Financial Pillow and Draw: What to spend money during the war and how to save right

How to calculate your reserve fund, whether it is worth saving for coffee and why money should "work". Focus spoke with Financial Pleer by Ulyana Grinchevskaya about assistance in the Armed Forces and investments. In December 2022, Gradus Research Research Company published a survey on how the war changed the consumer behavior of Ukrainians.

Among other things, sociologists report that shopping has become more planned - 76% of respondents decide in advance what they need, and only 15% make spontaneous purchases. However, not all Ukrainians have decided on how to spend money during the war. Focus asked the financial glider Iplan. ua Ulyana Grinchevsk on how to save the right thing and about the budget for donatics in people in Ukraine.

"First of all, we have to think" Why save? "And" What kind of financial goal will I close with the help of savings? ". If you have never led your family budget before, now is the time. After all, if you know what you are spending exactly Money, you may not need savings, "Grinchevskaya comments. Financial airbag (or reserve fund) is a money that can shift costs by 3-6 months, says financial planning expert.

According to her, these costs can include food, rent, utility, transport or fuel for a car, health care and clothing. "A financial pillow is needed to ensure that in the event of an unforeseen situation (such as war, release, moving, etc. ), a person can support his stable standard of living within 3-6 months," Grinchevskaya explains. Recent events have made adjustments in the rule "Reserve Fund for 3-6 months", she adds.

Today it is necessary to focus on the formation of a financial pillow for 6-12 months. "If you can cover your expenses for even 6 months (without receiving additional income, using only funds from the reserve fund), you will have more time to" navigate the terrain ", for example, to move, find new housing or get a new job", - emphasizes the glider.

Grinchevskaya assures that the amount of financial pillow is calculated very simply: if the cost of family per month is, for example, UAH 17500, then this amount should be multiplied by 6. Accordingly, the reserve fund will be equal to UAH 105 thousand. "Indeed, for many people, it is already as" daily expenses "for many people. But a full -scale war lasts for more than a year, accordingly, many of us could already end with a reserve fund or a salary decreased," the focus interlocutor explains.

According to her, there is no "correct" budget answer to people in Ukraine in Ukraine. "Someone can pay several thousand hryvnias every month, and someone is 200 UAH, and this is understandable, because we all have different income and expenses," she adds. However, the expert still proposes to try to calculate the "correct" (from a financial point of view) a percentage of donatocks. "If someone earns 16 thousand UAH, and saves 4 thousand of them, then Donat in the amount of 400-500 UAH.

In this case, it will be" painless ". Accordingly, if someone earns 100 thousand UAH and saves 35 thousand. UAH, it can stop at the donat in the amount of 3-5 thousand UAH. " She advises. In the question of Donati, it is worth remembering two simple rules, Grinchevskaya continues: according to Hrynchevskaya, if a person works and has a monthly income, then you should not refuse to myself: Secondly, they responded to our income, "-the expert says.

According to Ulyana, during the war it is not necessary to buy: "In my opinion, it is not necessary to deny myself in such costs. I equate it to our" emotional rest ". Although there are exceptions," - explains the plaster. If a person does not work and does not have a financial pillow, then you should think: "Can I save on manicure?" Or "can I try to go to my favorite cafe only for the weekend, not every day?" "If we reduce costs, we can count on the principle of" small amounts ".

What does it mean in practice? For example, a manicure can cost 400 UAH (depending on the city and master), respectively on it [if there are 6 sessions. ] you can save 2400 UAH, " - calculates the glider. At the same time, she emphasizes that it is not a supporter of such savings. According to Grinchevskaya, it is better for a person to try to get a job or monetize his hobby than to give up his favorite habits. If a person works, then in this case the situation is simpler.

"You should not refuse such costs. Start the budget: write down how much you earn and how much you spend. So you will understand where your money," Espertka advises. "It is historically that Ukrainians consider the best investment to" buy dollars. " If you receive income in UAH but want to place a deposit in dollars, you can now use a "conversion deposit".

Grinchevskaya tells how he works on the example of Privatbank: "The essence of this deposit is the ability to choose the hryvnia card for transfer of funds for a currency dollar deposit. The exchange rate of hryvnia exchange for dollar - 37. 45 UAH per USD. But the minimum term of such deposit is 3 months. This is a good option for buying a dollar, " - emphasizes Financial Glide. Grinchevskaya offers a simple formula to answer this question.

Man, for example, earns 35 thousand UAH, his monthly expenses amount to 20 thousand UAH. (food, communal, transport, coffee, partially clothing), ie the financial pillow for 6 months is 120 thousand UAH. According to the expert, in this case, "cash at hand" will be 20% of the reserve fund - 24 thousand UAH. "In fact, it is a cost of 1 month, if something unpredictable has happened," Ulyana said. According to her, it makes no sense to keep more cash.

"Road Map" Planning Personal Finance from Ulyana Grinchevskaya: count income and expenses. You can count in a regular Excel table or in mobile applications, such as Wallet or Monefy. It is important to distinguish basic cost items: food, housing rent, payment for utilities, transport, "emotional purchases"; Maybe a journey. Form your financial airbag. If you have never had a reserve fund before, start with 3 months (multiply the monthly costs by 3 - this will be the amount you need to save.

Keep these funds in a separate account). Think about what financial goals you would like to realize. It can be additional income in the future, repair in the home/apartment, training of children and more. Depending on the cost of the goal and the term of its achievement, you can choose an investment tool. After a financial airbag is formed and the desired financial goals are prescribed, it is worth considering that the money is "worked".

At the beginning, you can use deposits (hryvnia deposits can bring 8-15% per annum; currency deposits-1-2% per annum), government bonds (hryvnia bonds can bring 15-23% per annum; currency-2–4. 25% per annum). You can then think of investing in the stock market, where on average you can count on 8% per annum in currency. In this paragraph, the expert advises you to use the following rule: increase your level of financial literacy. YouTube channel "Family Budget" can help.