By Adadainfo
The cultural pressures of what we must wear and eat during December may be difficult to dismiss… However, it is also true that our communal giving during this period has created additional cultural burdens on many people. Those who are inclined to give to others are the most exploited as well during December.
We cannot necessarily blame the economic situation on this perennial circle of indecision at all. During economic buoyance, the story is as worse as during the periods of scarcity.
There is so much frenzy in December every year that we barely pay mind to the fact that another month is following closely. We complain, grumble, and everything in-between that January is the ‘longest’ month of the year. It is most annoying when we repeatedly fall into the same trap, year-in-year-out.
When will we ever learn to prepare for January in December, or better still, right from October?
I recollect a particular financial planning training programme I participated in as a facilitator two decades ago. There was this particular session that I took on personal budgeting processes. Oh, how I love teaching anything and everything about budgets!
In that session, during the practical aspect, I was going to help participants develop a simple budget for December. In the organisation, they usually pay what is known as the 13th month salary, which is a kind of yearly bonus given to all staff members.
I started by asking specific questions about what they intended to do with their 13th month salary. The participants rolled out many things, such as buying a particular clothing material they had been ‘eyeing’ for a while, holidays for the family, some trips to the village, and sundry things. I listened patiently to their desires, imputed them into the budget template, and heaved an uncomfortable sigh.
Their countenance changed, and they started wondering what they had said wrong. I told them I still had a particular question, and they adjusted their seats in anticipation of this.
I asked: “Does anyone of you have a child of school age?” I probed further if any of their wards attended the public school.
Several other questions were asked. As we agreed on them, we adjusted the budget, until we were best assured that we had taken adequate care of the typical ‘challenges’ of January that made it look like it has 70 to 90 days in it. They mostly had children of the schooling age, but none of them attend public schools.
To be sure I was not presumptuous, I also asked if they had paid the school fees of their children for the new term starting in January in advance. The class became silent. Some humming and feeling of guilt pervaded the atmosphere.
Someone raised her hand. I beckoned on her to go ahead with her question. She narrated how in the previous year, a child of her neighbours was heard accusing the parents in mid-January that they did not love him. The child stated that he had been ‘chased’ out of class because the parents had not paid his school fees. The lady then recollected how the family had had so much fun and ‘enjoyment’ in the previous December period.
I could only imagine if the story truly related to her neigbour or it was actually about her family, which could have been a possibility.
However, on the basis of her story, the class came up with a slogan that day: “The same child who said you were the best in December may accuse you of not loving him or her in January, if s/he experiences the lack of payment of his/her school fees by you the parents.”
From there, we determined what the average school fees would be in January, and thereafter adjusted the other expenses to accommodate this.
The next question I asked participants was if they all lived in their personal houses and were free of paying rent or if they still paid yearly rents in their present accommodations. It was another gloomy moment in the class again! Again, we made another adjustment to the budget.
While it may not be unreasonable to assume that some of the issues that arise are not within the control of many individuals, I will unequivocally submit that there are instances of indulgence and outright indiscipline on the part of many of us.
Several other questions were asked. As we agreed on them, we adjusted the budget, until we were best assured that we had taken adequate care of the typical ‘challenges’ of January that made it look like it has 70 to 90 days in it.
We can recall a song from elementary school that goes: “September, April, June, and November all have 30 days, while only February has 28 (29) days, while the rest are 31 days.” From that song, it is obvious that January is one of those months having 31 days. As such, what are the lessons we are not learning?
We tend to overspend in December, and sometimes on unnecessary things.
We hardly make any provision for January, which is the following month.
Even when we have more money in December, we still find it difficult to control our expenses. Culturally, we wrongly compete for things that are of doubtful value.
Higher percentages of our December expenses are on excessive consumption – foods, drinks, clothing, and such things. We mostly get paid earlier in December, which has become burdensome to our January survival.
Excessive demands in December usually translate to higher prices, and hence more spending. And there are many other expenses that may be peculiar to each family, like vacations, etc.
While it may not be unreasonable to assume that some of the issues that arise are not within the control of many individuals, I will unequivocally submit that there are instances of indulgence and outright indiscipline on the part of many of us. The cultural pressures of what we must wear and eat during December may be difficult to dismiss.
Finally, are we ever willing to learn to start having a better January, going forward?
Bolutife Oluwadele is a chartered accountant, author, and public policy scholar based in Canada. Email: bolutife.oluwadele@gmail.com
