5 ways to enjoy yuletide without ‘breaking the bank’

Yuletide is usually a time for a lot of activities as Christmas and New Year are celebrated. It is usually a season of merriment and time to socialise with family, friends and loved ones. Gifts, decorations, nights-out and much more are part of the festive period.

To make it lively and enjoyable, it requires money. However, in the light of the harsh economic condition in the country, many will have to make this year’s celebration on a budget that fits into their modest financial capacity.

With a smart budget decision and creativity you can have a memorable Christmas and New Year celebration.

Daily Trust Saturday highlights five ways you can spend your yuletide on a lean budget.

Plan ahead

Celebrating the festive period on a lean budget involves planning ahead. If you need extra money, there may be the need to consider cutting back on few luxuries to make room for more important things.

When you plan ahead on how you want to spend your Christmas and New Year, you get to cut down on impulsive spending that could be beyond your financial capacity.

Planning ahead also makes you consider your finances and ensure that you are not getting things or doing things out of impulse.

Buy locally made products

Your choice of products, whether clothing, gifts or decoration materials, matters a lot in the cause of your spending.

Usually, foreign-made goods tend to be more expensive due to import duties and other factors, even if they have the same quality as locally made ones.

Choose products that are cheaper but of good quality to celebrate your festive period.

Prioritise your purchases

When you are celebrating the festive period on a small budget you are most likely not going to be able to fulfill absolutely everything in your ideal list. So you may have to pen down what is really important to you this year.

Writing down the items you need from the most important to the least helps you navigate your spending with a lot of ease and minimal tension.

Cook at home

When you operate on a small budget for a festive period, how you get your food also matters. The idea of eating out should be jettisoned as it is usually not cost-friendly. The price of eating out tends to be on the high side when compared to cooking at home. Cooking at home goes a long way to minimise your spending.

Visiting friends and relatives in their homes or feasting and playing with children at home can offer the same or better bonding than going to parks or other recreational centres

Prioritise the memories

Instead of being obsessed over material things during the celebration period, it can be more fulfilling to concentrate on the memories that will be created.

This is usually achieved through the quality time spent with family and loved ones, as well as the feelings and bonds shared and created.

Visiting friends and relatives in their homes or feasting and playing with children at home can offer the same or better bonding than going to parks or other recreational centres.