F

rom cutting costs to changing lifestyles, Greater Jakarta residents have their own tricks to survive increasing prices and relatively stagnant income during the economic slowdown that has affected the capital over the past few months.

Cut Ananda, a financial assistant living in Pondok Gede, East Jakarta, admitted that living costs had swollen by up to 20 percent over the past months. '€œTransportation costs are the most obvious. After the fuel price increase my budget for fuel rose from Rp 200,000 [US$15] to Rp 250,000 per week,'€ she said.

However, she insists on using her private vehicle instead of shifting to public transportation to save money, saying that her car got her to her destination faster.

'€œThe difference [in the cost] is not that much compared to how much time I can save. I just need to be more efficient in arranging my travel route every day,'€ she said.

To cope with the increasing living costs, she said she had started a new business to generate a new source of income. '€œMy friend and I started a business to supply seafood six months ago,'€ she said.

Ananda said she also resorted to the e-commerce marketplace to save money.

'€œRecently, I bought a coupon that offers a 50 percent discount to shop at happyfresh.com, a grocery delivery service. I'€™ll use the coupon to buy staple food supplies for the Idul Fitri holiday like sugar and so on,'€ she said, adding that she also kept her eyes wide open for promotional programs offered by major retailers and credit card providers.

While Ananda is looking for additional income and searching for discounts, digital content specialist Eric Wirjanata has gone for the simpler option of changing his lifestyle to reduce his living costs.

'€œDining out is not about lifestyle now, but about eating good and healthy meals,'€ he said, adding that he also reduced the cost of lunch by eating only fruit on certain days.

Eric said he now chose hang-out spots near his house to save transportation money and has made long-term financial plans such as using the national health insurance (JKN) program, instead of private health insurance.

'€œI can save a lot of money. The health facilities [that receive JKN patients] near my house are quite good anyway,'€ he said.

As most staple foods have been increasing in price, housewife Meysarah Mashabi has decided to shop at a wholesale market, located not too far from her house in Bogor, West Java, to get better prices.

'€œI now shop at a wholesale market near home every two weeks instead of buying vegetables daily from vendors,'€ she said.

She said she had also started to sharpen her cooking skills to be able to cook her favorite dishes, so she did not have to dine out to enjoy them.

Meysarah was not alone. Movie editor Andreij Eijkov said that he had started to learn to cook to save money on meals.

'€œEven prices at small warung [roadside stalls] have increased by up to 50 percent,'€ he said.

The downturn has also affected traders and businessmen across Jakarta.

Asrul Sani, a trader at Blok A market in Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta, said he had booked lower sales during this year'€™s Ramadhan, compared to the same period last year.

He said during Ramadhan this year his daily sales stood at Rp 5 million and he could make Rp 20 million on Monday and Thursday when most resellers from outside the capital city came to shop in Tanah Abang.

'€œThat is only one third of the sales during last year'€™s Ramadhan,'€ he said.

Nationwide economic growth this year is predicted to be at its lowest level in six years, as the country posted only 4.7 percent growth in the first quarter of the year.

The Jakarta Statistics Agency unveiled that economic growth in the capital in the first quarter stood at 5.08 percent, down from 6.01 percent during the same period last year.

The Jakarta branch of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) called on the central government and the city administration to take measures to deal with the economic slowdown.

'€œThe government and the city should expedite budget absorption through various infrastructure projects to boost economic growth. We really hope that the national economic growth can reach 5.5 percent to 6 percent in the second quarter, while the economic growth in Jakarta can hit above 6 percent,'€ Kadin Jakarta deputy chairman Sarman Simanjorang said.

He said around 7,500 companies had lost income because the city administration had only started to disburse funds for projects now, after months of budget endorsement delay.

Sarman warned that the situation might result in the late payment of holiday bonuses, despite a ministerial decree regulating that the payment be made seven days prior to the Idul Fitri holiday or July 10 at the very latest.

'€œWe are hoping for employees'€™ understanding for the inconvenience,'€ he added.

He also encouraged employers who failed to pay holiday bonuses to discuss the matter with their respective employees.

'€œBipartite discussions should be able to find a solution that benefits both employers and employees,'€ he said.