I enjoy the December holiday season and I've celebrated it in so many ways, year after year, from birth till this very moment. Like, it's a season in the year when almost everyone in Nigeria pauses from the hustle and bustle of life to spend quality time doing whatever makes sense to them as a good way to celebrate the season.
There are so many things people do to enjoy this season; travelling, hanging out with family and friends, buying gifts for folks, giving themselves a good treat, eating expensive meals, etc. All these cluster together and each of them is typically edged towards enjoying oneself, doing fun stuff, and relaxing. This is why I see the December holiday season as a period in a year that's unbelievably looked forward to by many people.
We all love that enjoyment. But, it's also very annoying that this holiday season is a moment when the cost of goods and services fly through the roof.
Yeah!
Lemme tell you something; the market in my part of the world is driven by several factors and one of them is the behavior of our native currency in exchange for Dollar. You can buy 1kg of Milk today for #2500 and meet it at #3000 a week later. Everyone says it's like that people Naira is losing the forex drama against the dollar.
The same thing occurs whenever the December holiday is around the corner. Every December, the price of everything ridiculously gets inflated by merchants. Even service providers do the same and you will always hear a nonchalant "this is Christmas season" if you attempt to dig around and know what the hell is causing the price hike.
I've lived in this Country for too long to be naively optimistic about people. I know things will always go up during festive seasons. Now, the big question is;
How do I save myself from overspending in this festive season? Is that even possible?
First, I have to continuously remind myself to never incur debt for any reason. I've experienced what it means to be a debtor during my Uni days and I've never been financially indebted to anyone since then till this very moment. If I want something and I know I can't afford it at that exact moment, I look the other way. It's as simple as that.
If you are in a country like mine where the December holiday is celebrated to the core, you will know that there is no shortage of things that will look appealing to you during this season. Don't break the bank for every shiny stuff out there.
Secondly, I'm buying the stuff I need in bulk. Again, this isn't just a festive period lifestyle. It's a way of life that has become a habit for me and I do it continuously because it helps me be in more control of my finances. For example, I'm someone who eats rice a lot and the price of rice is hitting an all-time high every week. I know it will be worse during the festive season and I've already found a way to walk around that.
I already bought rice in huge quantity and I even bought a bag of rice for my family when I went to see them last month. Rice and a few other food items especially the ones that are not perishable wouldn't be a problem for me or my family until February of 2024. Getting stuff in bulk is a tested and trusted way that can be explored by anyone who doesn't wants to overspend during this festive season.
Last though not least, one of the things I just have to do regardless of the enjoyment of this festive season is to make sure my earnings won't be pushed down to $0. Thankfully, most of my income is generated from the things I do remotely. I'm not yet sure of how work will be this festive season, but I will still be grinding and I won't be mad if I earn just 50% of what I usually earn.
That's my hot take. Feel free to share yours in the comment section. I'm sure we all have things we are doing to make sure we won't enter 2024 in a knackered financial position.
Thanks For Not Missing Any Full-stop or Comma.
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Additional Imagine is also taken from Unsplash.