Not everyone managed to recover from financial consequences of Christmas and now Easter expenses are awaiting us. According to the survey "Poles' Attitudes Towards Saving" conducted by The Citi Handlowy Leopold Kronenberg Foundation, as many as 22 percent of us do not plan expenses. What is worth knowing so that Easter leaves only good memories?
The annual survey "Poles' Attitudes Towards Saving" carried out by The Citi Handlowy Leopold Kronenberg Foundation indicates weaknesses of our financial habits - it turns out that we unalterably have problems with both long-term saving, planning and controlling our expenses. Although, as it was proven by our surveys, during the last 7 years the percentage of people not planning their expenditures decreased, every fifth of us still does not make financial plans, and 17 percent admit not to control their expenses - alarms Krzysztof Kaczmar, President of The Citi Handlowy Leopold Kronenberg Foundation. We usually go shopping as soon as we receive our pay and we buy much more food than needed. According to the data of the Polish Food Bank, the Poles throw away over 2 million tons of food annually. Consequently, it means that each household loses about PLN 50 per month.
The period before Christmas and Easter is usually a peak of grocery shopping. Everyone wants to prevent a situation when there is not enough food on the table during festivals, so we are ready to spend even a few hundred zlotys in stores before that time. It is worth considering whether all Easter purchases are a must.
The first step to start saving money is to realize how much and on what we spend it. A moment of reflection on reasonableness of every purchase, including those special ones, before festivals, will help us to plan our financial future - states Krzysztof Kaczmar.
Three Easter pieces of advice what to do not to get surprised by an empty wallet after Easter:
- We should keep in mind that Easter lasts only a couple of days and we should not buy the amount of products needed for the whole week. Our stomach, just like our account balance, has limited possibilities. Let us recall how much food got wasted after the last festival and cautiously rethink the number of products to be bought. We should also remember about a shopping list, without which we should not enter a store.
- Let us focus on tradition. The stores are tempting us with exquisite products suggesting that none of them should be missing on the Easter table. However, the traditional Easter menu consists of simple dishes which can be prepared from local products.
- Let us share the work and costs. The Easter meals are usually consumed together with the family. We should consider whether it is possible to split the duties connected with preparations and, in effect, also with financing of particular meals among particular members of the family meeting.
