Ideas on how to make your yuan go a lot further

Inflation is high and wages are at best increasing at a snail's pace and at worst remaining stagnant. But why groan and grumble about it? It's futile. It won't change the situation; in fact it will likely exacerbate your depression.

In this economic climate, we have to learn to take ownership of our destiny. Invariably, we have to bite the bullet and cut down our spending on such things as entertainment, traveling and fine dining. We also have to be more creative in finding ways to stretch our yuan. Here are just a few things I'm trying.

First, the ubiquitous 24-hour convenience store is a no-go. As their names suggest, these stores do provide convenience, but at a higher cost than the average supermarket. Schedule a shop for groceries at a large supermarket or hypermarket, say every two weeks. We have a tendency to spend each time we visit large stores, so make sure you don't do it too often.