\u201cMost South Africans tend to forget that Easter needs to be budgeted for otherwise it can easily add to mounting debt,\u201d said Eunice Sibiya, Head of Consumer education at FNB.
\nIn many cases there is travel involved. This year there is not only the long weekend, but a public holiday in the same week, making it a good opportunity to take time off.
\nChildren will be at home and many people will be visiting their families. All of these factors mean extra expenses and more pressure on already stretched income.
\nThere are a few ways to give your budget some financial breathing room this Easter.<\/p>\n
Plan before you party<\/b> Staying at home<\/b> Travelling<\/b>
\nIn order to stop overspending over this mini holiday, put a plan in place. Overspending unnecessarily often is the result of spontaneous spending.
\n\u201cWhile it may seem that it will dampen the holiday spirit, your pocket and budget will thank you afterwards.\u201d
\nPart of the plan needs to take into account whether you are travelling or staying at home.<\/p>
\nStaying at home doesn\u2019t automatically make your holiday boring or cheaper.
\nFamily and friends visiting or staying over, outings, entertainment and gifts all add up.
\nIf you have friends and family staying over, try not to go out, rather entertain at home and get everyone involved.
\n\u201cAsk your family and friends to cook something that they find special and allocate a meal to each of them.
\n\u201cIf there are grown children, you can get them to make breakfast. This way everyone is involved, having fun and the costs could be shared amongst the adults.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\u201cFor your travelling plans, there are online calculators that will help you work out your travel costs and also flag any expenses that you haven\u2019t taken into account, such as costs of checking luggage if you are flying low cost airlines,\u201d said Sibiya.
\nFood is always a big cost when travelling by air, sea or land, especially if there is an entire family to feed.
\n\u201cTry not eat out every time, and if you are travelling from one point to another, by plane, car or bus, there is no reason why you can\u2019t have packed food for the journey,\u201d suggested Sibiya.
\nGet children to make their own cards and don\u2019t go overboard on the chocolate. A few each is more than enough.<\/p>