Christmas Day on a shoestring budget

Christmas day is almost here and while many families are going to financial extremes for this special time of year, most South Africans have to make the most of a tight budget.

According to DebtSafe’s debt management expert, Mr Wikus Olivier, there are a few ways to enjoy December 25 on a shoestring budget:

People tend to forget what Christmas is really about. The free gift of spending time with relatives and friends definitely reap rewards beyond what any material gift can ever offer. Rather spend some irreplaceable quality time with loved ones. No gift will ever replace time spent and memories created with those dear to you.

The ideal budget plan

Setup a user-friendly budget plan for Christmas Day that works for you and stick to it. Your budget should be simple. Start as early as possible to get your finances in check so that you are financially prepared for Christmas Day.

Here are some practical steps that you can take into account when preparing your Christmas budget:

r Determine how much money you have available for Christmas Day.

r Indicate what your expenses for Christmas Day will include, for example food, gifts or petrol if you need to travel.

r Be on the lookout for bargains on the items that you need to purchase.

An affordable Christmas meal

Get friends and family excited about Christmas lunch or dinner by getting them involved in the process. Ask granny to bring her famous apple pie. Tell each household to bring their favourite salad and you can provide the meat. This will certainly point you and your loved ones in the right direction to save money. Being the host this year doesn’t mean that you have to carry every single expense by yourself. Mr Olivier said it is wise to buy the necessary items like meat beforehand at your local farmer’s market, rather than the shopping centre.

“Now is the time to buy the canned foods and frozen goods that you will need. Do not wait until the last minute as this is when everything gets expensive. Do your homework regarding Christmas recipes to determine in advance what and how many you will need. There are several nice recipes in the latest magazine issues as well as on various websites such as Pick n Pay, Food Lovers and Funky Monkey,” said Mr Olivier.

Having fun doesn’t have to be expensive

Fun activities are great for Christmas day, but fun and cheap activities are even better. Get in touch with mother nature and have a garden camp out or build a blanket fort in the living room. You and your loved ones can also explore your city as tourists and do affordable sight-see activities like a picnic or having a braai in the park. Take a drive through the famous streets that are showing off their Christmas lights and decorations. Also consider other resources such as Coupons SA or vouchercloud for deals to avoid overspending on your Christmas budget. Be on the lookout for places that are affordable and where there is a low or no entrance fee.

Cheap but valued decorations and gifts

Christmas decorations and gifts do not have to be costly. Don’t buy items when you can use and spruce up the things that you already have available, such as pine cones and pegs. This is not only a cheaper option but also a fun activity that you can do on the day with the youngsters as well as the elder family members. Take a look at a few South African inspired ideas on Pinterest.

Apart from the above, families nowadays have a thrifty fad to buy only gifts for children or to place a limit on Christmas presents, for example R50. Each person brings a gift of about R50 to the Christmas party. This gift is then rotated together with the other gifts and each person gets a gift.

There are numerous ways to make the most of your shoestring budget.

Give the above tips a try and you may find that this wonderful time of year can be worth much more without spending a considerable amount of cash. Not to mention avoiding the unnecessary stress that goes along with it. If, however, you are stuck in an over-indebted situation and still fear that you will have a miserable Christmas, get in touch with DebtSafe’s advisors to offer the best assistance for your current situation

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