How to Save Money this Festive Season
The festive season is finally here and after a long year of Covid induced lockdowns and regulations we’re pretty sure everyone is tempted to let loose a little. But here at Home-Connect we know that even though things might be loosening up a bit, it doesn’t mean that you have to let go of your budget completely. Lucky for you, we’ve got a few practical tips to help you save money this festive season that will allow you to cruise into 2021.
1. Save On Food
We all know that the festive season has us indulging in special treats and eating out a lot more. One way to save on food is to pick the cheaper option. Buying from the retailer that promises better quality and a better product is not always true. Fancy cookie tin packaging makes no difference when you place them on a nice serving plate. Every extra R20, R30 or R40 that you spend on premium items, though you may not feel it in the moment, often leaves you with too much month at the end your money.
2. Save on Activities
In line with our first point, instead of going out to buy that gingerbread house, kill two birds with one stone get your groceries and get the kids involved. Go to your local grocery store, buy the flour and eggs and make a day of it; make the gingerbread house or Christmas cookies yourself. Not only are you not spending money on the lunch and ice cream activity for four people, but you can eat at home and get just as much fun out of it. Not to mention, those cookies on the cookie tray will have a whole lot more memories out of them, and a lot more love put into them.
You can also binge all your favourite Christmas movies with the family, using our uncapped fibre to the home. Check for coverage here.
3. Save on Clothing
We all want to look our best, and Christmas time and New Years we often splurge on getting a fancy dress or new pair of shoes. When buying clothing for this festive season, we suggest you ask yourself a few questions before you purchase an item.
These questions are:
- “If I don’t buy this now will I regret it in two weeks?”
Often times this can be the best litmus test to see if an item is really worth it; by walking away, giving it some time and coming back or forgetting about it, you’ll be able to see if it was just an initial attraction or a long lasting love.
- “How much wear will I get out of this item?”
ie: Will this R400 t-shirt have a hole in it in a month’s time, or is it good enough quality that it will at least last you a season.- “Is this item just a passing trend, or a classic- something I can wear for a long time?”
Trends change faster and faster each year so much so that a term “micro-trends” has been coined. A good way to save money on clothes is to buy classic items like a white and black good quality T-shirts and denim and accessorising with trendy items like bags or costume jewellery.
4. Save on Holidays
December holidays are the times that we love to get away and unwind, but our top tip to be able to do this without spending a tonne of money is this: Go Camping, and don’t drive more than three hours out of town. This way you save on booking an AirBnB or hotel, petrol of travelling say, cross country and you get the serenity and quietness of nature by just driving an hour or two out of the city. Sometimes things get a little out of perspective and we tend to believe that we have to be far away from home to be able to relax, but this isn’t necessarily true, and a trip closer to home will definitely save you some bucks.
With that, we hope that you have a wonderful festive season and are able to put some of these things into practice, just remember this: Secret Santa is the ultimate money saver.