HAPPY NEW YEAR!
The holidays are over. The rushing and dashing to shop for presents for our loved ones, friends and others we had to remember during this period is over.
Shopping for presents is not an easy task. We have to decide what would please the person we intend the gift for. We also have to consider how deep our pocket is. Can we afford the present we plan to give?
Many times I had experienced disappointments when I witnessed the opening of gifts. Sometimes the recipient hardly looked at the contents of the box and then set it aside apparently forgotten. That is why I do not go shopping for presents anymore. I just give each of my nephews, nieces and grandchildren some money that they can spend on Boxing Day. They appreciate cash better.
There are people to whom we give little presents during these past holidays as a token that they are remembered. I receive many such gifts and I treasure them. They may just be little scarves, a box of chocolate or even just greeting cards with some words of endearment that warm your heart.
We Filipinos do not forget those we owe a debt of gratitude. “Utang na loob!” We make the person know that we have not forgotten by a present during this time of the year. This is gift that we usually choose with care to please the recipient.
We also give presents to people whom we hope would think well about us like our employers or someone with power who can help us find a good job or recommend us for a promotion.
This latter reasons for gift-giving are not very pleasant. There are hidden agenda with these gifts.
These holidays mean partying either you host one or go to one. It is also a reason for family gatherings and reunions. Each family has a turn to give the party. If you happen to host this year, you make sure that it is grander than the one given by your cousin last year! More sumptuous, more drinks, more presents. Then another headache arises! What will you wear? You cannot wear the same outfit you had on last year. Another trip to the mall!
There would be several invitations- the party at your workplace, your best friend’s gathering at home, the visit to a nearby bar after office hours! You can’t be wearing the same outfit in all of those if same people are attending them.
The credit card has almost reached its maximum limit. Do you have to go to your credit line in the bank?
Decisions! Decisions! Decisions! Your “amor propio” dictates them. Never mind. Your credit is still good. You can do the paying afterwards.
The two weeks are over. Children are back to school. The house is very dirty. The Christmas tree has to be dismantled and the decorations need to be back in their boxes. The dried-up tree needs to be taken to the curb for the garbage collectors.
All the gift wrappers are in garbage bags. The toys are left on the floor discarded. The left-overs of the feast are crowding in the fridge with nobody wanting to eat them.
After the holidays, everybody appears to be tired. Parents are easily irritated. The children would not cooperate in cleaning-up or putting away their toys.
The weather seems to be in cohort with the situation. Sunshine seldom appears. A pall of gloom seems to envelop the surroundings. The temperature has dropped down to minus double digit.
But we have to get over this. We cannot allow all the cleaning-up to be left undone. Little by little we move to have all the garbage taken out. The discarded holiday clothes are put in plastic bags and dumped in the closet. They will be aired in spring. The children are coaxed to cooperate with some rewards. Everybody goes out in the morning bundled in several layers of clothing with woolen hats, mittens, neck warmers, snow pants and boots. In the evening hot soup awaits.
What else needs cleaning-up?
Ah! Did we over splurge? Did we spend over our budget? Did we consider how to cover the deficit after the holidays?
Credit card organizations are quite liberal on how we pay our debts. They just set a minimum to pay each month. What we may not realize is that they charge exorbitant interest that may be greater than the monthly payment one may make such that the principal amount increases as time goes on that leaves you deeper and deeper in debt. The next holiday season may be here again and the debts from the previous year may still remain unpaid. The sooner we realize that something has to be done to remedy the situation, the better our financial situation would be. The bank may be willing to consolidate your debts and make your payment with less interest. This may mean paying more every month than what your credit card agency requires but the principal amount will decrease and will eventually get paid. This action needs a lot of courage to undertake. It may mean a greater discipline in making the current budget. Vacations may not have a room, repairs and renovations in the house may be postponed, new coats for the winter may have to be crossed out from the list. Even small personal expenses like a cup of coffee and a donut may have to be thought out first before indulging in the little refreshments.
Let us hope that we get all our debts of this previous year cleaned up. Let us look forward to a clean slate for the next year. Let us learn a lesson from those difficulties and try our best not to get into them again. Not an easy task but it can be done with more discipline and cooperation from other members of the family.
If we really put our heart into it, each day has to be counted as a time for getting into our goals. Less eating out, less purchase of junk food, better care for what we already possess so that they would last longer, new menus for left-over food, setting task that target saving.
It is often said that North America is a throw-away society. We always buy the newest models of telephones, clothes and other gadgets whenever they get advertised. We give away or throw-out the things that are still usable. We seemed to be ashamed when caught using an old model of anything. Businessmen would say that consumerism is the way to progress. It is the way for the rich and powerful but it is the path for the poor in getting poorer.
It is a farce to wish a friend a happy and prosperous new year without the silent hope that he or she cleans-up her credit for the next holidays.
Rosalina E. Bustamante
January 11, 2015
