Managing Festival Expenses—Celebrate without Feeling the Pinch on the Wallet


Festive seasons come every year, and these are seasons in which retail traders make a killing. TV and radio stations make a lot of money on advertisements in such festive seasons. The online sites are flooded with advertisements that are very glittery and catchy to the eye. Everybody is caught up in the festive mood of the season, and the cash in their pockets starts to itch. When this happens, people start buying whatever they set their eyes on and they spend even without thinking; after all, tomorrow has its own shares of trouble, doesn’t it? So why deprive yourself of today’s pleasures for a tomorrow whose materialization is not even guaranteed?

Well, festive seasons will always come as long as there is a year and a calendar. Therefore, do not get too fussy with them. Be very practical and sensible as you spend during a festive season. Do not buy what is somewhat unnecessary; why invest $200 on a decoration that will be used for a few hours only to be disposed off the next day? Be very innovative and creative so that you will not have to buy everything. Consider going for a one-day lesson on making nice ice cream, yoghurt, ketchup and hot sauce. This way, you will never have to worry about such things when you are hosting your guests during a festive season.

It is an all time practice to exchange gifts, say during festive seasons of Easter and Christmas. However, it is not necessary to do so. Okay, before you kill me, let me explain why and show you how. You have a family of say seven (dad, mum and kids). You have short term and long term goals as a family, say moving into your own home or getting a new car or starting a business. If this is so, what is so hard in having a family discussion and deciding that you will not do the religious exchanging of gifts for the sake of your family long term goals?

It is not easy to resist spending on the glittery and expensive wares for the festive season, especially when you know that you can use your credit card to make purchases. However, resist over spending as much as you can. This way, you will be able to enjoy the whole year without paying debts you never budgeted for in the first place. Delayed gratification is the secret.


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