Diving Through the Sea of Unending Bills

I am aware that human beings have common problems, and so many lives are filled with many challenges, big or small. Most of us struggle with personal problems such as depression, finances, health issues, etc.; however, most of these problems can be fixed over time. Personally, I have tons of problems bothering my life, both big and small. Some of them are strictly confidential, to the point that I feel heaviness in my mouth talking to my mentor about them. I just kneel down and ask God to come through for me.

When I look around my environment, I can easily see issues in life that don't give me peace of mind. I visit the market, and the current cost of goods is enough to torment my mental health. Eating healthy is becoming a hassle in my home due to bills flying left and right. I have never experienced this type of economy since I was born. I asked my grandma whether there was a time those days that things got out of hand and later became okay again. But she seems not to remember experiencing this kind of uneasy life back then, like 80 decades ago.

Realizing that I don't think only about myself but about the needs of four people under me (my three kids and my cousin) is a huge responsibility in this present-day economy. Only the bills that come from their education are becoming a concern. Even with the 70% increase in school fees, you can't send a child to school without academic materials, and trust me, buying all of that is almost like paying the fees afresh. Yet, they still come home from time to time talking about other new bills to pay, what to buy, and what not to buy. When I take a close look at their dresses, it's either to replace one,or repair the other, or even buy a new shoe and what have you, hence bills keep piling up. This is a big problem I am currently facing, and while food is their most basic need, eating healthy like before means not attending to other aspects of their lives, and finding balance in all of this is a problem beyond my control currently.

I think home management is one of the most difficult tasks I have been experiencing, especially since the economy got so bad. Every day, there are things to spend on that are double what they used to be, and then I begin to wonder when all these will end. The thing is that expenses are becoming higher than our income, and nowadays, throwing some money into savings or taking advantage of investments is becoming difficult due to bills. There is electricity to spend on, packing of bins, filling the cooking gas, rent, home maintenance, and others. All these come with high bills nowadays, and they aren't something we can escape from as long as we are still living. However, because it comes with a high cost, gradually it's affecting my family's healthy living. Keeping up with a good lifestyle is now very expensive as well.

How do you cope? Do you ignore some basic bills at home to attend to other things you feel is important too? How do you find balance between attending to bills and striving to maintain a good standard of living while still saving for the future in today's economy?

Please, your ideas would be well welcomed🤗.

This post is in response to the #hivelearners community contest ok the topic titled What's your problem?
All images were taken and edited in canva