Anyone who has visited the market lately knows the feeling. The same basket of food costs more than it did a few months ago. Transport is up. Cooking fuel and charcoal have climbed. You are not imagining it. ALSO READ: Rising fuel costs push up food prices across Kigali Prices across Rwanda have been rising faster than usual this year, with inflation reaching double digits in recent months, well above the range the National Bank of Rwanda aims for. In response, the central bank has been raising interest rates to slow things down, and it expects prices to stay elevated for a while yet. ALSO READ: Enjoying wedding season without the financial hangover When prices rise, your money quietly loses value. The Rwf10,000 in your pocket today simply does not stretch as far as it did last year. This is the hidden cost of inflation, and it is felt most by ordinary families and by anyone whose savings are sitting still. ALSO READ: Preparing your finances for emergencies and disasters The encouraging news is that there are sensible moves you can make to protect the value of what you have worked so hard to earn. Do not let your money sit idle The most common mistake during a season like this is to keep savings somewhere that earns nothing. Money kept as cash at home, or resting in a mobile wallet that pays no interest, falls a little further behind each month as prices climb. ALSO READ: How to use AI as your financial coach Here, though, is the silver lining of rising rates: as the central bank lifts interest rates, banks and SACCOs tend to offer more on savings accounts and fixed deposits. Money you place in a proper interest-earning account, or lock away in a fixed-term deposit, can now work harder for you than it did a year ago. If you have savings sitting idle, this is the season to move them somewhere that pays you to keep them there. Keep your ibimina money working Many people save through ibimina (savings groups), and these groups remain a wonderful tradition of discipline and trust. But in a high-inflation season, it is worth asking where the group's pooled money rests between payouts. If it simply sits in a box or in a non-earning account, it loses value just like cash kept at home. Groups that place their funds in a SACCO or a savings account, even for a few weeks at a time, help that money hold its worth. A short conversation with your group can make a real difference over a year. Put value into things that last Another way to guard against rising prices is to turn some idle money into value that endures. For one family, that may mean buying a genuinely needed, long-lasting item now rather than waiting for it to cost more later. For another, it may mean investing in a small income-generating activity, whether a few more goats, stock for a modest business, or tools that help you earn. Productive assets tend to keep pace with prices far better than cash does, and they can grow your income at the same time. The key is to be thoughtful rather than hasty. This is about real needs and sound opportunities, not panic buying. It is also wise, while borrowing is more expensive, to save toward big purchases rather than rush to finance them at today's higher rates. Above all, remember that inflation is a season, not a sentence. The central bank expects prices to ease in time. Your task is to carry your money through this stretch with as little loss as possible: keep it earning, keep it working, and place some of it in things that hold their value. Protecting the value of your money is, in the end, a way of protecting the dignity of your labor. The writer is a personal finance expert, speaker, and author of 16 books including the New York Times bestseller Zero Debt.
