November 2022 December 2022
www.connectornews.ca
VOL. 31, NO. 8 7 DECEMBER NOVEMBER2022 2022POWERED POWEREDBY BYKAMLOOPS KAMLOOPSTHIS THISWEEK WEEK||AAPROUD PROUDPART PARTOF OFABERDEEN ABERDEENPUBLISHING PUBLISHING
Timeprotests: Iran to put your Gender-based garden to violence, bed. KFPC. food insecurity and human Page 2 rights issues Page 2
WCTCantabile The - It’s a Wonderful Singers offer Life: annual A Live Radio In Remembrance Play. Page 3 Page 5 concert
Season’s Dave Obee Greetings shares his from passionGardens Desert for family history 9 Page 5
Sledding at Lac du Bois
Rebekah Barendregt submitted this photo to KTW’s photo contest last winter. Recent snowfalls will ensure that winter activities are back in full swing this year.
An overlooked key to Make New Connections health and wellness. with the City’s New Seniors’ Page 9 Program Page 11 Drop-In
Keeping BC Seniors: ourFalling loved one’s further behind memories alive. 207 Page 10
6 ways to stick to a holiday budget The holidays can be an exciting, fun and joyful time of year. And for many people, the holidays also are expensive. According to the Motley Fool Company, a financial wellness resource, the average American spent $882.45 on Christmas gifts, food, decorations, travel, and other holidayrelated expenses in 2019. Around 56 percent of gift shoppers set a budget for holiday spending, but only 64 percent stuck to it. In addition, 21.5 percent of respondents went into debt due to holiday shopping. With current rates of inflation, many are looking for ways to manage a more frugal Christmas because the disposible income just isn’t there this year. Who doesn’t want to have a super holiday with delicious foods on the table and lots of presents to share with family and friends? While that’s tempting, such a bounty should never result in financial peril. These six strategies can make it easy to establish and stick to a budget this holiday season. 1. Budget for everything. When working out holiday spending plans, factor in ALL of the expenses associated with the holidays — not just the most obvious. 2. Determine how much you can spend. Money for gifts and other holiday expenses should ideally come from your disposable
income. Find ways to make up any deficit by curtailing expenses like dining out or entertainment extras. Many people plan to use credit cards to pay now and worry about the aftermath later. Only use credit cards if you have the money in the bank and can pay off the entire bill when the balance is due in January. 3. Set a spending limit for individuals. Come up with a spending range for each person and stick to it. Have a Secret Santa arrangement so everyone only has to buy one gift for one person in the group. 4. Pay in cash as much as possible. It’s easy to know what you’re spending when using cash as opposed to credit. 5. Track all purchases. Save the receipts and keep a running total of expenditures so you can see how your spending is measuring up to your budget. 6. Shop sales and deals. High-end stores may have the impressive tag, but their prices can set you back. Instead, look for comparable gifts at discount stores and other retailers. Making gifts or giving experiences are other ways to cut back on the costs of gift giving. A holiday budget is a must to avoid overspending and finding yourself paying for it in January.
HOME IS NOT JUST A PLACE, IT'S A FEELING. 250-372-8141 834 Laval Crescent