Festive spirit on a budget: smart holiday shopping tips

I AM NOT quite sure where the year has gone. It seems to have sped by so quickly. Everyone is already slipping into cruise mode. Restaurants are fully booked with end of year parties and people are taking long lunches.

So between now and December 31, we have the big festivity of Christmas.

Shops are lit up with decorations and promises of specials on food, clothing and toys lure the consumer to spend big.

Seasonal foods like turkey, ham, fruit mince pies and brandy custard enhance the festive mood, not to mention the attractive promises of discounted alcohol cheer.  

Looking at the glossy shopping leaflets in the weekend newspapers, I was also tempted to make a few extravagant food purchases, so I started making a list.

I love making lists. To-do lists seem to help make my days more organised.

It also helps to resist the temptation to break the budget.

I have never been in favour of the everyday shop. My husband used to stop off after work every day for the usual bread and milk. Inevitably he would come home with a few “extras”.

You know, those specials that are right at the door welcoming the customer or at the checkout line which you can’t avoid as you wait to pay. Anyway, after totalling up the items on the Xmas list, I had to trim it down into must haves and very few nice to haves. Food prices are just ridiculous right now.

Shopping during the festive period can be challenging for some. The shopping malls are busy.

The music in the malls is blaring and when you enter each store, they also have their own music playing at a volume that is painful to the ear.

I once asked the Manager of a popular retail store why the music was so loud and how was the playlist selected. He said that the research showed people respond to lively music positively while shopping (apparently it is mood lifting) and therefore spend freely.

Personally, it has the opposite effect on me. I tend to get annoyed by loud music. Maybe it’s an age thing. I don’t know.

Queues at the checkout are long and one may spend longer than intended while waiting to pay. Tempers may fray and sometimes the poor cashier gets the brunt of Ayour temper because she is too slow or something. Spare a thought for her. She’s probably working a 10 hour shift as store shopping hours are extended over the festive period. 

When faced with a long queue, take some deep breaths and settle down. You made a choice to shop, so accept that there are consequences.

Amuse yourself while you wait. Mentally go over what you still need to do. Perhaps, rework those plans and do the more urgent stuff first. Or bury your nose in your phone and read the 100 WhatsApp messages people tend to send wishing you Good Morning or Have a Happy Day etc.

Most Malls have free WiFi so you won’t have to pay for data. I advise against doing any important emails or banking when you are on free WiFi.

I hardly use my cellphone when I am in a mall most for security reasons as technology is so advanced these days, someone can just hack into your phone just by standing too close to you! Ive seen these memes doing the rounds on Tik Tok and not sure if it is real or fake. But I'm not about to test those memes right now.

Shopping with children is not easy. While the cost of a roast chicken may excite you, children tend to get restless or bored. They could be ready for a nap or hungry and may start to get whiny, cry or maybe throw a tantrum. I don’t advise grocery or clothes shopping with young children. It’s not fair to them to “behave”. It’s better to leave them at home or perhaps use the activity facilities that some shopping malls offer, where you can leave them in the care of professionals while you shop.

Above all, keep your wits around you while you shop. We tend to get careless in our rush to get bargains. Bags and wallets must always be on your person and not left on a trolley. That’s like giving an open invitation to being robbed. I have read of people working in teams - one person will distract you by asking for assistance or complimenting you while the other team member helps themselves to your shopping or bags. Eyes on the trolley at all times especially if you have been to other shops and have all those purchases in your trolley.

Avoid getting “help” to unload or push your trolley. A friend recently told me of how a lady approached her as she was putting her stuff into the car boot offering to help her unload. When she declined the offer, the lady became verbally abusive and saying that she works there. Really? A lady with no identification works in the shaded parking area of a shopping mall. What work is that? All car guards wear a reflective vest  which sometimes carries a logo of sorts so its hard to believe she is actually doing legit work. . My friend did inform the management of the shopping mall of this incident, but I hardly doubt that they paid much attention. 

Be safe and spend responsibly. Till next time.

Dr  Kalyan is a psychologist, life coach and reiki practitioner 

ONE IN four people experience a mental health issue like depression, anxiety or eating disorders. Mental Health is the second largest pandemic in the world, yet seeing a therapist to help resolve issues still carries a huge stigma.

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Psychologists are bound by a very strict code of ethics and all interactions between the therapist and patient are strictly confidential. If you are experiencing a mental health issue, and unsure about your approach, feel free to write to me at [email protected].