Recently, the ruble has been constantly setting new anti-records. What is the best way to behave in the current conditions and, if possible, minimize the consequences of the fall of the ruble for the family budget?
Don't waste your last savings
The collapse of the ruble and rising inflation at the end of 2014 led to crowds of people rushing to stores to spend their accumulated funds on household appliances. Thus, the Russians sought to preserve the purchasing power of their depreciating savings. The collapse of the ruble stimulated demand for such expensive goods as cars and apartments. Some car dealerships were even forced to suspend sales.
Is this behavior justified? It is difficult to answer unequivocally. If we talk about purchases of equipment that the sellers bought during the old exchange rate, and simply successfully seized the moment to raise prices, then such purchases are hardly justified. As for the purchase of a new car, which was planned earlier, then, indeed, it was more profitable to make the purchase before the price increase, which will happen anyway.
The conclusion suggests itself: in conditions of devaluation, you should not make emotional purchases, but you need to limit yourself only to what you really need. Indeed, with the economic crisis and the associated difficulties in obtaining loans, being left without savings is a very risky option.
Experts believe that it is optimal to have up to six months of income for a rainy day. This, for example, will make it easy to cope with the loss of a job.
Refuse loans if possible
In a difficult economic situation, additional encumbrances on loans may become unbearable. Therefore, you should try to adhere to a savings strategy and apply to credit funds only as a last resort. Large spending that involves the use of borrowed funds, if possible, should be postponed until better times.
The need to reduce the debt burden during the crisis period is not the only reason why you should not take loans today. The fact is that the conditions for their provision are now extremely unprofitable. For example, Sberbank has a rate on consumer loans exceeding 30% per annum, and on mortgages - above 15%. And even such loans are rarely approved.
What definitely does not need to be done is to issue loans in foreign currency. And do not pay attention to the lower rate on it. It is enough to look at the difficult situation in which borrowers have recently found themselves on foreign currency mortgages, whose monthly payments in terms of rubles have grown by more than 60% (by the size of the fall of the ruble against the dollar or euro). The only exception that allows you to get loans in foreign currency if your income is in euros or dollars. By the way, it is proposed to completely ban such loans. This bill is expected to be discussed in the State Duma.
Don't keep all your money in one currency
Running in a panic to the exchange office and changing all your savings into dollars or euros is an absolutely unsuccessful strategy. As well as continuing to keep all the money in rubles, as advised by the government.
You should try not to keep all your money in one currency. How to distribute funds is up to you. To do this, it is better to focus on the most liquid currencies - dollars and euros. The best way is to keep the largest share in rubles (eg 40%) and the rest between dollars and euros (eg 40% / 20%). It is better to prioritize the dollar, as it has great growth potential.
Don't panic
Finally, try not to succumb to mass panic and stay sober. Always analyze and double-check incoming information. Psychologists advise watching less TV and not getting into polemics with friends and on social networks. And the fact that you will check the course several times a day will not change anything.
Remember, crisis is always replaced by economic recovery.
