1. You’ve got a lot of food to eat up. Most people overbuy food at Christmas. We panic when the shops are going to be closed for one day. If you were at the supermarket yesterday, you’ll know exactly what I’m referring to. New Zealanders waste $1520 of food every year.
https://www.rabobank.co.nz/foodwaste/ Most of us will have sufficient food left after today to eat like a king tomorrow. Even if you have an eclectic range of foods left over, Google them and you’ll find a recipe. Go back to my Covid-19 Pantry Project article for some ideas. https://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/diana-clement-the-covid-19-coronavirus-pantry-project/7W3WNS3U4OM3ALEQUFWGUBHKKA/
2. Have another day of enjoying friends and family and connecting with the community. Even if you live alone, pick the phone and call someone you haven’t spoken to forever. A friend of mine did this every day of the first lockdown in 2020. What a great way to keep your connections alive.
3. Be mindful, smell the roses, and go for a walk. How often do you get to just enjoy the neighbourhood, local parks or local beaches? Walking around the neighbourhood is good for your mind, body and wallet.
4. Prevention is better than recycling. If you’re concerned about your impact on the planet - and you should be - then buying less is a great place to start. That starts with “prevent”, says Rachel Brown, chief executive at the Sustainable Business Network. Prevent purchasing new in the first place. Avoiding Boxing Day sales can help with that.
5. Reflect on what you need and what you want. One of the most basic tenets of good budgeting is understanding the difference between needs and wants. How often do you hear people say: “I need [this thing]”? Needs are really only food, housing, education and work. That means basics, not justifying non-essential spending under these headings. That’s not to say that people shouldn’t make special purchases of non-essential items. They just need to be classified as wants, not needs. Diverting some of those “want” purchases into debt reduction or savings adds up fast.
6. Shopping is stressful. Sure some people get a buzz out of buying stuff, although the high is short-lived and finding a car park isn’t pleasant. Others get stressed at the thought of going to a mall. Admittedly it’s the mall environment that is the stressor. Staring at a screen trying to get bargains that may not even be the best price of the year seems to be poor use of time on an public holiday.
7. It’s probably cheaper in January. At least there are multiple sales throughout the year. If it’s a branded item available via multiple retailers and retailers, then check out Priceme.co.nz and Pricespy.co.nz. As well as comparing prices currently, they have price histories that show how cheap the item in question may have gone. Because I own a Breville Barista Express BES870, bought for $150 less than full price, I decided to check. The full list price seems to be $798. Last Boxing Day through to January 3, the lowest price on PriceSpy sat at $678. It dropped again in April to $549. The price was $649 in the Black Friday sales this year. Even if it’s back to $649, or $678 tomorrow, you’ll no doubt have a few days to pick it up after then. Don’t let FOMO (fear of missing out) force you to the mall.
8. You don’t need that stuff anyway. This goes back to needs versus wants. The majority of stuff we buy we don’t need. That includes all the food that will be bought on Boxing Day that is heading for the waste bin if not eaten.
9. The money is better off in your bank account. Every dollar you don’t spend is a dollar off your debt or a dollar more of savings. It snowballs.
10. You don’t want to catch Covid. This isn’t a financial reason but, after two years of pandemic, who wants to squish into a mall with thousands of other people who might make you sick? Don’t waste those hard-earned holiday days laid up in bed.
