rapid inflation, some work has remained unfinished and is still pending. Of course their family also has a home loan, but it is small and therefore the high interest rates do not really take your breath away.
“Every month you have to add about 50 euros. But in this regard, we think that this situation is good, at least for our family. Friends and relatives have interest rate increases ten times higher,” said Kadri Veski.
“As for the shopping cart, I can’t say, because we never overspent before. What I can say though is that what has changed is that when I go to work, I no longer go out to eat,” he added.
While Kadri said his shopping cart hasn’t changed, stores are seeing people make different choices. The Coop store in Rõuge serves a very large area, people from both towns and the city come to shop here.
“Steaks and seasoned meats are not as popular as they were last year and more and more people are buying frankfurters and sausages. It seems that people are cooking themselves more to save money. And, of course, we have increased sales of chicken and frozen meat. because their price per kilogram is much cheaper than that of the refrigerated channels”, explained Siiri Saal, director of the Rõuge Coop store.
According to Saali, since then people have also bought more material for porridge and are starting to make a different choice even on the sweets and snacks counters.
“It seems that people have started making more cakes and things themselves. We have reduced the quality of candies, the prices of which have become high. Lutsu candies and those whose prices are still good are selling well,” Saal said.
Shop visitors have different opinions on the effect of the price increase. Rein, for example, does not feel the recession and changes his choices. “In this sense we don’t understand anything,” he said.
“We still considered what to buy and what not to buy. /…/ If it can still be done, I will continue to support the grandchildren and children. /…/ We urgently need boots for the winter, a jacket for the winter and I haven’t thought about traveling for several years.” Maie said.
“Sometimes I think that I don’t know how much you have to earn here in Estonia to live from day to day. It also depends on how many people have fed together and I have probably fed a lot,” Christel said.
But the cost of living is also felt in other ways than decreasing purchasing power.
“Since life has become more expensive, we have to work harder, work harder, and that’s why we don’t have time for our family. We don’t lack anything. In general, we can manage ourselves. But the fact that we don’t we have time for our family or to go out somewhere or go on a trip. That’s why we still have to work hard to afford it,” Kadri Veski said.
2023-12-30 17:32:00
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