Managing Your Money

Living expenses in the United States are often high, and refugees need to be extremely careful about budgeting, saving money, and using credit.

Managing Your Income
It is essential to know how to manage your money when living on a limited income. Typically, your "fixed expenses" will be:

Rent This will usually be the largest item and the first one for which you should budget.

Utilities Electricity, gas, water, and garbage collection. Some of these may be included in your rent, but you may have to pay for one or more separately. Costs for heating or air conditioning fluctuate with the seasons.

Food When possible, shop at larger stores, where prices are often lower. Compare products to find the brand that gives more for the best price.

Transportation You should consider the cost of travel to and from your job each day, shopping trips, and other routine transportation needs. In many places, monthly discount passes for buses or subways are available.

Telephone Remember that long distance calls are very expensive. Long distance calls are generally less expensive on Saturday and Sunday and late at night.

Where to Shop
There are many different types of stores and markets in the United States, and the sorts of goods and services offered by each vary greatly. Here are five types of shopping places:

Supermarkets These are the most common type of food store. In addition, most also sell cleaning products, cosmetics, magazines, some clothing and household items, and non-prescription drugs. Many people reduce the cost of shopping by using discount coupons and purchasing supermarket store brands or brands being sold at temporarily lower "sale" prices.

Department stores These stores sell clothing, furniture, appliances, hardware, shoes, and other non-food items. Some of them are "discount stores," where prices are lower.

Thrift shops These shops sell used items at very reasonable prices. Most people take pride in finding "bargains."

Ethnic foodstores These food stores, often owned and managed by immigrants or former refugees, may be found in your community or a nearby city if there is a large population of an ethnic group there. You may find familiar foods from your homeland in an ethnic food store.

Yard sales or garage sales These are advertised in the newspaper or on signs in the neighborhood. At these sales, people sell items from their homes, usually at very low prices. They are excellent places to buy household items, furniture, or clothing.

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The Cultural Orientation Project--http://www.culturalorientation.net, for more information contact sanja@cal.org
Last Updated: 4/25/00