The senior manager also highlighted the importance of having a savings plan in place.
“Deciding on the course you want to follow is simple if you look at the reasons why you should save, while at the same time looking at the reasons why you should not spend all your savings on the short-lived benefits,” she said.
Parboo further outlined some of the dangers of not having a proper savings plan in place at the start of the New Year, including choosing to only start saving when things return to normal instead of as soon as possible. She added that there was no such thing as a ‘normal’ month as expenses are always there and urged residents to avoid putting off saving to a later date.
“Another danger of not having a plan in place can result in having to live through a cash-strapped January when even making normal payments, which tends to put a strain on the household,” she said.
Finally, Parboo stressed the importance of saving for a rainy day, adding that the lack of ‘rainy day savings’ can leave you facing a financial storm.
“All of this may sound depressing; however, you can enjoy a good holiday and keep your savings intact if you do a little budgeting and stick to it,” she concluded.
More tips to help keep savings intact:
- Doing a reconciliation of what you spent (and overspent) during the festive season; once you know what your expenses were, divide them by the number of months available before the next festive season and put aside money to cover these expenses every month.
- Making small adjustments to your discretionary spending and accumulate additional holiday and gift money in a really painless way.
- Decide how you are going to pay for purchases.
- Check out the benefits offered by loyalty schemes; you can stretch your budget and increase your savings by optimising the use of loyalty programmes.
What are your plans for keeping your finances in check after the festive season. Share your tips by whatsapping Caxton Joburg North on 079 439 5345
