What have Belarusians lost because of growing dollar?

“Komsomolskaya pravda” has made a list of things Belarusians who are paid in Belarusian rubles cannot afford.

1. Holidays abroad

Almost everyone who had a salary of Br 1.5 mln, could manage to pay for two weeks in a three star hotel near the sea in Turkey. Its cost was equal to two months’ salary. At the moment when this text is written, the cost is at least three months’ salary, so most people would have to go to dachas and to the village.

2. Civilised settlement of accounts.

We have been trained to love plastic cards for so long! A popular ads on TV repeated: “My dad has a magic card!” Now there is no point in using this card outside the country (foreign currency cards are exclusion). But the most disquieting thing is, that owners of Visa cards with their accounts in Belarusian rubles, who could freely use this card abroad, have been deprived of such a possibility in a moment. And they started to phone to their families in their home country in panic and ask to transfer money to them.

3. Education abroad

There are many Belarusian students in the Czech Republic, Lithuania, Germany, Russia. Their education is free, but they live at the expense of their parents. Now it is a really demanding task to support a student abroad.

4. Variety of imported goods

So far the range of products has not been cut considerably, but the twofold rise of prices has made some of them too expensive for an average shopper. For instance, good coffee cost 25,000 Br per half a kilogram, and now it is about 50,000 Br. The price of olive oil was 35-40,000 per litre, and the new price is starting from 80,000… and I’m not mentioning alcohol! The choice of imported detergents has shrunk as well.

5. New clothes

One used to go shopping after the salary and buy a new article of clothing as a reward… Now these days are over. Every purchase should be planned. Expenses for food, petrol, utilities expenses, loans… We have lost the easiness in buying new clothes.

6. Rented accommodation

Dozens of thousands of Belarusians have encountered such a problem: how can they pay to a landlord? They want to be paid in dollars only. There is no currency. Should one pay in Belarusian rubles? And what exchange rate should be chosen? 4,500? 5,000? 6,000? But salaries have not doubled! So tenants quit flats of some uncooperative landowners, and rent cheaper flats – one-room instead of two-room flat, and so on. It is clear landowners will come to senses and rent will go down, as it was during the last devaluation. But it will take a month or two, but entrance exams are forthcoming. Minsk will be flooded by applicants, longing for accommodation. And it will be a problem for parents – a monthly pay for a bed will be about 500 – 600,000 Br.

7. Renovations

Those who had not done flat remodelling, are unlikely to start it now. Prices for building materials, from a door-handle to roof covering, have doubled. Modest laminate for a room of 16 square metres with laying will cost Br 4 million. Imported wallpaper for the same room would cost starting from 1 million. Linoleum for a kitchen is to cost more than a million.

Natalya Sharaj, “Komsomolskaya Pravda”