‘Janu-worry’ – worst month for many, say experts

Experts warned it was a little too late for South Africans battling to make it through the month of January to resort to planning only now.

Suzi Pestana said the month of January was one of her biggest fears each year.

“From my side, it’s a nightmare, with endless headaches and sleepless nights, and it feels like 10 years made into one month. She said she and her husband were currently sharing one vehicle due to the price of petrol that keeps on rising. Pestana also had to shelve having her hair cut this month.

“The recent heavy traffic in the mornings and the late afternoons have been a nightmare,” she said.

She “filled up the car’s petrol tank, that’s another R820” and a full tank lasts her two weeks. Pestana said she was blessed to have the school-sponsored stationary and her boy’s clothing.

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“Even though it is second-hand clothing, they gave me the better ones, and that was a huge relief,” she said.

She said she was relieved the school holidays were finally ending, because now the grocery cupboard can finally have a break.

Economist Dawie Roodt said if you wanted to get through January financially, you couldn’t wait until now.

“You have to start long before and you need a budget to plan for the unforeseen expenditures,” he said. “Think about school fees, if you paid in advance there was a discount, so why not save for that?”

Roodt said the secret was getting ahead of expenses by three months.