Although we Indians celebrate festivals all year long, the important ones begin this time of the year i.e. with Ganesh Chaturthi. Festivities are times for revelry with family and friends. While you get all excited to spruce up your home during this time, you also expect to bring about a change in your own monotonous life.
And why not! After all festivals are believed to bring joy & prosperity in our lives. But what about the pocket-crunching expenses they bring along – gifts, baksheesh, mithai, and what not. All this is hard to avoid. And if you are extravagant and generous during the festive season, it may cost you dearly later. So, here are few tips to strike a balance between indulging in festivity and not burning a hole in your pocket.

Power of recycling

In the age of strong branding, festive sale and brands alluring you with all kinds of promise and discounts, there’s a bunch of new-age ‘janta’ or Instagrammars who are telling you to give importance to recycling. And what special occasion then Diwali or Navratri. Home-made drapes of beautiful old sarees can be a substitute for brand new curtains, repaint diyas from last Diwali to give them a new look, make paper lamps by colouring newspapers. Take help from friends or family or Google, even better to pick some innovative recycling ideas that can save your money, yet keep the festival spirit on.
You can apply the same trick while gifting someone – try the DIY ideas of homemade chocolates or handmade wall pieces or lamps. There are ready materials available which comes cheaper! All it needs is a little bit of your time and a lot of enthusiasm.

Shop online or off season –

Shopping is one of the major budget eaters during festival. Clothes for the family, furniture or appliances for the home, jewellery to mark the auspicious occasion and there’s no stopping. Now how does one place a budget for all this? We understand the sentiment of buying new clothes and all other stuff and we aren’t asking you to recycle this time. But what if we tell you to shop a while before the occasion. We all know the meaning of sale so let’s not fall for that and be shopping ready months before the festivals arrive.
Also, instead of going to the expensive stores in malls, you can also check out deals available online. With India going digital, e-tailers are competing among themselves to sweeten the deal for the customer. So don't miss out on this opportunity of getting some great deals on clothes and accessories online. And always, always have a fixed budget for your shopping!

Don’t make bonus part of the celebration

Bonus is a yearly thing and it’s meant to be put into good use. Most splurge away bonus they receive and that’s a mistake. Bonus is a lump sum amount and to avoid its use, one should put it immediately to fixed deposit or put it in a high-return investment vehicle like SIP investment and let it grow over a period of time.
This will in fact help loosen up your budget for next festive season. Carry this same cycle every year and your festival expenses can gradually come under control.

Organize parties / gatherings at home

Festivity is the time to relax, time to gather around friends and family and basically have a good time. Now instead of queuing up in front of expensive restaurants on Diwali night or other festive time, you can always plan for a house party where all your friends or relatives can get together and have fun together.
Since potluck is a trend these days, you can suggest the same during this time where all the party guests can bring in their own special dishes and make it a buffet treat for everyone. Sounds delicious!

By implementing these simple yet effective ideas you will not only save a lot of money, but also ensure that you haven’t gone overboard with your festive spends. Besides, festivity is all about spending quality time with your loved ones, so as long as they are around it’s always happy and merry celebration!