Make it a merry Xmas even on a tight budget

 

It is that time of the year again and do not you just love it? I do! I love the merry making, the heavy meals, the sharing and the giving. But with the economic crisis closer to home this year and the runaway inflation, Christmas’ big meals, merry making, sharing and giving might be a bit of a tall order for most of us.

 

If you go by last year’s budget, you may surely need to double the money for your xmas shopping. Sticking to it may mean that you have to leave out some of the items or activities. Here are some of the ways to have a good Christmas in these trying times.

 

Make a market survey

It would be a brilliant idea for you to spend your hard- earned money on the best deals. 

First things first, how do you get access to this information? 

 

Follow adverts in the media

Many service providers ranging from supermarkets, gadget and clothing shops and entertainment spots will be advertising and the best part is that all the festive adverts come with discount offers. So basically, your work is to just note them somewhere and then weigh them against your season’s budget. After that exercise you would have successfully come out with the best offer that can exhaust your season’s budget. 

 

If you cannot afford sh1,500 daily to buy a newspaper such as the New Vision then your best option would be to walk around shops. Almost every shop during this season will put up signs at their doors about their offers. 

 

If you are looking to save, then early shopping should be your best option, especially if you do your shopping at a local market or from neighbourhood shops. Remember, to many sellers out there, the festive season is a time to make more money. As such, do not expect any price discounts, but price increases instead. 

Now, do you agree with me that if you shop early enough you would not suffer the high prices on beef, chicken, and other food stuffs. Early shopping is shopping at least three weeks ahead of Christmas.

 

 

 

Think of the festive season, it is a sharing season. Why not share expenses if you can share the food? Combine resources with a relative, neighbour, or friend and purchase items like a sugar, rice, Irish potatoes and others items in bulk so that you can get an equal share and cheaply? You will get a balance off your budget, which you can spend on something else. Remember, at most local shops or markets, the more you purchase the higher the discount. 

 

If you are that kind of person who gets your salary a week to Christmas and do not have any other source of income at your disposal, find a way of maneouvring around this. 

 

Consider the most essential requirements when shopping. If you have some money left after clearing up the essentials, then you can for the less luxurious items. Or, just stick to shopping the essentials only and if there is any balance, save for later use.