THERE IS A LIFE AFTER THE FESTIVE SEASON

Yay! Another festive season is here Christmas which is followed by the New Year celebration and this is the time for families to come together as one to celebrate the festivities of the season, this is when the chickens, goats, and turkeys AKA tolotolo go to the slaughterhouse to be butchered for the Christmas celebration everybody is on the jolly and merry mode knowing it is yet another Christmas holiday, just like my mum would say "that period is a period of grace for everyone so you can do as you wish but respect yourself". Trust me to always do the opposite; that day is a day you could literally eat whatever you like with different delicacies lined up, is it egusi (melon soup), ogbono soup, rice,eba, fufu, etc.

From our house, then, when we were younger, you could perceive the aroma of your neighbor cooking; in fact, it was a contest for the best aroma in the neighborhood, and there was the part of gifting or sharing your food/presents to the neighbors and even those far away. It was always a good experience delivering food to the neighborhood.
Me: Good afternoon ma, my mummy asked me to deliver this.
The receiver: oh dear, help me. Thank your mummy. I will call her, be a good girl.
That is how we will run errands for the day with joy plastered all over our faces.

I used to think my parents were the richest in the neighborhood because of the way we cooked for the neighborhood, but no, they were not the richest. It's the way they handled things around the festive season. My mum is a farmer and she has a mini poultry for turkeys and chickens, also a pen for goats and there is something my mum does, she would go to her farm some months before December and harvest Mellon seeds, pepper, and the fruit for ogbono then she proceeds to process it and store in a container, on the day we are to cook she goes to the farm or sends someone to get vegetables for the soup, some of her livestock she does sell and she keeps some at home for the upcoming festive seasons.

Now you might say not everyone owns a farm or would love to be a farmer. Fine, I am not disputing that fact and that is where budgeting and savings come in if only you can be disciplined enough to save up and budget things. I know someone who does Christmas savings and someone who saves a thousand naira every day of the year to date, now tell me how do you expect that person to go bankrupt or run into penury and debt after this festive season.

Another way is please do not live above your means and also try as much as possible to live below your means (I'm not saying you should live like a beggar), allow me to explain that; living below your means is a situation where you can spend some of your finances and still have something to fall back on (someone once said it's called emergency savings). We know it's the festive season but there is life after the festive season and everyone must move on, so do not "overdo" things. For families that would love to go on a vacation and other things, if for that period your financial strength is not capable, Aunty, Uncle relax for your house, I know why I am saying this because I have seen couples fighting why are they fighting? It is because they borrowed money to travel and now the children can't go to school the next academic session.

THERE IS A LIFE AFTER THE FESTIVE SEASON

A WORD THEY SAY IS ENOUGH FOR THE WISE.

peace out ✌️

ALL PICTURES ARE MINE