Exercise caution this holiday season

ManUp with Simon

Indeed, this is the best time of the year with the holidays bringing lots of excitement. Many people get into a jovial spirit, often taking time to relax and reflect on the year that was. Your old man may allow you to use his car more often and you will somehow have more money in your pockets, of course with a matching increase in ways and means of spending it, mostly on fun-related activities such as partying or on gifts for yourself, friends and loved ones.

However, despite the cherry ambience and untold excitement, December also brings with it a fair share of troubles, which you ought to be aware of to ensure you survive through the holidays in one piece.

 A little caution doesn’t hurt

In spite of all the celebrations, December is known to have the highest number of fatalities, especially to do with road accidents. Just like you, there are many more young men out there with a lot of money, a lot of alcohol in their bloodstream and very little experience on the road. To stay safe through these holidays, always be sure to make the right decisions when partying and while driving. 

 Before the partying starts, be the man with a plan. Appoint yourself as the designated driver. Okay, this sounds really hard and boring ha? Well, it actually is, but you shouldn’t entrust this decision on anyone else either. What is likely to happen is that as soon as you propose this, one of your buddies is going to offer himself up as a designated driver, but he will organise with the bartender to serve him laced drinks. If you cannot watch all night as your friends have all the fun while you sip that soft drink, make sure you give the car keys to the bartender. If the car belongs to one of the other guys, grab the keys and give them away and insist on taking a cab home. Many restaurant parking lots have adequate security, so the car will be safe.

 Cab fare to deliver each one of you home safely will not be more than Sh2,000 for many neighbourhoods. This is nothing compared to the cost of fixing injuries or damages caused in case of an accident as a result of drunk driving. If you have to drive upcountry, be sure to do so within reasonable speed limits. The fines are higher, more stringent and anyway, you will get there.

Deal too good to be true, it probably is

During the holiday season, people tend to loosen up even with strangers. Young men like you are preferred targets for highly skilled women who specialise in stripping men of their personal items like watches, cash and phones as well as their household belongings. The intelligence of those beautiful women is way beyond yours; they can secure your trust in minutes and have you eating from the palm of their hand in two-hours. They will lace your drink with drugs then rob you naked. Sometimes they will agree for you to take them to your crib. To you, this may seem like a lucky day for such a beautiful woman to give in on the first date, but when the deal seems too good to be true, it probably is. She will be on a mission to assess the value of the belongings in your crib or home.

 Be careful with whom you associate with, especially in those dimly-lit bars. If you go to a bar alone, leave for your house/home alone; otherwise, it may be an uphill task trying to explain to your folks where everything is when you can’t even remember her first name.

Think about winter all summer

A while ago, I shared with you the ant philosophy, which states that ants plan for winter all summer and plan for summer all winter so each season finds them ready. With more money in your pocket this month, you are in the summer, but you also need to plan for the winter, which is January. Many people spend all their money in December like there is no tomorrow, only to face a harsh first three months of the year. To avoid this, you need to stash something far away on in a bank account.