With the soaring prices of basic house commodities in Kenya and the weakening of the shilling against the US dollar, it has become difficult to comfortably meet daily needs.
In a bid to unravel the true picture of this crisis, it is critical to ask oneself what basic household commodities one can buy on Sh1,000 budget.
This may seem an easy task but once you step into any supermarket around you, that is where the rubber meets the road.
Gone are the days when Sh1,000 could purchase almost all basic household items and even have some balance to purchase a snack as you carry your shopping home.
This reminds me of my high school days, pre-2015, when this amount could fill a trolley and an extra shopping basket.
In order to solve this puzzle, I challenged myself to go shopping for basic household commodities with a strict budget of Sh1,000 and I can attest this wasn’t a walk in the park.
As I walked along the aisles of the busy Naivas Supermarket outlet on Moi Avenue, Nairobi, the prices of items like cooking oil and wheat flour made me reconsider the items on my shopping list.
I was astonished that four rolls of toilet paper cost between Sh144 to Sh220. Are things this bad? I heard other shoppers whisper “we will have to use water” and at that point, I knew I had an alternative.
After checking the prices of several items, I picked 2 kg of maize flour, a bar of soap, 500 grams of salt, and 1 kilogram of sugar.
At this point, I was not considering which is the popular or best brand but the price of the product. I said to myself that after all, a brand is just a name that helps to differentiate one manufacturer from another in the market, isn’t it?
At the cashier, the four items — 2 kg of maize flour, a bar of soap, 500 grams of salt, and 1 kilogram of sugar — cost me Sh369 and I was awarded a discount of Sh3 (I smiled). At this point, even a discount of Ksh. 1 would make a difference.
Comparing the prices from different supermarkets before making a purchase is an addiction I have tried to overcome but I must admit it still remains a struggle.
At Quickmart supermarket along Tom Mboya Avenue my M-Pesa was nearly depleted with only three items on the cart.
I got 1 litre of cooking oil, 1 Kilogram of rice, and a carrier bag since my backpack was too small to carry the 6 items that I had purchased. These three items cost me Sh613.
I spent a total of Sh979 and the balance will cater for my supper. A plate of a reasonably-sized ugali, sukumawiki and an avocado will be a good way of patting myself on the back for sticking to the budget because the temptation was real.
Priorities in terms of shopping may vary from one person to another and this was confirmed by my colleague who couldn’t believe I possessed such superb shopping skills. (She almost made me start a masterclass on Shopping 101).
“To be honest I am very shocked. Like with Sh1,000 you can get into a supermarket and get six products which include unga, rice, cooking oil, sugar and soap!” she exclaimed.
Being an avid lover of good brands, she advises other shoppers to have the commodities they need to buy at the back of their minds instead of brands.
“When you get to the supermarket, forget about the brand. With Ksh. 1000, I would have come with rice and cooking oil only,” she added.
Buying items that would last longer, going for products with discounts, and giving no consideration to brands are some of the tips that helped me stick to the budget.
