As part of the street team helping J.B. Meyer launch his newest book in the “Survive in South Africa” series, I’m happy to share his book on inflation and how I’m coping with it. I last had J.B. on the blog when he released his first book “How To Survive Load Shedding“.
About the Book
Inflation doesn’t have to leave you on the street!
J.B. Meyer looks at the realities of living in South Africa in 2023 and inflation affects everything from nutrition to education.
He busts myths, shines a light on harsh reality, and offers hope in a time when Government fails everyone – especially the average South African.
Though this book might anger some – the truth usually does – it is time for South Africans to stop being in denial.
J.B. looks at the big picture to help people take action:
- What is inflation?
- How inflation impacts the economy.
- How inflation impacts the individual.
- Order of triage.
- Staying sane when boredom hits.
- And more!
We have a lovely saying in South Africa: ‘n Boer maak ‘n plan [A Boer makes a plan]. So stop waiting for Government to do something about this mess we’re in and start helping yourself.
Check it out on Goodreads or buy it here.
About the Author
J.B. Meyer is a resident of Johannesburg, Gauteng, and has dealt with load shedding and other service delivery issues privately and in business for over a decade. As a small business owner, father, and home owner he personally knows the difficulties load shedding places on the average South African financially, physically and emotionally. He is gatvol for Government’s response of “make your own plan” when things go wrong and has decided to share his tips on navigating these troubled times without breaking the bank.
My Review
I like how the author explains exactly what inflation is and how it works — and how it specifically applies to South Africans. There are a lot of things out of our control as far as inflation goes, but the tips he shares on making your money stretch further are really helpful. I use some of them already in my life, but others I’ll start applying. I had to laugh about DVDs and where they went and how they can help us save on costs like streaming services. Some of the stats are really grim, but I think if we do all we can to thwart corruption (like going to vote) and not allowing others to take undue advantage of situations, we can get ahead. Planting and growing our own food is also a smart way to go as veggies are becoming too expensive to buy.
My Strawberries
I’ve tried planting strawberries in various ways — with minimum success. Either the ground would get too dry because of the type of soil we have (we live on what used to be a riverbank centuries ago, so the soil is a mix of clay, sand and rocky soil with big river rocks when you dig deep), or the various wild birds (guinea fowl, hadeda, Galahad the Peacock) will eat the plants before they can even flower.
So I decided to try something new: planting them in containers that hang from the wall. Probably not the prettiest sight right now, but it’s working. Some of the plants are even blooming! So I’ll try this next with spinach and other plants that will work well in such a situation.
J.B. mentions in his book that this is something people can do when they don’t have a lot of space to plant veggies, herbs, etc. So for the sceptics: this method works.
I also spoke with a neighbour who plants capsicum (red, yellow and green peppers) and she said it’s about R10 per kilogram when harvested — a big difference from the R59 per kilogram at the local supermarket. Something I really like to eat, so I’ll work hard in spring to make sure Galahad doesn’t eat the plants once they’ve sprouted from seeds I’m collecting.
I hope you enjoyed this. For more books I’ve read and reviewed, check out either my Pinterest board about reviews or my Goodreads profile. Alternatively, you can check out my reviews on BookBub. Have you read this book? Do you have to deal with rising inflation? Any questions for the author? Do you have your own vegetable garden?
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