Holidays in Singapore are not complete without feasts and gift-giving, which can range from the simple to extravagant. You may soon notice an increase in your expenses and if you haven't, it might just be about to happen.
It’s the second week of December, which means the last minute holiday shopping season has just begun and the more active shoppers would be our moms.
Nonetheless, moms are always the ones who take the helm at parties, no matter how big or small they may be.
Of course as a mom, you also want to be sure you’re not wasting any of your hard-earned cash. Moreover, we may have complicated emotional attachments to our financial situations, and the act of purchasing itself can be stressful.
Mothers in Singapore make up a substantial portion of the population, and this is especially true over the holidays, when it is practically obligatory for every mother to go shopping for gifts and food.
If you have to go out and do some last-minute shopping for your loved ones, here are some things to keep in mind.
1. Make a list
Remember that the first step toward a stress-free and productive Christmas shopping experience, even if it’s at the last minute, is to plan, plan, plan. Before you go shopping, you should figure out who you’re purchasing for, what you want to purchase, and what other options you have in case your first choice is sold out.
Think about the major purchases you wish to make, as they will probably eat up a sizable chunk of your funds. This can help you determine how much more money you have available to spend.
Now that you have your holiday list in hand, you can bring in the sweet treats and begin with your shopping. Many moms enjoy going out and shopping for the holidays, and a solid strategy shouldn’t ruin that for them. Instead, it will help you stick to your gift-giving goals and restrain your impulse to overspend. Thus, you are giving each gift some serious consideration before purchasing it, which can help you save money and also make the presents you give more meaningful to the recipients.
2. Prioritize
If you haven’t started your Christmas shopping yet, you consider prioritizing presents for your loved ones who are closest to you. Workplace gift giving might be postponed until a later date, or alternatively, you can use gift cards and vouchers.
According to the AsianParent’s survey, 8 out of 10 moms plan to buy more than five presents for their children and grandchildren. They would likely spend at least 470 SGD, or around 4% of most families’ monthly wages, on these presents. Some moms even count their neighbors as “loved ones” alongside their significant others, offspring, and extended family.
It’s a struggle that many parents can relate to, trying to spend roughly the same amount of money on each child. But then you buy something on impulse (more on this later) for one child, then feel obligated to buy something else for another child, then overspend on the second child’s gift and buy something for the first child to make up for it, and before you know it, you’ve spent more than you intended on holiday shopping.
The simplest method to deal with this difficulty is to allocate a certain amount of money for each person on your gift list and stick to it. Gift-giving is about the thought, not the price, so don’t go overboard on the spending.
Include everyone from your closest friends and family to your in-laws and the mailman on your gift list. Then, next to each person’s name, type the corresponding budget. Limiting your spending throughout the holidays helps you stick to your financial plan.
3. Create a budget plan
When buying Christmas presents, it’s tempting to go beyond spending because of the convenience of using a credit card. Create a limit on the total amount you intend to spend on presents. According to the Straitstimes (2022), holidays are not an excuse to go out of control with spending. There are many ways to budget our holiday expenses and one of those is through making handcrafted gifts. In another Straits Times article, a couple made a DIY bed as a gift for their daughter using $2.50 planks of plywood and a tree house that costs only $100. The physical disappearance of cash from your wallet as you cross items off your list is a powerful visual reminder to keep spending in check. (It will keep you focused on your holiday shopping and not on scooping up deals during the sales at the end of the year.)
4. Shop alone
If you want to get anything done, including shopping, you should do it by yourself. Please don’t bring your children. It’s a recipe for disaster if you try to shop for your parents while holding a fussy baby or toddler who won’t stop crying. You can leave them with your parents or hire a babysitter, but it’s best to travel without them.
Save time and money by shopping in one convenient location: Singapore is a very small country that consists of shopping from coast to coast , earning its title as the “shopping capital.” Pick the one that has everything you want to shop at, or the ones that focus on what you need for the holidays. This reduces the time spent traveling and the mental strain associated with shopping.
Have a worry-free holiday!
Don’t allow your financial obligations to ruin your festive spirit. Don’t give yourself a yearly debt burden by basing gift-buying decisions on cash amounts instead of sentiments. Don’t let the holidays lead you to go overboard with your spending; instead, try these tips to get the most bang for your buck.