How do we cope with new taxes and increased energy? From national strategy to family budget

Romania enters a critical stage: higher taxes, increased prices and regional instability with direct effects on the economy. Analysts point out that long -term survival requires a collective strategy, with investments in education, research and technology, but also clear individual measures: 12 -month budget, reducing waste and diversifying income.

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“Long-term economic and energy survival, in a difficult regional context, involves reducing internal vulnerabilities and strengthening European and Euro-Atlantic anchors declares, for the truth, the political analyst Cristian Pîrvulescu,

External anchor and collective strategy

Economically, he says, Romania needs a predictable fiscal strategy and investments in critical infrastructure, which will increase productivity and reduce dependence on external conjunctions.

“In the energy plane, the key is the diversification: accelerating the transition to renewable sources, the responsible use of gas as a transition solution and the stronger interconnection in European networks. At the same time, only the integration in the European single market and the coordination with the Euro -Atlantic allies can guarantee energy security and economic stability. transform crises into opportunities to modernize and strengthen Romania's position in Europe ”, Cristian Pîrvulescu believes.

In addition, the sociologist Răzvan Dumitru points out that, beyond the external anchoring, the individual solutions lose their efficiency and can no longer provide long -term results. He points out that only a collective strategy, coordinated by institutions, can provide stability.

“The society will have to maximize its resources and discover others, using them as efficiently, both energy and economically. This means that the energy intake will produce as much added value, which can be achieved by high technological intake. Here, the industries and economic activities with a very high technological degree will maximize the energy” will maximize. explains Răzvan Dumitru.

Thus, he says, the investments and support of high technological industries must also become a national strategy in Romania. “For now, we do not have it and this is seen in the constant degradation of education and in neglecting or even discouraging scientific research. Romania remains behind the countries in the region, because it refuses to leave the old patterns. microelectronics in the space industry. he says.

Recently, Poland and Hungary have announced that they will stimulate space industries as a future strategy, according to it. “Although they seem too sophisticated for our countries, things are no longer so, the space industries open huge research and production areas, help the development of education in many fields (from IT to Mechanics, Robotics, Biotechnology, Physics, Chemistry, etc.) All these research areas and eventual value, institutional institution that encourages young people to think of another scale ”completes Răzvan Dumitru.

These investments can motivate whole generations, create careers and arouse in individuals the desire to contribute to major projects for society and humanity, as the sociologist explains. “I can help us overcome the fear of survival and find long -term solutions to survive and prosper,” he thinks.

The impact of increases in personal budgets

If the analysis at the macro level highlights the lack of a national strategy and the structural vulnerabilities, at the personal level the impact is felt directly in the people's budgets. Romania is going through an avalanche of fiscal measures announced fragmentarily, without the population or companies being able to estimate their effects exactly.

“The current context in which we have so many measures announced and we will not know them all and worse is that we do not even know or we can estimate the effects of all these measures and at the personal level and at the level of business. The challenge comes first and foremost those who are based only on the salary and in general the salaries have a certain amount, cannot be increased from one month to another. A difference in those who work on sales or are entrepreneurs. Recently declared for “Adevărul”, the financial education expert Adrian Asoltanie.

He recommends, on the one hand, to make a budget. “The best tool is to put on paper, or in an Excel document, in an application … to start having a record of money, but not in the way some people do: I gave 5 lei for hairdresser, 3 lei at the supermarket, 12 lei on gas. It is good and this record. Little and frequent expenses.he explains.

Vital expenses, invisible waste

In his opinion, the vital expenses are five in number, respectively: food, health, housing, transport and debts to those who have loans. “Basically, you have to look at these vital expenses in a first phase and see, sometimes in the food area or in other categories … that you can hide waste. In Romania, about 30% of the food is bought. Gas, current, phone, you may, possibly give up subscriptions or services that you pay but do not actually use ”adds Adrian Asoltanie.

In the area of ​​daily shopping, one of the first measures you can take is to reduce the purchased quantities or choose products from more affordable brands. The adjustments can target your consumption habits: where do you buy your food, what kind of cleaning or personal care products you use. All this becomes visible and can be managed much more efficiently once you build a clear budget.

Credit refinancing: an immediate solution

For those who have loans, the firm recommendation of the specialist is the renegotiation or refinancing of the loans, especially in the current context. Many Romanians still pay variable interest, either Robor plus the bank's margin, or IRCC plus margin, which means costs of 8-8.5% at present, although there are refinancing offers that descend up to 4.7–4.9%, as he said.

“If you do such a renegotiation or credit refinancing, you can reduce your rate with 2-3-400 lei and as we recommend that you calculate all the expenses over 12 months, an economy of 400 lei per month, by reducing the rate, leads to almost 5000 lei per year you save only from this movement. So this is what you can do when you do your budget at mandatory expenses: optimize, seek to eliminate waste ”, supported Adrian Asoltanie.

Regarding the optional expenses, such as clothes, outputs, gadgets, room subscriptions, holidays or pets, they offer a higher degree of flexibility. There are those costs that you can postpone, reduce or adapt according to the situation: you choose more accessible services, get out less, cook at home.

In addition, there is a category of expenses that often remains outside any financial plan: the money wasted. As a rule, they go to the vices: smoking, alcohol, gambling, bets or other constant habits that consume significant resources. Unfortunately, this area is present in most budgets, especially among those with low incomes, he says.

All these adjustments are related to the first essential step: optimizing expenses. But the next stage, equally important, is the consolidation and diversification of revenues, especially at a time when both the public and the private sectors go through restructuring.

Adrian Asoltanie drew attention, recently, that there are already decreases in income and redundancies in IT, Banking or Auto Industry. In this context, in which the costs increase and the income can decrease or even disappear, its recommendation is clear: “You take great care of the income you have.”

Consolidation and diversification of income

For entrepreneurs, it is crucial to closely follow their financial flows, to collect the invoices on time and to create a safety fund. The same principle also applies to individuals or families – a fund that covers at least three months of essential expenses can make the difference in difficult periods.

Last but not least, the main income should be doubled by a secondary source: either an additional professional activity, or a monetized passion or hobby. It is essential not to depend on a single income, in a period when financial stability has become an illusion.

“I recommend entrepreneurs warmly to take great care of their company's financial situation, that is to collect their invoices on time, to make a safety fund, which is valid for a company but especially, of course, and for a natural person or for a family. To have money for 3 months of expenses is an extremely important step. And, last but not least, on the area of ​​income, to diversify your income, that is, apart from the main salary you will build a secondary source of income ”, the analyst said.

Therefore, the diversification of revenues is not only a recommendation of common sense, but a necessity in the current context. It may be about professional skills you use outside the work schedule, providing services for other customers, or a hobby, a passion or any other type of competence that can be monetized. Adrian Asoltanie emphasized that this strategy was always important, but at this moment it becomes essential: “Never stay dependent on a single source of income, which, here, can be reduced, can be completely eliminated and puts you in a rather vulnerable situation. “

The risk is no longer just theoretically. In the budget system, ads have already been made on massive redundancies: it is estimated that about 150,000 employees will lose their jobs. Of these, according to the estimates of Adrian Asoltanie, at least 30,000-40,000 people have loans: mortgages, leasing, consumer loans. The effect will also be felt among their families, which means that the number of directly affected can reach several hundred thousand.

And the pressure does not come from the public sector. A few weeks ago, Amazon Iași announced that he was giving up 500 employees. “The impact can be extremely consistent”, he warns it.

In conclusion, two directions are needed simultaneously: the control and efficiency of the expenses, respectively the consolidation and diversification of the revenues. The only viable strategy, he says, is to never stay dependent on a single source of money.