December is always filled with different activities, celebrations, and much more that tend to make us keep spending and spending, and if care isn't taken, we will most likely overspend and have little or nothing to fall back on in January. So the best thing to do is to strategically highlight what we want to do, which is necessary and which isn't, and, in the end, have a blueprint that'll help us align with our budget for the month.
While that is easy to say, it isn't easy to actualize, at least for someone like me who's got loads of people who depend on me for Christmas gifts, money to stock the house with food items to celebrate the season, and several others, to mention but a few. At the end of the day, most times when I set up a budget on how I want to keep my spending within budget, I ended up going past that budget and becoming broke to the point of not having transport fare to go back home.
It's not like I'm an extravagant person who loves an extravagant lifestyle; it's just that the demands are high, and my mindset is, What better way to make the season memorable for your loved ones than to meet their needs and do everything possible to make the festive period enjoyable for them? So after multiple attempts at working with a budget and failing woefully, I came up with a plan that helps me curb the way I spend excessively during the season, and I'll love to share it with y'all.
So what do I do to cut costs and not overspend or not have anything with me in January after a fun December? I remove some of the money I've got with me and keep it at home in the house before I travel down to where I'll celebrate the festive season at my relatives place.
I've tried saving those funds in my bank, but that failed because I ended up going to withdraw them with my ATM or via USSD code while I'm still celebrating the festive season. After multiple failures in that strategy, I devised the plan of withdrawing part of the money I've got in my bank account, and after withdrawing it, I dropped it inside the room before traveling, which means I can't have any access to it while I'm away celebrating Christmas.
And regardless of how long I spend celebrating with my family, I'll have to work with whatever I've got on hand and in the bank. That's how I've been able to save myself from falling prey to the constant failure of failing over and over again in trying to work with a budget or well-laid-out plan on how to spend.
Ever since I've been doing this, I've been able to have more money with me at hand after celebrating the festive season, and my experience in January overtime has been more pleasant and palatable than it was when I was sticking with my budget because I ended up going outside the budget in as much as I've got access to more money to spend.
I guess I'm not as good at being strict with spending and saving as my friend @oluwadrey, whom I envy for being able to do that effortlessly. Well, my new-found plan is working well, and I'm glad I've been having a decent January without much struggle like it used to be.
That's about it for now. I hope you enjoyed the read. Have a blessed and productive month ahead, and merry Christmas in advance.
Thumbnail designed on canva