Translated material
I was impoverished after the start of the war
Anastasia (the name changed at the request of the heroine) is 29 years old, she lives in Moscow and works in the gaming industry. Three years ago, she collected brand bags, used expensive cosmetics, flew abroad every two months and did not deny herself anything. But after the outbreak of war, according to her, she has enough only on basic things, and she spends a third of the income on her health. "Cold" gives a word to a person with a salary above the average, who felt a decrease in the standard of living in Russia on himself.
I bought branded bags and flew abroad for the weekend. Now I have enough only for the most necessary
I grew up in an ordinary average Russian family - as they say, the average poverty is. Parents received a regular salary, went to a regular job. There was little money: I had basic things, but we could not afford trips abroad. Already in adolescence, I realized that I want to live better and more interesting, but for this I need to study and work a lot. I began to study the creation of sites and made my first money on this.
In 2017, I began to work as a gamemel: I went to this industry at the call of my heart and, when I was satisfied, I did not know that they were paying well there. Then I quickly grown to the position of Midl and successfully moved towards the seignor. I improved my skills, planned to even go to study abroad, moved up the career ladder, and in general, it seems to me, a very promising future awaited me. I started with a salary of 40 thousand rubles, and after a couple of years it traveled to 135 thousand - for that time it was very good.
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I lived, without denying anything. She loved to travel very much and every two months took off the runs and went abroad. “Go to Milan for a couple of days? Yes, easy! " I thought. If she was tired at work, she went into an unpaid two -week vacation and left to rest. At that time, I visited more than 30 countries - some even several times.
Then I began to collect brand bags and stuck a lot on ASOS. Some condemned me for this, but now, looking into the past, I am very grateful to myself: such bags are now several times more expensive. Then I had a dream - to buy a large beautiful Yves Saint Laurent bag. True, it was expensive-about 250 thousand-and I sought to earn more in order to afford it.
Shopping was perceived as therapy from life difficulties or boredom.
I began to use expensive cosmetics, went to massage almost every week and to aesthetic procedures. I spent money on good products: I often bought salmon, figs, Spanish sausages, Hamon.
Due to sedentary work, I had many health problems, so I always had to spend a lot of money on medicine. In 2019, I began to undergo regular examinations and issued medical insurance: I was not satisfied with the one provided by the employer. Life was good and convenient, and it did not beat the budget at all. In addition, I have good financial literacy, and I put off money - I wanted to buy a car.
I planned to take a mortgage, but, like many, I fell into a trap "must wait." I waited: now taking a mortgage is on the verge of insanity ( in 2021 the key rate was 7.5%, in 2024 - 18%. - approx. "Cold").
Since then I could not lay off a dime
When it came on February 24, 2022, the game industry in which I work actually ended in Russia: nine out of 10 companies left the remaining employees. In addition, we worked with many foreign services, most of which were blocked or disconnected after February 24, and they themselves began to limit cooperation with clients from Russia. Because of this, almost every sanction was very hit for us.
Problems fell on me at once from two sides: salaries in my industry began to fall, and prices for products - grow.
The company in which I worked then decided to stay in Russia. However, the whole situation in the country greatly disturbed me, and I decided to move to another company that helped employees leave. I worked there for a couple of months and already thought about the move when mobilization happened: the company abruptly left Russia and dismissed the entire state.
Through my acquaintances, I was still able to get into another foreign company. In the transition to it, my salary at first glance increased in rubles-I began to earn 140 thousand, but due to strong and constantly accelerating inflation, this was felt as a serious decrease compared to 2019. In addition, now I began to work not under an employment contract, but as a self -employed one.
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My husband and I could still afford a move and planned a relay: bought tickets, collected things, distributed plants and instilled a cat. Five days before leaving, I had big problems with the gall bladder and I had to do an emergency operation: in the state clinic it had to be waiting for too long, so I turned into a private one and spent all the delayed money. So we stayed in Russia.
This situation first hit me very much, but over time we decided that everything was for the best: abroad I could hardly have received good medical care, and many of our friends who emigrated, returned due tothe difficulties of relocation. The employer offered me a move to another country and promised a salary increase for this, but for health reasons we refused.
I realized that everything became bad with the financial situation, when I stopped depositing money, as always I did, and began to live from salaries to salary: all the earnings went to zero by the end of the month. Since then, I have not been able to lay off a dime.
Due to the delay in my salary, I have 170 rubles left for a week
Internally, I always divided people in terms of income into four classes: poverty, poverty, middle class and wealth.
From a confident middle class in a couple of years, I went into stable poverty, although I never even had a thought that something could go wrong. At least I did not fall into poverty.
I only have enough for basic things: utility bills, food, transport, medicine. Fortunately, my husband and I have a small apartment. We have a separate budget, but we take off the total expenses. Sometimes earnings sags with me, sometimes with him.
There are enough for rare entertainment - for example, go to the cinema. Other pleasures seem expensive - for example, going to ecotropes in Moscow costs 800 rubles per person. To go on vacation every two years, you need to try very hard. For example, a year and a half ago I managed to go to Spain. Before that, the last time in Europe I was before the pandemic, when everything was in order with finances, so this time I felt a very big difference. Previously, it was normal for me to come to the European country and go to eat in a cafe, but this time I realized that I could only afford fast food. And then - preferably cheaper, and ideally - also with a discount coupon.
My husband died during a wedding trip ,
I stopped using almost all the benefits from that life, until 2022. I do not open the application of the Golden Apple - I do not have enough money for what I liked before and what my skin is used to. The collection of branded bags is not replenished: now it seems that Econik will also fit. Aesthetic procedures have faded into the background: anyway, even if the wart grows. In addition, I always loved to clean up at home and used cool European household chemicals. Now I have only Pemolux. A good means of household chemicals is a privilege of not my class.
I buy things and items for household quality. I have to live in maximum savings, and I do not remember when I last spent money on myself. I am sad from the fact that now I can’t spontaneously buy a thing I saw in Rils. I put down two or three thousand for shopping at the Ozone or Wildberris, but I have already adapted to the economical regime and I just can’t just spend money on something not very necessary. Perhaps this is the positive side of what is happening - at least the house does not cllate.
I still get sick a lot, and I have to spend money on health. Now the VHI policy, which I bought for several years in a row, has risen in price by half, and I give a third of the salary for it. In addition, it does not include all services, and many necessary examinations have to be spent additionally.
After February 24, the vitamins and drugs I needed either stopped selling at all, or they cost a lot of money - the prices for them rose several times. My life is now similar to the life of a grandmother who spends the whole pension on pills.
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A year ago, we had to take installments to buy products. This was partly the case of our stupidity: for some reason we decided to make a visa in the United States, although we did not have the opportunity to go there. In addition, in that month we spent on the wedding of our friends. Then by the end of the month there was practically no money left, and we were offered a profitable program in the bank: we took an interest -free credit card for three months for 100 thousand - it was impossible less. We did not spend the entire amount and bought only products, so we closed it from the next salary. It was just a forced measure, and, I hope, it was the first and last time.
Sometimes there are situations when by the end of the month there is almost no money left and I have to stretch it hard: I remember, because of the delay in my salary, I have 170 rubles left for a week.
Usually I leave a small part of money for unforeseen cases-it always seems to me: something is about to happen, you have to be ready. Ironically, when this really happened, I was not ready.
Due to the fact that I do not work under an employment contract, but by self-employment, the salary may come to both the second day and the 15th. Even if you initially thought out spending for a month, it can still happen that nothing will remain in the last week. In order to reasonably distribute finances, I never plan to spend a salary that has not yet come to: for example, I will not fill out the basket on marketplaces with new things, while I have no money.
There are things that I am still ready to spend money on - my little Guilty Pleasure (Oshmodnaya pleasure. - Approx. "Cold") . For example, I allow myself to spend a certain amount of money on a bag or film cameras that I collect. I do not put it off in advance in advance, but it happens when extra money is at hand, you freak out and think: “I refuse so much in everything, you can buy something once.” But this, of course, provided that all other costs of expenses are closed and there are no debts.
Sometimes I thought about changing the work and going to study at someone else, but in time I realized that I had devoted many years to my profession and could not abandon it. The process of self -realization and self -expression is important to me.
In my industry people are now appearing who are engaged in the generation of pictures using artificial intelligence - they earn very well on this. Because of this, many ethical contradictions appeared: for example, neural networks are trained at the work of real authors without their permission. From a moral point of view, this is the theft, and many of my colleagues, including me, do not consider such employees real designers.
Despite the large salaries, I would definitely not go to such a job - I, frankly, was not so desperate yet. But I still have to use artificial intelligence in work at the request of the employer: it would be very stupid to remain fundamental and warm up at the barrel under the bridge.
I have no strength to change something
Despite all the difficulties, I am a good specialist and I am sure that for the next three to five years I definitely have a job. In addition, the other day they raised my salary to 190 thousand. My relatives also went through crises and coped, began to earn money and raised children. It inspires me, and I hope that it will be like with me.
I dream of buying a car, but I understand that in theory I can afford only Chinese or used - both that and most likely will quickly break. I really want to finally deal with my health in order to begin to prepare for motherhood. Despite difficult conditions, I will not refuse it. I understand that a lot depends on financial capabilities, but, it seems to me, in the early stages there is no much difference: those who do not have cosmic amounts can also be quite acceptable to live and raise a child.
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It seems to me that I grown to the age of a conscious mother who understands that the child needs not a huge amount of money, but a confident parent who knows for sure that he will solve all issues. Of course, with the advent of the child, expenses will increase, and I will have to reduce my own Wishlist. Perhaps, by virtue of my age, I realize that I am ready: I have a resource not to take, but to give.
I really want to get out of the phase of stable poverty, but there is no resources for this: on the one hand, in my industry in Russia now everything is very bad with income. On the other hand, I have no internal forces to change something because of fatigue from constant bad news, war and deterioration of the whole situation. The accumulated fatigue sucks all the energy to move on the career ladder, and the thoughts appear: “Why do something? What is the point? "
The whole atmosphere in the country seems to program people for failure, and because of this you constantly think: "How can I do something good if everything is so bad around?"
It seems to me that people feel that life is becoming poorer and harder than ever. However, many accept this for granted, as a fee for a decision that they did not even make. It seems to me that the goal of the state should be to improve people's lives and what surrounds them. None of this is happening now, but people pretend that they are so good. For me, the connection of the state with the financial situation of citizens is obvious, but for some of my friends and relatives - no.
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It really seems to me that until February 24 we lived well: we could work, overcome difficulties and strive for something. Now all my friends have a different situation: people from IT do not feel any problems - only improvements. For everyone else, the situation worsens: businesses are closed, there are fewer customers, everyone stops pampering and delighting themselves. The culture of replacement of everyone is slowly fading away.
But it’s still difficult for me to come to terms with my position and perceive it as a given-I already felt what it feels like: to work and change my life the way you want.
The hero’s opinion may not coincide with the opinion of the editorial office.
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Author: Masha Matveeva photo for covering shemets / reuters / scanpix