layout: post title: “Why Is Our Budget Broken?” date: 2026-06-23 —-
📍 Written from a misty morning at City Deep Fresh Produce Market, Johannesburg
This morning I found myself standing at City Deep Fresh Produce Market, surrounded by fresh produce, trucks, traders, and the usual bustle of commerce.
At the same time, I was reading 📗 Howard’s End by E.M. Forster.
Books can be a welcome distraction. They can transport us into another world for a while. Sadly, however much I throw myself into reading, writing, Linux projects, or creative pursuits, none of it changes the reality of being short of cash.
The bills remain.
The prices continue to rise.
And the budget continues to struggle.
Just yesterday I made a trip to the local shop to buy a tin of coffee.
What I discovered was another price increase.
A 750-gram tin of Nescafé Ricoffy had increased from R175 to R185.
That is a R10 increase in a single week.
Many people will immediately say:
“Coffee is a luxury. Switch to tea.”
Perhaps they are right.
The problem is that I am not particularly fond of tea.
If I had to choose, I would rather drink plain water than force myself to drink something I do not enjoy.
But the coffee itself is not really the issue.
The issue is what the increase represents.
Why is our budget broken?
Why is the approximately R750 per week I earn from moonlighting no longer enough?
Why do ordinary household items seem to rise in price faster than income?
Why does every trip to the shop seem to cost more than the previous one?
These are not merely complaints.
They are questions that deserve answers.
According to supplier pricing, the coffee costs approximately R150 from Yarona.
The current shelf price is R185.
Calculation:
R35 ÷ R150 × 100 = 23.33%
The total markup from supplier cost to shelf price is therefore:
23.33%
The increase happened in two stages.
R150 → R175
Increase:
R25 ÷ R150 × 100 = 16.67%
R175 → R185
Increase:
R10 ÷ R175 × 100 = 5.71%
When combined, the total increase from supplier cost to current shelf price is approximately:
23.33%
The latest R10 increase may not look significant on its own.
However, when viewed alongside the previous increase, the coffee now costs almost a quarter more than its original supplier price.
For pensioners and low-income earners, these small increases add up very quickly.
Coffee is only one part of the problem.
Electricity has become another major expense.
Prior to 24 October 2025, electricity was included in our rent.
At that time, our monthly rent was:
R1800
Then prepaid electricity meters were installed.
From my perspective, this was done without prior written notice.
The rent remained at R1800, but electricity was no longer effectively included.
Since then we have been spending approximately:
R200 per week
on prepaid electricity.
That amounts to approximately:
R800 per month
additional expenditure.
As a result, our effective housing cost has risen to around:
R2800 per month
The financial burden is difficult enough.
What makes it feel particularly unfair is the apparent inconsistency in how electricity costs are being handled among tenants.
For example:
The result is that different tenants appear to be carrying different financial burdens despite living under the same property arrangements.
Whether this is justified or not is a separate discussion.
What matters is that the lack of consistency creates understandable questions about fairness.
Coffee prices.
Electricity costs.
Rent.
Food.
Transport.
These are not isolated expenses.
Together they form a pattern.
A budget rarely breaks because of a single catastrophic event.
More often it breaks because dozens of small increases occur over time.
Each increase appears manageable on its own.
Yet together they quietly consume what little financial breathing room remains.
When people ask why the budget is broken, the answer is not a mystery.
The evidence is visible in everyday life.
A tin of coffee that costs more each week.
Electricity that was once included but now comes with an additional charge.
Income that remains relatively static while expenses continue to climb.
None of these factors alone tell the whole story.
Together, however, they paint a clear picture.
And that tin of coffee?
☕
It’s getting expensive very fast.
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