Jay Hanna: Nursing a financial hangover amid festive excesses? You aren’t alone

I was in the supermarket queue minding my own business when I overheard the customer in front of me lamenting the cost of cherries. They were so expensive, she said, that for the first time ever she was omitting them from her Christmas trifle and topping it with canned peaches instead. Ok, so that’s a partial a lie, I wasn’t minding my own business but I’m a journalist, I’m meant to be nosey and I found myself nodding in agreement. With rising costs and skyrocketing interest rates we are all feeling the pinch more than ever, right? Well not according to a national survey by Finder which revealed the average Australian was expected to fork out $1479 this Christmas on presents, food, alcohol, eating out and travel. It estimated a national spend of around $30 billion over the festive period, up on $27.3bn last year. We all know we are meant to be curbing spending to battle inflation but sometimes it is not as easy as it sounds. And, if you are anything like me, you probably desperately want to cut back but then life lobs another financial curveball your way. For me it came five days out from Christmas in the shape of a cheery text message: “Great news, your order is ready”. Great news? It wasn’t even good news. It was from a furniture company letting us know that the outdoor setting we had recently ordered was ready to be delivered. At the time of purchase, we’d been assured the setting wouldn’t arrive until mid-January giving us a bit of time to save for the remaining balance once we’d recovered from the financial blow-out of the festive season. Instead, we had to square the bill four days before Christmas. Then, just as we were assuming the worst was over, our dog went down with a foot infection after being bitten, stung or perhaps stabbed on the mean streets of Perth’s inner suburbs, requiring an emergency visit to the vet — on Boxing Day. I am no longer sure if he’s hiding under the bed because he feels sorry for himself or because he can sense my rage at the exorbitant bill. Only my liver is celebrating the fact that this year my bank account is going to have the longest post-Christmas recovery period.