The cost of living always rises so the question is what can we do to get through it?

Iopa Aia from Leulumoega and Falealili voiced his opinion on this matter. 

“The cost of living is rising for all of us and we will face even tougher times under budgets so what we always need to do is work every day,” he told the Village Voice team.

“We all have to work not only to make money, but also to justify life.”

The 38 year old is a father to four children and he is currently working at the Faleolo airport. 

“My wife doesn’t work as she is the one responsible for taking care of the kids.

“So I’m the only one that works for the survival of this family and in my experience, no matter how much you earn, by the time you get your pay, a lot of things have been lined up for you to pay for.

“That is why it’s very important for me to work every day, to make money because everything requires money.

“Your children, your house, your car and everything else, there is always something to be paid for.I work for so many things but my main priority is my children’s education.

“My kids are my motivation as well; I want them to have a good education because that will lead them to a better future.“I want them to grow up knowing how to manage everything and budget according to the cost of living. 

“How the cost of living is right now, we cannot change it anymore and mind you, it’s going to continue on rising and rising so if you don’t know how to live a life where you work for yourself and work for everything that you need, then that’s going to be a problem.

“The solution is with us, rather than complaining about how expensive the cost of living is, we’ve got to work for every penny and open our eyes to what the lands are offering as well because that’s another way of surviving.”