Without a doubt, there are additional expenses during the Idul Fitri and mudik period. The exact value will differ for every individual, but, according to surveys spending during this period can rise by 30 percent from normal days, if not more. That represents a considerable financial burden.

Ideally, measures ought to be planned ahead of time to anticipate the extra expenses, so they will not greatly affect our financial stability. Unfortunately, many are oblivious to this matter and may experience financial setbacks after the Idul Fitri and mudik period ends. Are you one of them? I really hope you are not.

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In any case, now is a good time for a financial check-up to diagnose and ensure our finances are – and remain – in tip-top condition. A simple way to assess whether our financial state is healthy or not is to make a comparison between received income and incurred expenses over the holiday period.

If at the end expenses were lower than income and you have excess funds to cover daily needs until the next pay day, then you are somewhat able to manage your transactions. Congratulations! Be proud!

That being said, you are not off the hook yet. You are still required to revise your past expenses to identify which activities could be done in a more financially efficient manner. Thus, next year your financial transactions over Idul Fitri can be controlled more effectively.

If, on the contrary, your expenses exceeded your income and you are now struggling make it to the next paycheck and maybe even forced to take on debt, I will say no more. I am sure you understand that something is not right. Sadly, many status updates in social media attest to the fact that this situation is not uncommon.

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Hence, my suggestions for those experiencing this; draw up a list of all your income and expenses and evaluate them on a monthly basis. In the beginning, this activity may feel both daunting and annoying. It is daunting, because you will face the truth of what kind of financial habits or errors you have been committing until now and how that disrupts your financial potential, and annoying as you need to take note of every financial activity. Try to remember even the tiniest transactions. Endure this process, as it refines your financial habits, leads to an optimal financial life with less debt and enables you to spare more of your income to increase your saving balance.

In the short term, this method can help you identify what went wrong during Idul Fitri and the mudik period and what needs to be done to avoid the same mistake next year. In long term, it will help you develop financial discipline and better money habits that will benefit your life as a whole.

Making mistake is very normal and one of many proofs that we are human. What is wrong is if we repeatedly make the same mistake and fail to do anything about it. Grow some curiosity about what you usually do and learn to do it better at every chance you have.

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