How I Budget My Monthly Salary – A Realistic Plan for Indian Families

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Managing monthly expenses can feel like a never-ending puzzle, especially for Indian families trying to balance needs, goals, and surprises. I’ve been there—and after trial and error, I found a system that works. In this blog, I’ll share my simple but powerful monthly budgeting plan. It’s not perfect, but it’s practical, real, and built for Indian middle-class life.
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₹7,000 Crore Lost to Online Scams – How I Protect My Family in 2025

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Hand holding phone with scam alert pop-up – Digital safety warning in 2025

Online scams in India are no longer rare – they’re everywhere. A new report says Indians lost over ₹7,000 crore in the **first 5 months of 2025**. That’s **₹46 crore per day**. From phishing links to WhatsApp fraud, families are losing their savings.


But I’ve made it a personal mission to protect my family – and in this post, I’ll show you exactly how.


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📰 The Shocking News


According to a [Livemint report](https://www.livemint.com/news/india/indians-lost-staggering-7-000-crore-to-online-scams-in-5-months-of-2025-report-11752556670962.html), Indian citizens lost **₹7,000 crore** to scams between January and May 2025.


Scammers use:

- **Fake investment apps**

- **WhatsApp job offers**

- **RTO challan APK links**

- **Digital arrest calls** (“Police case filed, pay now”)


One Chennai woman and her family lost ₹17.4 lakh in a fake “digital arrest” scam.


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🧠 What I Tell My Family (Our Simple Rules)


1. **Never Click Unknown Links**

   - No clicking APK files or “update KYC” messages  

   - No UPI ID updates via WhatsApp


2. **Never Transfer Money After a Phone Call**

   - Even if the caller says “Bank / Police / Income Tax”  

   - We call back official numbers directly


3. **Use App Locks**

   - Google Pay / PhonePe / Paytm all have face ID/lock  

   - Set limits on UPI apps


4. **Teach Elders the Red Flags**

   - Police never ask money on call  

   - No “online arrest” in India


5. **No Scanning QR Codes from Strangers**

   - QR is to pay, not receive money  

   - I told this 3 times to Appa until he remembered


6. **Auto-Debit Warning**

   - Disable auto-debit for unknown sites  

   - Recheck all your subscriptions monthly


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👨‍👩‍👧 What I Actually Did for My Family:


- Made a family WhatsApp group just for “online safety tips”

- Sent 1 short message every Sunday with a real scam news link

- Created a **safe-word**: If any family member gets a scary message or call, they’ll just type “⚠️ Doubt” in the group


This way, nobody panics alone. We act together.


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🛡 Tools I Recommend (Free):

- **Truecaller** → To detect scam calls

- **Google Family Link** → To monitor kids’ activity

- **UPI Lite / Wallets** → Load ₹500 and use that instead of bank


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📣 Conclusion


Scams are getting smart. We just have to be **smarter and calmer**.  

If you found this useful, do one small thing: **forward it to your parents or spouse**.


Someone in your circle may be the next target.  

Let’s stop it before it happens.


- Sathyanand Rajendran

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