Bhubaneswar, Nov. 22: To tackle the effect of currency shortage, the common man, particularly the salaried one, is tweaking his monthly budget to save on as much cash as possible.
Narayan Ojha, 30, a corporate employee and his homemaker wife Suchismita, 29, who had a baby boy last month, are having a tough time meeting the daily requirements of the newborn.
"I had to spent quite a bit of money on Caesarean delivery. A newborn needs milk, clothes, diapers, medicines and several other things. I have to spend a minimum of Rs 500 every day on the little one. This apart, there are several other household expenditures," said Narayan, who stays at Sailashree Vihar.
"In the post-demonetisation scenario, it has become difficult for us to manage finances smoothly. Unlike earlier, we have started doing our laundry at home to save on cash. We are buying less fruits and have stopped eating out for the same reason," said Suchismita.
The story is a bit different for Nirodkant Mishra, 42, a corporate executive and his self-employed wife Ranjita Padhi, 37, who have exchanged their old scrapped notes and got together enough cash to meet theirs as well as their six-year-old daughter's expenses.
"I use my debit and credit cards to make most of my payments. When it comes to the daily expenses, I have my regular shops where I pay in bulk once a month," said Nirodkant, a resident of Forest Park.
However, problems persist for another Niladri Vihar resident, Shanti Lata Rath, 45, a private school teacher who is now prioritising buying vegetables over fruits to save cash.
"I used to buy a lot of fruits for my children. But that has become impossible in the current scenario," said Rath.
"Spending time everyday at the ATMs to withdraw cash is an impossible task. There is still a few days left before I'll get my salary and I have no choice but to save as much cash as I can," said Rath.
Fruit vendors said they were the worst hit by demonetisation. "My regular customers, who bought at least 2-3kg fruits every fortnight, have cut down on the spend to save cash. Even those who are buying are not spending much," said Giridhari Panda, who sells fruits at a BMC vending zone near the gurdwara.
Thirty-five-year-old lawyer Himansu Nayak is banking on small changes in lifestyle to save cash. Nayak used to get his clothes ironed but he is soing the job at home to save as much cash as possible. He has even stopped visiting the neighbourhood cobbler to get his shoes polished.
"There is still a dearth of cash in the market because limits have been set on cash withdrawal and exchange. Consequently, it has become necessary for us to prioritise our everyday expenses," said Nayak, a resident of Badagada.
The story is different for 24-year-old Gorang Seth, an IT engineer staying at Rasulgarh. He is now shopping online to save cash even for petty things such as mobile cover or a pen drive.
"I am trying to save cash for other things. The articles took a little time to get delivered, but eventually I land up with more cash in my wallet," said Seth.
