Budgeting For Belizean Christmas Traditions

It’s December, and you know what that means—Christmas songs are on repeat, and everyone’s thinking about what they need to buy for the season. For many, this time of year can be financially stressful with all the food, shopping, wish lists, and getting the house ready. It’s also a time when people often spend more than they can afford to enjoy the holiday. While keeping up with Christmas traditions is important for many families, is it possible to celebrate without breaking the bank? News Five’s Paul Lopez dives into this question in this week’s installment of Five Point Break Down.

 

Paul Lopez, Reporting

Christmas is just around the corner, and the holiday expenses are piling up. Belizeans everywhere are getting ready by buying marly to lay down, eyeing that turkey and ham, shopping for new curtains, and checking off items on the family wish list. But with the cost of goods steadily rising, are shoppers sticking to a budget? We asked them to find out.

 

Paul Lopez

“You budget for the Christmas or you take it as it comes?”

 

Gardenia Seguro, Burrell Boom Resident

“Sometimes I budget for the Christmas and then I take it as it comes, because we are a family of nine.”

 

Paul Lopez

“What dah the most important thing for you on that budget for Christmas?”

 

Gardenia Seguro

“That the kids deh get deh food, if I could afford it I get them a gift. But deh food and deh cake. The turkey, the ham and the cake.”

 

Amparo Acosta, Pomona Village Resident

“I budget, I budget, I start budget from in a June. You know like how deh always say, June to November, June to November, that is when I start my Christmas preparations.”

 

Paul Lopez

“Why is it important for you to budget.”

 

Amparo Acosta

“Well, I am a person that loves Christmas, I go all out for Christmas, so I make my preparations from then.”

 

Rosita Glenn, Belize City Resident

“I take it as it comes.”

 

Paul Lopez

“So what are the essentials you must have for Christmas?”

 

Rosita Glenn

“Mih turkey and mih ham, mih black cake and mih Lemondade, old fashion style.”

 

We spoke with several shoppers, and their responses varied. Some said they budget for themselves but spare no expense for their children. Others believe that food is the most important purchase during Christmas, with everything else being secondary. However, inflation is a concern. According to the latest report from the Statistical Institute of Belize, a pound of Irish potatoes costs more now than it did in November, and that’s a key ingredient for the beloved potato salad. While there’s no data on the current cost of a whole turkey, the good news is that the price of whole chicken has slightly decreased. On the other hand, ham can cost over three hundred dollars in extreme cases. And let’s not forget about budgeting for gadgets for the kids, new curtains, lights for the house, and the endless list of holiday expenses.

 

Budgeting for the Christmas

We sat down with Sherlet Neal, the Managing Director at the Belize Institute for Service Excellence, Leadership and Research, for some advice on how Belizeans can make their dollars stretch further this Christmas. One of the courses that Neal’s organization offers is on budgeting.

 

Sherlet Neal, Managing Director, B.I.S.E.L.R

“I think what has worked for me and from our perspective as an organization is that Christmas is a short time. Bills last all year long, so while Christmas will come and go and it is a time for celebration, the bills don’t always go away. So what I usually advise people to do is pay your bills first. A lot of people defer their December bills so that they have more money in their pockets for Christmas. But come January, the bills are still there.”

 

Paying your December bills might seem like a no-brainer for some people, but for those worried about the fact that only a small amount will be left over, what do you do?

 

Sherlet Neal

“The first thing you want to do, my advice and what really works for me is invest in groceries, make sure you have food. I find that the real joy in Christmas is when family could get together sit down and eat and food available. Forget everything else, maybe a lee thing on the side if you are into drinking. But the real joy at Christmas after all the titivating up is people coming together. So, spend money on the food. Expect it will be a little more than your normal budget for food, because of the little ham and turkey and the merriment on the side, but buy your lee groceries. If you have a good family network, do a little putlock so it is not all on you the person hosting everybody.”

 

Neal also suggested steering clear of Christmas loans, opting for gifts with sentimental value rather than expensive ones, and repurposing or reusing items around the house like curtains and couch covers.

 

Businesses For the Budget Conscious

With more access to technology, many kids now see tech and gadgets as must-haves on their wish lists. Meanwhile, some shoppers are determined to get those new curtains. We visited two downtown stores to see if businesses are catering to budget-conscious shoppers.

 

 Kayle Hernandez, Supervisor, Carry On Electronics

“Our air pods usually range from thirty-five dollars up. We also have some Galaxy Fit three and other accessories we will be getting, we often have a lot of accessories, budget friendly as you mentioned. Here we try to have quality as well as prices as well as December. We try to cater for all levels. If you want something cheaper, we try to have something that meets the same quality, or close to the same quality of the original ones or something close to what you want.”

 

Teresita Garbutt, Public Relations, Mikado

“Well they have curtains, they buy fabrics, rugs, comforters.”

 

Paul Lopez

“How durable is this material that you are making this curtain with? Is it something I can make a curtain, put it up this year and have it for next year again?”

 

Teresita Garbutt

“Yes, you can have it for this year and the next year after that.”

 

Paul Lopez

“What would you say comes out cheaper. Buying a curtain already made or making it yourself?”

 

Teresita Garbutt

“Well, it depends on your liking, because we have different people who still buy material to make their curtains and stuff that we have available.”

 

Starting the New Year Financially Sound

It’s interesting to note that today’s budgeting advice came from someone who hasn’t always been careful with money. As her son, I saw firsthand how we often spent more than necessary on things that were just for the season.

 

Paul Lopez

“When did you realize that all of that was counterproductive?”

 

Sherlet Neal

“For me, back then I was not concerned about saving, I was concerned about living for the now. We have a saying, January catches you broke, New Years catch you broke, you are going to be broke for the rest of the year. We used to say it and laugh, because most people first of January broke.  We say, he, he, everybody broke. That is not a lie when you think about that saying, when January catch you broke, it is a huge indication that you will be indeed broke for the rest of the year, you are setting the tone.”

 

Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez