Who doesn’t love the festivities? Decorating the home with sparkling lights, twirling and posing in your favourite outfits, lots of lots of selfies, bringing the gang together to create trending Reels, and let’s not forget the HOLIDAYS!
In India, although celebrations happen all year round – the last few months of the year can be particularly hectic and – let’s be frank - quite a burden on the pocket. Gift shopping, sweet preparations, home renovations, the list is long, and the takers many.
So how do you plan for a meaningful festive celebration without having to check the price tags every time? We’ll tell you how.
1) Make guilt-free choices Festivals and guilt-free – they can never go hand in hand, right? But what if they can?
Today, there is a healthier, or ‘sustainable’ choice for everything – from food to decorations, refurbished gadgets to upcycled or recycled outfits. Making conscious choices to eat right, take up a new skill or help with festival chores can be quite satisfying.
Here are a few tips on how you can celebrate in new and interesting ways this season!
Start with the food you eat. Instead of popping packaged sweets and treats all through the day – this time around, why don’t you invest in creating a new and healthy family recipe? Choosing ingredients like jaggery, honey, dates, almond flour, dark chocolates, olive oil, etc. which are more nutritious, will help keep the calories low, and the spends light - not to mention that your family will love you for this home-made indulgence!
Eg. Each piece of Kaju Katli contains 54 calories and a piece of Mysore Pak contains 242 calories. Preparing an alternative festive favourite at home can significantly drop the calorie count!
Bright, shiny, sparkly lights can instantly elevate your home with a warm and welcoming vibe. Consider reusing fairy lights and decorations from the past year and look up DIY pages on Pinterest for design inspiration to create & decorate based on a theme. Natural oils are also a great alternative and gives an instant ethnic vibe! Your home will look fresh, and you won’t be out of pocket either.
Scout for a great refurbished deal. From gadgets to home décor, you can find bargain deals on refurbished items that have been repaired & restored to their like-new condition, online or in special weekend markets. Antiques, laptops, tablets & speakers – there’s lots you can choose from.
Refurbished electronics are priced 30- 50% cheaper than they were originally, making it super affordable if you buy from a reputable seller.
Upcycling and/ or recycling outfits allows you to go all out in your fashion choices – turn up the swag or fancy a Bollywood-style makeover? Mix and match, borrow or rent, for jaw-dropping looks that no one would guess simply involved a simple wardrobe cleanse.
A lot of celebrities are also hopping on to the recycling/ thrifting outfit trend. Anushka Sharma recently did a wardrobe cleanse of her maternity clothes!
2) Burn it up Every small step you take towards fitness has compounding effects on your overall health in the long-term. So, this festive season, be a little more rigid & consistent when it comes to your fitness.
Start with portion control and calorie counting. Be mindful of what you put inside your tummy before going HIIT on your workout. We suggest freeing your mornings for a quick cardio session. Jumping jacks, squats, lunges, dips, planks, Russian twists, pushups and ab exercises are the best body weight exercises, and you can them from anywhere. Team it up with yoga asanas like Suryanamaskar, Chaturanga push up and garland squat to downward dog for an overall productive sweat-sesh.
3) Make priceless moments with the whole family
Investing in family and your ‘together moments’ is priceless.
This year, resolve to enjoy a few laughs with dadi or stay longer in an embrace with your siblings, go full Govinda in your dance steps and sing a little louder than everyone else at the after party. It is these wonderful moments that stick with you, long after the celebrations are over, and everyone’s gone back to the grind.
Investments are great, budgets are necessary, and money can give you a comfortable life – but this festive season, prioritise family, budget your time for creating memories and invest in bringing the family together for every celebration no matter how big, or small.
Make meaningful investment choices whether with your time, or your money, it will put you miles ahead in achieving your goals and building a sustainable & happy lifestyle for yourself and your family.
కస్టమర్లు 
డిస్ట్రిబ్యూటరు 
ఉద్యోగి 
