Red Christmas: when you can't afford the coffee

I did it again. I've reached that point, as I do every December, when I can no longer afford that cappuccino kick that warms hands and heart and just generally makes working during the holiday season – and every other day, for that matter - bearable.

Credit cards and medical aid savings are exhausted (so the kids get sick at their peril!) and every awards point, eBuck and coupon has been consumed. The last to go is always the coffee. 

For the record, this year I did incur the additional expenses of moving across the country, putting down a hefty deposit on a new place to rent, and reversing into some poor unsuspecting soul (while en route to buy said cappuccino). That being said, it is cold comfort for missing my warm cup of caffeine. 

Turns out I’m not the only one. Deloitte’s Yearend Holiday Survey reveals that over 82% of South Africans are spending less on entertainment and leisure activities than last year, while 74% are spending less on vacations and 41% want cash for Christmas. This is understandable given the current climate of a weakening rand and rising inflation and interest rates. 

Millennials are constantly accused of splurging on luxuries at the expense of saving. A recent Forbes article mentions that millennials are “addicted to lattes even at the expense of our water bill”. Cosmopolitan confirms this in their piece, 21 things millennials are wasting their money on: number one being daily cappuccinos. 

Deloitte’s survey, too, supports this view, stating that younger consumers are less likely to cut back on spending on clothing and digital games and gadgets given that they place greater significance on these items than older age groups. 

So how do you survive the holidays, with coffee shops on every corner and Superbalist emailing daily deals, enticing you to go on a spending Spree and Takealot? 

My advice, before the woe-lidays get the better of you: if you don't want to spend a blue Christmas in the red, cut back on the cappuccinos!