Don’t count your bunnies before they hatch – how to financially survive Easter

Easter is usually time for family celebration filled with Easter egg hunts, chocolates, time spent with family and with most schools closed during this period it is also a time when families go on holiday as well as lots of time spent entertaining. However, many people don’t plan for Easter like they do for the summer festive season making it easy to blow monthly budgets on unexpected expenses.

Eunice Sibiya, head of Consumer Education at FNB says, “Easter expenses tend to sneak up on us because people don’t think it’s necessary to be financially prepared, but families, and especially those with children on school holidays at this time, experience a spike in spending.”

Sibiya says the biggest Easter costs are holidays, extra food, drinks and keeping the kids entertained.

“We put so much planning into the festive season budgeting for gifts, holidays away, the big lunches, family outings and more during December. People forget that Easter can put a similar dent in their budgets, so we need to do planning and set limits like we did for December,” she says.

The most common Easter expense is Easter eggs.

“We end up buying Easter eggs for ourselves, friends, family and most importantly for the Easter egg hunts,” says Sibiya.

Sibiya cautions against going overboard. “It is very easy, especially with children to end up overspending on luxuries such as chocolate. Rather ration your Easter eggs to a couple per a child, keeping track of how many you buy. Try to shop in advance, as there is a tendency to overspend if buying at the last minute in a panic.”

Plan for additional entertainment around this time.

“Many people take leave to coincide with the Easter public holidays and school holidays. So whether you decide to stay at home, or go away, entertainment and food costs tend to go up during this time,” says Sibiya.

She suggests putting a budget together for entertaining the kids. Think of activities they can do at home or organising play-dates to save money.

“Like in December, there are impromptu get-togethers and family braais, and before you know it, you have 20 people at your house for Easter Sunday lunch. Don’t let it sneak up on you. Sit down with family members, work out a menu and have each person prepare a dish for Easter lunch. It will save you time and money,” says Sibiya.

“Some people might have just recovered from Christmas debt, while others are still dealing with it by the time that Easter rolls around. Careful planning and budgeting is needed for Easter so that we don’t fall into a debt spiral,” concludes Sibiya.