Nairobi is not a cheap city to live in. In fact, according to a recent survey “The City Under The Sun” is the second most expensive place to live in Africa. Rent eats up 1/3 of your salary before you even see it, and you can easily blow the remaining 2/3 on mediocre bottles of beer at a bar along River Road.
Luckily, navigating the labyrinth of high cost of living is an art that can be mastered. Below is a list of commandments for being broke in Nairobi. Abide by them until your entrepreneurial dreams start paying back.
Housing Tips
(1)Houses are much cheaper in the East side of the capital; live there
(2)Consider living with a friend or two so that you can share the rent cost
(3)Buy cheap furniture from a fundi, forget about shopping in a mall for now
(4)If possible get a side hustle that will be bringing you some extra income to cater for rent
Food Cost
(5)Eat low cost but high energy food like ugali-beans, forget about fries and pizza
(6)Restaurants can easily drain your pockets, start cooking at home
(7)Meat is expensive, learn to cook without it
(8)Find the cheapest “Kibanda” in your neighborhood and become a loyal customer so that the mama mboga can lend you some food when things get tough
(9)If you are hungry in town, take a walk to the UON cafeteria and grab yourself a cheap meal
Transport
(10)Wake up before 5am and leave for work immediately, early morning matatu fare is cheap
(11)Board a train to work
(12)Walk or travel by bike if you live near your place of work
(13)Offer your service online or by phone
(14)Travel to your rural home at any other time of the year apart from April and December
Courtesy: Business Daily Africa
Clothing
(15)Shop for cheap clothes in Eastleigh, Gikomba, Ngara, Toi or Githurai market
(16)Buy durable shoes so that you don’t have to keep buying more (think of safari boots)
(17)Look out for deals online
(18)Only buy what you require but not what you desire to have
(19)Sell the clothes and shoes you hardly wear; someone might be willing to buy them
Personal Wellness
(20)Forget about executive barbershops and salons for now
(21)Ladies, shave your hair
(22)Don’t pay for an expensive gym, just exercise out there in the fields
Entertainment
(23)Don’t go out clubbing with your ATM in the pocket
(24)Look for fun things to do indoors e.g watching a movie
(25)Don’t go to downtown pubs with excess cash in your pockets
(26)Walk with friends (and don’t walk along dark streets) to minimize on chances of being mugged
Telecommunication
(27)Move to a cheaper service provider
(28)Don’t engage in idle chat on social media to save on bundles, battery charge and time
(29)Use Whatsapp for all your communication needs, forget about the daily unlimited SMSes
More Survival Tips
(30)Be careful when alighting from a matatu, some “passengers” might offload your pockets
(31)Don’t carry your laptop in a laptop bag past Tom Mboya street, else it will find a new owner
(32)Always carry your national or student identity card with you; it might save you a night at a police cell
(33)If driving, don’t speed past the 50 Km/h mark, else you’ll have to part with a cool sum
(34)Don’t drink and drive unless you are ready to part with Ksh100,000 alcoblow fine
(35)Lastly, start investing early so that you can ditch the hustlers’ class
These are the best tips we could find that are both morally upright and practical. Of course, you are the people out there and chances are that you have better survival tactics than the 35 listed above…kindly share them with us via the comment box.
