By Chiquitta
With all the inflation and fuel shortages, Christmas will prove to be a bit difficult for most people. In fact it’s turning out to be down right expensive.
To avoid compounding the financials strain coming in January, young Kenyans will have to add some creativity to the way they celebrate the festive season this year.
Here are some great ways to save pennies and make sure your chrismas is not as poor as it looks...
Car-pooling
Finding petrol stations that actually stock fuel or are open at night has become a nightmare. You are most likely to find yourself driving around in the dark looking for a petrol station whose attendants are not waving their hands to signal no fuel the moment you drive in. When you do find a fuel station, you have to join a long line of waiting cars and when you finally make it to the pump, the same amount you used to put in for full or half tank no longer registers a blip. So how about carpooling with a couple of friends? You can all come up with a fuel kitty and if you do get stuck at least you are not alone. Car-pooling also has the benefits of having more than one driver and is actually more fun than driving alone or in twos.
House parties
There was a time house parties were the way to go, but now thanks to Nema and the fact that getting a good and affordable house party DJ is not easy nowadays, most Kenyans would rather just head to the club, listen to the same old jams played by resident DJs and call it a night well spent. The house party need not be an expensive shindig, BYOB (Bring Your Own Bottle) or pooling money for drinks and snacks together is a great way to keep costs down. If you have a computer you can mix your own playlist and connect it to your speakers to ensure you have the right kind of music.
Potluck
Some of us, for reasons best known to ourselves, do not do house parties, not the crazy ones anyway. If you want to enjoy the company of friends but cannot afford to go to an expensive restaurant, why not have a potluck? Have friends bring different home- cooked dishes to add to what you will cook, put your money together for some bottles of wine or juice and enjoy each other’s company. You can also use the opportunity to all come up with money or clothing to give to charity.
Barbecue
Who said great parties only take place at night? An afternoon barbecue organised with friends and family is a great way to bond over the festive season. Pool your cash together for the food (nyama choma) and drink, play some music and have some good, clean fun.
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