Stay safe and solvent these holidays

WHETHER you are travelling this festive season or enjoying some much deserved leisure time at home, here are some tips to keep you and your loved ones safe.

The Teddy Bear Foundation, a non-profit organisation which helps abused children, has offered the following advice to parents to protect their children from sexual abuse.

● Teach children not to help strangers look for lost puppies, look for “muti” or medicine for someone ill, accept gifts or sweets or get in a car with someone they don’t know.

● Sleepovers at relatives or family friends must be strictly supervised. Provide the children with the contact details of a trusted person they can call if they need help.

● No child must be photographed by any stranger.

● Children can go missing in shopping centres, on holiday and from home. If you fear they are missing:

1. Call the police immediately.

2. Remember what they are wearing.

3. Remember where they have been or talked about going recently.

4. Think about who they could be with, who their friends are.

5. What were their movements over the past 48 hours?

6. Did they mention any problems, anxieties?

7. Call their cellphone, if they have one. Even if they don’t answer, its location can be traced by the police and security companies.

8. Check your child’s recent internet activity.

9. Contact friends, schools, hospitals, youth clubs etc.

10. Avoid self-criticism and analysis – rather focus on finding your child.

Last December, 1 700 people died on the country’s roads. In a bid to keep road users safe, insurers Dialdirect have put together a list of practical tips to help you avoid becoming a statistic these holidays.

Check that your car is in good working order.

Make sure you get enough rest before a long drive. Don’t drive when you are tired.

If your car breaks down, stay in the vehicle with the doors locked until help arrives.

Don’t drink and drive. SA’s legal limit is a breath alcohol content of 0.24mg per 1 000ml, or a blood alcohol limit of 0.05g per 100ml. As a general rule, two drinks in one hour will put you over the limit. After a night of partying, you could still be over the limit in the morning.

This time of year is notorious for splurging. Bad spending habits can result in debt and can cause stress and inconvenience.

MiWay Insurance has put together advice to keep your festive spending in check:

Gradually work your way out of debt by prioritising paying off as much debt as you can each month, instead of the minimum amount payable.

If you’re lucky enough to get an annual bonus or a 13th cheque, use the cash wisely by paying off your loans, making an investment or putting some aside for a rainy day.

While it’s likely you will spend more than you might in other months, it’s vital to take stock of exactly what you have available to you and revise your budget to accommodate extra expenses, rather than simply writing off overspending in December as “one of those things”.

To avoid temptation, consider taking your shopping online, where the shiniest new gadgets and tempting toys aren’t on full display to lure you away from your carefully crafted list.

Say no to credit. In the run-up to Christmas, there are plenty of enticing credit and “no deposit” deals to tempt you into splashing out on expensive gifts you can’t afford. In the long run, credit leaves you with a higher price to pay and costs you more in interest repayments over the longer term.

Carry cash as much as possible. Draw cash for your weekly budget from the ATM to make unnecessary and excessive spending a little less easy.

PICTURE: REUTERS Keep your children safe these holidays.