Hello, everyone.
I welcome you to my blog and another wonderful edition of the Hive Learner's featured post. It is that time of the year again where many people think sticking to a budget or not breaking the bank will tamper with the fun that comes with the festive season, and then they end up breaking the bank to make sure the celebration is up to what they call the standard and then end up being broke in January or having to struggle so much in January. It has happened countless times, and this year won't be any different; we will still see those who will break the bank just to enjoy the festive season and end up begging those who were on a budget in January. Many people fail to understand that you can enjoy your festive season on a budget and without going broke.
In 2022, I travelled to my hometown, and I was opportuned to meet family members I did not even know existed, and I met a cousin too. We were friends on Facebook, but I never knew we were actually related and from the same hometown. We had the opportunity to hang out a lot and bonded, but he had a habit of whenever we hung out, he wanted to spend too much and without a budget, and when you talk to him, his excuse is always that Christmas and the festive season are meant for you to spend all you have worked for from January, and for that reason, we should let him enjoy his festive season.
In no time the festive season was over, and it was time for everyone to return to their base, and it was at that moment that he knew he messed up; he had no money left he could use to transport himself back to Lagos State, where he was based then. He started calling friends and everyone and asking for help, but it is the festive season, and almost everyone was on a tight budget and had nothing left to give another person, and he was almost stranded in the village until I decided to lend him some money. He has not paid it back to date. If you don't stick to a budget in the festive season, you will be left stranded when the festive seasons are over, which makes celebrating on a budget very important. Life does not end with the festive season, there is still life to live after the festive seasons are over.
Celebrating on a budget is something many of us have been forced to stick to considering the country's economy. The first thing I am doing is to not travel back home for Christmas. This festive season the prices of transportation double or even triple. To avoid spending too much this period, I have decided to spend Christmas in my base and not travel home, as the money I will spend on transport can actually go a long way in helping me make the celebration more blissful in my base.
Another way to ensure that I stay within my budget is to not prepare more than 2 meals. I will have friends come over, and we might end up hanging out for the day, and even when we do, I will stay on a budget because every festive period I set aside an account where I deposit a certain amount of money that is meant for the festive season, and if at any point I am reckless with it, that will be the end of it for me for the season until another season. For that reason I am always careful with the funds, as I don't want my festive season to come to an end before that of others.