Hello everyone, hope you are doing very well today.
Christmas is a season when you can spend unnecessarily because of how you will be feeling and the kind of things you will see.
I've never gone broke in January after Christmas because of how I plan my life. Naturally, I don't really get excited about spending without thinking about the next time. While growing up, I used to see how Mum and Dad would struggle to feed us in January after Christmas, and I don't like staying hungry. So as I grew older, I decided that I would not have to face financial stress in January.
What I do is that I don't really magnify Christmas Day; I take it very simply and also spend on something very simple. Mum would always say that every day is Christmas, so as such we should not make it look as if we must eat or drink expensively during the season. When it is Christmas, I don't make unwise financial decisions like not budgeting. I plan on what to buy with my money for a day and make sure that no matter how I'm pushed by maybe people or emotions, I don't spend out of my budget.
I can eat chicken, fried rice, or any dish I want to eat any day, so I don't make it look as if I don't eat all of these foods during the Christmas season; I will not be complete. I may not even cook all those foods; I may just cook normal food that is not really expensive but focus on giving gifts to people.
There are those who feel that if they do not eat these foods, then their Christmas is not complete. Meanwhile they can actually eat these foods any day.
Before Christmas, I make sure that I start buying what I will need, because things get more expensive when it is very close to Christmas. I make sure that I do not have to buy anything on Christmas Day so that I will not buy them at a very high price.
During the Christmas season, I receive gifts in cash; I even received food items. What I do is that I preserve some of the food items that can stay for a long time, so that I would have to use them after Christmas.
Another I avoid is that I do not go everywhere during the Christmas season. Everyone would always want to organize one gathering or the other, and they would want you to attend, but you need to know that if you save some of that money you used for your transport, it will go a long way in helping you in January after the Christmas.
Make sure that you think of January even more than how you think of what to do during the Christmas season so that you will not have to stay hungry or borrow too much. There are times you need to just be simple and take Christmas very simply.