Special Occasions, Long weekends, & Holidays. WT..cost?
- Moni Ora
- 7 days ago
- 3 min read
Updated: 6 days ago
Many of us can manage our everyday finances like getting the rent paid and food on the table, … most of the time.
But life is more than that… way more …thank goodness!
This weekend is Easter and next weekend we’ve got ANZAC Day on Friday making two long weekends in a row! Bonus!
Some of us will take advantage of the long weekends for special occasions, family get-togethers, celebrations, or just some much-needed R&R. All these things come with a cost.
How well we’ve pre-planned for these ‘extra’ costs will depend on how painful (or not painful) the financial hangover is when the weekend is over.
Financially, (often) the big one is Christmas (maybe we’re still financially hungover from last year…?). All public holidays come at the same time each year (thereabouts) and with a little planning, we can spend more time enjoying and less time worrying about money.
At Moni Ora we like to help people PLAN BETTER LIVE BETTER
The basic principles of planning money are timeless ...
Spend less than you earn
Account for everything
Plan ahead
Sounds easy, right?
Knowing exactly how much is coming in and how much is going out is essential. Start with the basics and find out how much you have left for savings and extra costs.
As a starter why not try cutting out unnecessary spending to make room for those special occasions that are important to you?
Here are some ideas you might want to try…
Skip a cup of coffee once a week, and repurpose the $5 onto a Christmas club card at your local grocery store. $5 x 50 weeks will give you $250 to use toward kai.
Purchase gift cards throughout the year. $10 x 20 weeks will give you $200 worth of cards to give out for gifts. Note: Check the card expiry dates - some are shorter than you might think.
Browse local Op Shops to find treasures that can be upcycled and gifted for birthdays and Christmas.
Start a 20-week challenge by putting away money each week. Put aside $1 in the first week, $2 in the second, $3 in the third week, and keep increasing by $1 a week…. By week 20 you’ll have saved $210!
Modify the challenge to suit your needs, ie adjust the dollar amount to suit your budget over a longer (or shorter) savings period.
For example, starting in May (next month), over 30 weeks you’ll have saved $465 by the end of November. That's a good bonus coming into Christmas!
With family occasions, include whanau in the planning. Talk and agree on who can contribute what. Everyone's limits will be different depending on their situation and contributions can be a mix of financial and non-financial. If everyone knows what is needed and how they can contribute in advance it is easier to plan for any gaps or adjust the event to suit the combined resources. For instance, if you’re planning a gathering suggest everyone brings something for the BBQ, hangi, or a plate for the kai table.
Contributions matter. Even small contributions help us to feel worthy and connected and build mana and healing.
Planning may involve adjusting weekly spending habits to achieve the goals that are important to you and your family. Ultimately less stress outweighs short-term discomfort and you can enjoy your special occasion or holiday weekends without booking up a financial hangover that could impact for the weeks or months to come.
Do you agree that taking steps to prevent unnecessary stress to concentrate on better things makes sense? With that in mind, I'd like to introduce you to one of Moni Ora's most popular planning tools...
The Annual Expense Planner
The Moni Ora Annual Expense Planner is a simple planner that packs a lot of punch. This planner highlights the 'extra' costs that can cause stress. It is a simple, yet powerful, tool to kick start planning to LIVE BETTER.
Just make a note..
Noting upcoming events creates a visual overview. Using a pen to write directly on the PDF may seem old school but (trust me) it works in ways that an electronic calendar doesn’t ...use your electronic tools as well, that's cool too.
No dollars are added at this stage - event budgeting comes later.
Click on the link to download your free Annual Expense Planner today.
Want a printed copy? Collect one from Moni Ora at 48 Cobden Street, Gisborne.
Start planning better to live better today!
Moni Ora is open weekdays from 9.30 am to 4.00 pm.
Closed on Public Holidays.
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