Omosi has nine people to feed apart from herself. After losing her son, his wife remarried and left five of their kids with Omosi to cater for but she occasionally sends money to help out;
“I shoulder most of the responsibility and it is not easy at all,” Omosi told our correspondent in an interview.
Her elder sister’s three kids are also with her after she passed away in 2022.
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She also has a child whom she adopted in 2011, who is only 12 years old as well living with her and also under her cover for food, shelter and other basic amenities.
“Dinner time in my house is like a mini-party. There is food and plates everywhere. Legs are coming and leaving the kitchen, and shouting is happening over whose meat is bigger and whose food has no meat. It is not easy,” Omosi said.
The retired teacher, who is based in Edo State, also said she had to cut costs because of the rising inflation, adding that she had a meeting with all her family members to inform them that they would only be eating once a day on weekdays and twice on weekends.
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“When I told them that I would only feed them once, they did not believe it but that is the only way we will survive this inflation together,” she stated flatly.
Official data from the World Bank states that the poverty size rose to 104 million from 89. 8 million at the beginning of 2023.
Several large families have lamented that it has become increasingly difficult for them to cater to the needs of members without resorting to borrowing.
A father of five, Bamidele Owotutu said that he had to borrow from different sources last year following the removal of fuel subsidy.
“When the subsidy was removed, goods and services became expensive, and I had to borrow to survive. My five children do not understand why they cannot eat thrice anymore and why I cannot always give them pocket money like before, but I am cutting costs,” he said.
The NBS in its Consumer Price Index for February Consumer Price Index. In February 2023, the headline inflation rate rose to 21.91percent compared to January 2023 headline inflation rate which was 21.82percent.
This shows that the country is facing its worst cost of living crisis in about 20 years following the surge.
The CPI also stated that the cost of living was worse in cities where urban inflation had risen to 29.29 percent and a bit milder in rural areas where the rural inflation rate was 25.58 percent (below the national average).
Here are six ways large families can survive the harsh economic situation:
Bulk purchase
A Developmental Economist, Adegoroye told BusinessDay that “Buying foodstuffs and other household items in cartons and bags can save the family a lot of cash. When put together, they can be used to buy other things the family needs,” she stated.
Cut costs
“If your family eats five times in a day, this is the time to make it two,” said Obawale adewunmi while speaking on how cutting costs could save the family a lot of money.
He also noted that there were a lot of things that families do not need that they end up buying during shopping, adding that large families must begin to learn to trim their budgets.
Always budget
Budgeting is one way experts have identified families can always stay in check when shopping. Obawale added that when one shops without a budget, one tends to either over-buy or buy what is not necessary while leaving out the most important.
“When budgeting, write a list of things you need and those you don’t but may need much later and arrange them in order of preference and see how budgeting can help you achieve all you need with the cash at hand,” he said.
Multiple streams of income
There is a popular saying that two heads are better than one. In this case, two streams of income are way better than one.
A life coach in an interview with BusinessDay, noted that it was almost impossible for families to survive with just one stream of income in a harsh economy like Nigeria’s.
“Sell something online, social media, etc, offer a service, learn a new skill, change your job but make sure that you don’t depend only on your salary to survive. One day, you may wake up and notice that you have only been living from hand to mouth,” she said.
Cut energy usage
If there is anything that saps the resources of families, it is the cost of energy. From gas to electricity, large families may have to spend almost triple on their energy needs.
Turning off the lights and opting to bathe in cold water instead of using the water heater were simple ways to keep energy costs down.
With the price of gas hitting almost N1300 per kg, large families may need to begin to be wise with the way they use their energy. Instead of boiling rice and egg separately, why not boil them together and take out the egg when the rice is almost ready?” he queried.
Go for cheaper protein
Instead of chicken, turkey and beef, which have become pretty expensive, large families go for eggs and fish.
The main point is getting the required nutrients and these other cheaper sources of protein will do the same thing.
