Not everyone will receive a bonus or 13th cheque this December, making the season of giving a stressful time for some families.
Added to that, South African families, particularly the middle class, are burdened by debt, and the stress of having to fork out more money than normal in the name of Christmas can cause untold pressure.
Over-indebtedness continues to be a major threat to the financial well-being of South Africans, with some even thinking of taking out more loans to buy Christmas clothes for their children and gifts for the family.
And for a number of workers taking leave this year from their full-time jobs, it won’t be to go on holiday, but to amp up their side-hustle business to help make ends meet.
To this end, we have gathered some ideas for our readers to help ease gift-giving stressors.
1. Have a holiday budget: Make a list of who you are buying gifts for this year and how much money your are willing to spend on each gift. Have this list with you whether you are shopping in-store or online to make sure that you stick to your budget.
2. Shop online for gifts: If you shop online for a specific gift this will ensure you are not distracted or tempted to buy other glitzy tempting extras to add to the gift. It will also save you time and money on transport.
3. Buy only for the children: Limit gift giving to children – especially if you have a big family. That way the kids get to feel the spirit of the season, and your pockets aren’t emptied. Special Christmas outfits are an expectation among some families, so shop around and see who offers the best deals. Previously loved clothes are also an option.
4. Pool resources: Ensure everyone gets a gift. This is different to Secret Santa in that you are also contributing some money to the other gifts. This ensures that gift-buying stress is limited to one person, and with everyone pooling money, better quality gifts can be bought.
5. Secret Santa: Each person buys a gift for just one person and a maximum value per gift is set. This can be interesting way to get creative especially if the amount is small.
6. Re-gifting: There can be no better gift than one you give to the planet by limiting waste. Instead of buying gifts, look in your drawers for items and gifts you have never used or don’t want and make this Christmas a re-gifting one, were everyone gets a chance to move items out of their house… one person’s trash is another’s gold.
7. Make gifts: With amazing digital apps you can collect the best photos of a person for the year and make a digital scrapbook. For the bakers among us there is the proverbial cookie jar; or unleash your creative side by making home-made jewellery. You can visit social media sites such as TikTok or Instagram to get ideas.
8: IOU: You know those things that cause arguments during the year such as doing the dishes, or taking the rubbish out. You can create one or multiple IOU’s to pass out to your family and can be made out for different chores.
9. Give to the less fortunate: Choose a charity or a cause that is close to your heart and donate money to them.
10. Give your time: Gather your family and decide how you are going give your time to a charity or cause. You can cook a meal and take it to your local charity where you can spend time with the people there or you and your family can do a beach clean-up to do your part for the environment.
11. Make memories not debt: Get the entire family to make a commitment to not spending money this season. Instead, you could put on a family show – this can become an annual tradition and lots of fun. Or do something outdoors to make memories that will last longer than something material.
IOL Business