How much is your money worth? A series from the front lines of the cost of living crisis, in which the people most affected share their monthly expenses
Name: kali c
Age: 43
Occupation: snake catcher
Lives with: his wife, Alamelu (38), a dog, four rabbits and a rescued mongoose. His two daughters, Sindhu (22) and Sandya (21), stay with them during the holidays.
Lives in: a one-bedroom, 11-square-meter (120-square-foot) house in Chengalpettu, Tamil Nadu, about 50 kilometers (31 mi) from Chennai in eastern India. The house has kitchen utensils stored on one side and a living room that also doubles as a bedroom at night on the other. They have a separate bathroom and a small guest room behind their house; his daughters stay here during visits.
Monthly household income: As a contract employee of the Irula Snake Catchers Industrial Cooperative Society, Kali earns a basic salary of 19,000 rupees ($228.72) per month for seven months a year.
In addition to this, he receives around Rs 4,800 ($57.78) a month in commission payments (paid per snake captured) from the cooperative society, which extracts venom from the snakes.
During the snake breeding season (April to August), when the government prohibits the capture of snakes, Kali does odd jobs in agriculture and fishing, earning between 7,000 and 10,000 rupees ($84.27 and $120.38). ) a month. Kali's wife contributes by weaving baskets to earn an additional income of a few hundred rupees.
Total expenses for the month: 22,800 rupees ($274). After repaying a loan of 8,700 rupees ($104.73), Kali spends around 14,100 rupees ($169.73) on her family's living expenses.
