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Hey Workers! Remember Next PayDay Comes in January

October 12, 2024

Nobody. 

Absolutely nobody.

January looking at many people dettying December frivolously: 

 

Riddle me this: what about January makes it feel like three months squeezed into one? There was that year when I could swear we had January 40th. And no, I wasn’t high.

 

Good for you if you work in a place where Christmas bonuses or 13th-month salary are a constant. Yet, it isn’t just about the incentive but how you plan your resources to last until the final week in January. December is a festive month and the expenses do not come at once, which makes it trickier. The spending creeps; a trip here and a gift there, until you are left with very little once the holidays are over. 

But it doesn’t have to be so. Neither do you have to be overly prudent. You worked hard for your money and you deserve to ball. 

I’d borrow the first lines of our article on Best Budgeting Practices for Salary Earners: 

Have you heard the saying, ‘Dorime is not for salary earners’? Well, that is not entirely true, and neither is it false. It is just a matter of wisdom and perspective. 

Managing finances is a big subject with diverse strategies for salary earners, freelancers, and business owners. But for salary earners who depend on payday to fatten their purses, the December-January situation is one to plan for. How do you make your December salary last until January?

“Budgeting does it for me, and I think that should be every salary earner’s first strategy”, Amanda says. She lives in Abuja and works in an NGO. “I ask myself the essential questions and the answers help me budget. Am I traveling?  To where? Am I gifting anyone? How many of them? What am I doing for myself for the holidays? I also try to set aside the basic expenses for January before I start spending for December. Plans change, but budgeting helps to curb excesses”. 

Unlike Amanda, Dayo augments with a lot of side hustles. “I work in PR, but I take on freelance writing during my leave and December holidays. I budget too, but I don’t lean on what I have alone and manage till the last week in January. Why not make more during that period and even have extra when January ends?”

There may be no one perfect strategy to manage your finances through this period, but budgeting and side hustles are definitely wise measures to take in managing your finances. 

In fact, with the holidays quickly creeping up, many of us are beginning to feel the pinch on our wallets. Imagine this: With December’s salary already spent and January still far away, it can be a daunting task to find a way to make it last until the new year. 

How Do You Make Your Salary Last Until January

I read this article on How To Make Your December Salary Last Until January, and it’s helpful. If you’re Nigerian, you might find it a bit foreign, but it’s really applicable to our conditions. Here’s a brief summary:

  1. Well, Budget! Can we get enough of that? 

  2. Budget again, but strategically. Read the article to get all the tea of the 50-30-20 budgeting rule

  3. Track your spending. You can make a budget and forget about it. Ensure there is a check on how well you follow your budget and what alterations you are making

  4. Spend the moment with friends and family who would also contribute to whatever expenses you are making. That way, you get all the goodies you want without having to pay for them all. Plus, group outings might come with great discounts!

  5. Have financial conversations with your pals. It could help to talk about money and plans for the new year. 

Bonus tip: scroll up and follow the link to read the piece. 

So, while you are making all the plans to get December detty, remember there’s a three-months-in-one January waiting ahead. You don’t want to go in there stranded. While at it, don’t starve yourself, the goal is to find a decent balance between the two! 

Note: Detty/Dettying: A Nigerian slang that connotes the festivities that happen during the Christmas celebration.