Get Financially Fit for the Festive Season with Our Budget Planner

As 2020 draws to a close, you might find yourself wondering how you will be able to afford those extra expenses that are bound to arise over the festive season. Due to the economic impact that COVID-19 has had on us as a nation (and world!), budgeting for your future financial expenses has never been more important. We’re all excited to put this year behind us and start fresh in 2021, but this means that you should give extra attention to your current financial situation in order to end the year on a well-deserved high note.

We want to make it easy for you to plan for your expenses over the holidays (and the year ahead), so we’ve created an easy-to-use downloadable budget planner that should help put you on the right financial track in no time. You can download it here.

“Nothing happens without focus. Don’t try to do everything at once, take it one step at a time.”

In order to take control over your personal or family finances, you need to compartmentalise rather than try to do it all at once. Start by planning for the festive season, then tackle January (a tough month for everyone). If you are struggling with debt and need advice, our expert team of debt counsellors can help.

If, like many South Africans, you were forced to come up with temporary solutions to “make it to the end of the year”, you might find yourself at a loss regarding what to do now that we are almost there. This is where having a budget planner will be of great help. It allows you to not only easily categorise your monthly expenses, but also to take a closer look at your weekly and even daily expenses. All of this makes something that might seem unmanageable at first (like planning for the week before Christmas) much more realistic and easy to implement. Using our budget planner will tell you exactly how much you can afford to spend on gifts and festive indulgences, and it will pave the way for a financially flexible January too.

The benefits of using a budget planner are endless! Here are just a few…

• It allows you to manage your money effectively, whether it be for a short-term goal such as saving for Christmas gifts, or for something bigger like a downpayment on a new car.
• It helps you allocate the appropriate resources to your respective projects, for example putting a percentage away to pay off your debts.
• It monitors your spending habits so you can see where you are perhaps overspending, and where you need to reel it in.
• It allows you to meet your goals, which is something that can bring you great pleasure, especially after a trying year like the one we’ve all been through. Imagine going into the new year debt-free!
• It will help you make better decisions in the long run, but if you find that you are still struggling to save due to a desperate financial situation right now, we can help.
• It can help you spot unforeseen expenses before they occur. We all spend more than we’d like to over the festive period, and planning for this will help take the pressure off January’s payments or possible financial emergencies that might arise.
• It helps you plan for the future. This year has been tough on all of us, and there’s no better way to improve your financial future than by planning to the best of your abilities. After all, it’s all about starting small.

Download our budget planner today and make sure you’ve got enough moolah to see you through the festive season and into the new year. Alternatively, chat to one of our expert financial advisors to help get back on track with your finances.