Beat the 'January that never ends': Experts share festive season money tips

Experts at Standard Bank have cautioned consumers to juggle their finances carefully this festive season.

With public holidays, shutdowns, and year-end leave, the festive season fast-tracks the December payroll cycle. As a result, experts say January feels like the longest month, with an early December salary having to cover both Christmas and back-to-school costs.

Shené Mothilal, Solution Owner for Digital Money Manager at Standard Bank, says this extended gap can make managing money challenging.

“We've been analysing this phenomenon that South Africans have typically coined very playfully as the January that never seems to end. And actually, there's some truth in it. Analysing the pay gaps between December and January for salaried workers actually reveals that we wait six to seven days longer than in any other month.”

Mothilal says there are tools available to avoid financial anxiety at the start of the year.

“Future Payments provides customers with their upcoming payments, their amounts, and the dates for the next 14 and 30 days, allowing you to really plan ahead for your urgent as well as your near future. It takes away that mental load that we all inevitably carry in January by allowing you to just not have to remember it all.”