Spending Season

The Christmas season is upon us and I finally get to eat the 1st chocolate of my One Direction Advent Calendar!
It's the little things I tell ya!

But on a more serious note, Christmas this year is going to be a hard year for alot of families/people around the world, and most especially in South Africa.

The problem with society today is that when somebody says, "I can't afford that" they tend to feel embarrassed, and we shouldn't.

Christmas time is my favourite season of the year, I get to spoil the ones I love and watch their face light up as they open the gift I have spent hours pondering about.
The reality though is that none of us in our company are receiving bonuses. It is a blow especially for me, all the months of working until 2am .... but what can one do? A bonus is not compulsory, it is just that - a bonus. (It still sucks though)
So without that money and with the huge expenses I will be incurring from 2013, I have to really start counting my pennies and following a proper budget. No more utilising my overdraft for that dinner out or a nice fancy camera. (and watching every single One Direction video on YouTube for that matter)

I chatted to the family last night and we have decided to all buy 1 nice gift with a maximum value R200. We each get assigned another family member and buy for them.
For every one else, we buy a stocking filler of R50. There are 5 adults, so that means that we will end up spending R350 a person, plus R50 a person for food.
My nephew is almost 2 years old and he needs a Big Boy bed now, so we will contribute towards a bed and I will put money in is account. He is too young to remember the exact gifts he receives and in a day or 2 he will move onto something more exciting anyway.
I am excited that I have found a way to make Christmas fun, but to keep it affordable and not be a financial burden on the family.

On another note - 1 up side of putting on weight this year is that I resolved not to buy any more clothes until I had lost all the weight I had gained.
I have hardly bought any clothes  and as a result I have had to become quite resourceful with my mix and match wardrobe. Some days it is fun putting together a quirky outfit and it just works, other days I feel like a pauper!
It has been a blessing in disguise because I can imagine that my clothings account balances would have been a lot higher!

How are you saving money this festive season?