WHY JANUARY 2022 MIGHT HAVE MORE THAN 31 DAYS

It is that time of the year where we show love by giving out gifts to our loved ones or even people we do not know, watch Christmas movies, eat plentifully and probably run to the toilet afterwards, buy things that gives us comfort and happiness and most of all, spend above our budget. A funny thing that happens to most Nigerians after the festive period is how the month of January tends to take more time before it comes to an end. This funny thing has even been described as JANUARY HAS 60 DAYS or JANUARY of 60 DAYS. This is because we tend to spend a lot during the festive period, thereby making us short of cash during the month of January. So here is an article from me that tells you why January 2022 might be more than 31 days and do not forget all these and more comes from my Nigerian experience filled with Nigerian thoughts and Nigerian stories.

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Over-Spending during the Festive Season

As Nigerians, problems and challenges are not new to us since we tackle it on a daily basis. We are willing to work hard just to ensure we strive and not look like a failure in the eyes of our folks and peers, willing to take risks even when the odds are not in our favor, determined to give ourselves the comfort we deserve and blessed with strong brain power to brainstorm and come up with new solution to problems. All these and more gives us a justified mindset that we deserve to enjoy no matter the cost. But the sad truth is there is always a cost and the cost for such action is a long January. After spending a lot during December in buying the things which we were necessary and the ones which were not, our financial capability to afford the necessary things in January becomes limited. We might bury ourselves in the fantasy of a Detty December, but we should also consider that a Long lasting January is also on the way if we were not mindful.

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Excessive Billing

During the festive season, we can sometimes get lost in the act of spending because it is that time of the year where we need to show love and feel loved. This could be the reason why we purchase some things with high price because we hold the notion that certain materialistic items can makes us happy or fill that void inside us. But the sad truth is it cannot, material things only gives comfort and not true happiness and the act of placing one’s happiness in material things can only bring about excessive billing. Excessive billing is what I like to describe as a situation where you keep finding out new things you want rather than things you need which are mandatory. It is detrimental to know that placing value in things you want over things you need is financially unhealthy for anyone’s pocket.

The Absence of a Budget

The use of a budget is something I must say I am totally guilty of not using. This is because I felt the need for it should only arise when there is big money involve. It never occurred to me that it is even more essential when it comes to small financial expenses, especially during this festive period until I found out I was either overspending and always short of cash. The most beneficial thing about using a budget is not the fact that you get to remember all the things on your list, but the fact that you come to realize how important a scale of preference is. The scale of preference helped me in finding out the things that are important to me as a human being and the things that I can do without. Budgeting can serve as an individual’s financial plan which is very essential, it is like chess where long term planning is very essential for a win.

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The Need to Impress and Show-Off

The great scholar Aristotle once referred to humans as beings who are competitive in nature. This competitive nature has built the need for us to create an impressing personality just for the purpose of showing off high social class and gaining societal respect. This act can make an individual to forget his or her true self all for the purpose of building a personality that demands respect. It is even quite strange when you discover that most people just make high purchases because of the societal prestige that comes with acquiring such thing and not because they need it.

In Conclusion...

For me, this happens to be the reasons why January may seem long for a Nigerian or anyone, and it can be avoided by developing a strict adherence to a financial budget and planning in order to avoid making unwanted purchases. Most of all, never spend just to impress but spend because you need to.

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