<strong>By: JustMoney Business Head Mannie Cristaudo</strong>

<span style="font-weight: 400;"><img class="alignleft wp-image-142324 " src="https://www.cover.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/1-Mannie-Cristaudo-294x300.png" alt="" width="197" height="201" />The coronavirus pandemic has “significantly or very significantly” affected the family earnings of about three quarters of ordinary South Africans who took part in a snapshot survey, and the</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">vast majority of them can only afford an emergency payment of less than R5,000.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">These are just some of the sobering findings in the first edition of a household family finances survey conducted by personal finance website JustMoney. Established over a decade ago, JustMoney provides busy and digitally-savvy South Africans with easy access to financial information, services and products. </span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">JustMoney Business Head Mannie Cristaudo says: </span><b>“</b><span style="font-weight: 400;">In an effort to understand what our readers have experienced to date during the Coronavirus pandemic, we conducted a survey for the month of April. Nearly 2,000 readers took part, answering 12 key questions.”</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Read the survey </span><a href="https://www.justmoney.co.za/covid-19-content/2020/05/13/7-out-of-10-readers-are-severely-affected-by-covid-19-justmoney-survey"><span style="font-weight: 400;">here</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span>

<h3><b>Lockdown financial pressure </b></h3>

<span style="font-weight: 400;"><img class="wp-image-142323 size-medium alignright" src="https://www.cover.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/2-Graph-family-earnings-2-300x224.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="224" />While the larger portion of the group (73%) revealed that their family earnings had been “significantly or very significantly” affected, more than 36% of respondents stated that they would nonetheless not consider a payment holiday on their debt. However, the second largest group, at just under 27%, said that they were definitely considering this.  </span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">One of the most harrowing statistics indicated that over 77% of participants were worried about their financial situation as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic. Just under 20% admitted to being somewhat concerned, and fewer than 6% said it did not concern them. </span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">The vast majority of respondents, just under 79%, said that they were only able to afford an emergency payment of less than R5,000. Fewer than 10% could afford an emergency payment of up to R10,000. </span>

<h3><b>Survey participants</b></h3>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Of the 1986 participants, over 11% of readers work in retail, nearly 9% in government, and just under 8% in construction. However, the majority (43%) selected “other” and many specified that they worked in manufacturing, communications, the informal sector, or were unemployed. </span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">More than 77% of participants categorised themselves as employees, while the rest said that they were self-employed – such as freelance workers or contractors. Just under half of readers (43%) said they earned under R10,000 each month and barely 10% fell within the top bracket of earning over R40,000 each month. </span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Considering these income brackets, just over 68% of participants said they would not be able to survive for more than a month on their savings. Many would struggle to survive a week. </span>

<h3><b>Managing money matters</b></h3>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">More than half of the participants (53%) said they create a personal budget every month. However, nearly 20% admitted to never having drawn up nor relied on a monthly budget, says Cristaudo.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Approximately 81% of participants were aware of all of the debit orders that came off their accounts, while the remaining participants were unaware of all their monthly debit orders. In addition, more than 64% of participants regularly reviewed their bank statements.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">The survey also revealed that the majority (44%) only occasionally access their credit reports. Interestingly, there was almost an equal split between those who accessed their reports on a monthly basis and those who did not access them at all. </span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">“Despite participants being predominantly employees who earn less than R10,000 each month, it is encouraging to note how many are making an effort to stay on top of their finances despite the extremely challenging times,” says Cristaudo. “More than half set out a monthly budget and over 80% monitor their monthly debit orders. It is also reassuring that less than 30% are considering taking a payment holiday.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">“The pandemic is having a harsh impact on many South African households, whose budgets are already stretched to the limit. We will continue to conduct research every quarter to show how ordinary South Africans are coping.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">“More than ever, it is essential to get to grips with your current financial situation, understand where your money goes, draw up a budget and do your best to avoid debt. For advice you can bank on, access the JustMoney website </span><a href="https://www.justmoney.co.za/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">here</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.” </span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Sound  advice that has stood the test of time is: Set aside money to cope with unexpected expenses such as a new set of car tyres or a TV; save enough to cover your income for two to three months; then start putting money into retirement annuities and other investment products.</span>