It’s Christmas season again; a time that has increasingly become synonymous with overspending with everyone trying to survive in their own spheres of businesses by constantly increasing the cost of whatever goods and services they deal on then shifting the blame to the Naira-Dollar fluctuations.
The Christmas season ideally should be the season of love, a time when prices, if not reduced, should at least remain stable to honour the spirit of the season but unfortunately, the reality is often different.
This constant price hike coupled with the pressure to prove oneself as a part of the "happening boys" during the season has led a lot of persons into making careless spending decisions, some of them which often leaves them entering the New Year with empty wallets and mounting debts.
Some people's Christmas spending habits are so bad that they spend even their transport money for returning home, leaving them stranded with options of borrowing or staying longer than planned just to scrape together enough money to return.
Some get so carried away by the hailing of their names when they pass a particular drinking bar especially for persons that just came back and the next thing you’ll hear will be, "waiter/ madam, give them three crates of heineken or any beer they want, bills on me" just to impress and of course, a thunderous clap and further hailing of name will follow again, sometimes driving the person into doing more without thinking, its so funny but it happens.
I will be traveling home for Christmas and I wouldn’t want to spend more than I have neither do I want to beg for transport coming back nor overstay my welcome because I spent more than I have, so here are my plans for a detty yet a cost-effective December celebration...
- Stick To Your Plan:
Above all things; sticking to your plans is the start of something good. Nobody sits down and drafts a plan that leads him or her to bankruptcy which invariably means that we all make good plans but sticking to those plans remain our challenge.
Make a good plan and stick to it; create a realistic budget and give room for miscellaneous expenses.
- Inexpensive Gifts:
In as much as it's a season of gifts, it doesn't automatically mean you should spend your last dime in buying gifts.
I'm not in anyway saying that costly gifts aren't wonderful but most times, what really matters in gifting isn't necessarily the gift itself nor the cost of the gift, it's the heart you presented the gift with. These leaves lasting impression.
- Limit Unnecessary Travellings:
There is always need to go from one destination to another during this period and you mustn't attend to all of them, not to even talk of the high cost of travelling. Selecting the most important ones you can attend without sending your wallet to financial hangover is a good way to go.
- Buying In Bulk Now:
Goods are already costly as it stands and will keep adding in price on a daily basis, shopping the goods you need in bulk before it skyrockets beyond your financial strength would help you save a bit money you will channel into buying other things.
These budget-friendly ideas have been helping me enjoy my Christmas even as I safeguard my financial health so I don't enter the new year paying debts.
Thanks for reading and have a nice day 👍