Every year as the end approaches, the festive mood brings with it a familiar financial pressure. Gifts, offerings, shopping, lucky money, and feasts pile up into an enormous expense in just a few weeks. Many people cross into the new year weighed down, their accounts drained and burdened with debts just taken on to cover Tet.
What is notable is that most Tet spending is predictable, meaning it can be fully prepared for. What makes people overspend is not the nature of Tet itself, but the failure to plan and letting emotion take over amid the shopping atmosphere. A little early calculation can keep the joy of the new year from being paid for with next month’s worry.
Start a Tet fund from mid-year
Tet comes at roughly the same time every year, so there is no reason for it to catch you off guard financially. The gentlest approach is to spread the cost across the whole year. If you estimate Tet costs a certain amount, divide it by twelve and set that portion aside each month in a separate fund.
By doing this, by year’s end you already have the money ready and Tet is no longer a shock crammed into one month’s salary. An amount contributed gradually throughout the year is barely felt, whereas having to cover it all in the final month creates great pressure. This is a classic example of how breaking a large burden into pieces makes it far more manageable.
Write a list before you go shopping
Most Tet overspending comes from impulse purchases amid the bustling atmosphere. A simple yet effective defense is to make a list of what you truly need before heading to the market or supermarket: gifts for whom, what to buy for the home, what to prepare for the feast tray.
With a list in hand, you buy by plan rather than by emotion, and it is easy to pass over items that only catch the eye for a moment. A list also helps you avoid buying duplicates or excess, the kind of things that pile up unused after Tet. The clear-headedness of holding a list is the shield between you and displays arranged to spur buying.
Set limits for lucky money and gifts
Lucky money and gifts carry a beautiful cultural meaning, but without limits they easily turn into a hidden race that wears everyone out. Set an amount that fits your means for each group of people, and hold to it rather than chasing expectations or comparing with others.
What to remember is that the value of the red envelopes and gifts lies in the heart, not the number. A small gift that is well chosen is worth more than an expensive one meant only for show. If you are honest about your circumstances, no one worth caring about will judge you by the thickness of your lucky money envelope.
Watch out for year-end shopping traps
The lead-up to Tet is flooded with promotions, discounts, and buy-now-pay-later offers. The sense of urgency together with the fear of things selling out makes people easily spend amounts they did not plan for. Remember that a discounted item you do not need is still wasted money, not savings.
Be especially wary of the installment plans and quick consumer loans heavily pushed at this time. They make it easy to spend beyond your means, and the price is debt that drags into the new year. A Tet financed by borrowing to keep up with others often leaves a bitter aftertaste for months afterward.
Focus on what makes Tet meaningful
Amid the whirl of shopping, it is easy to forget that what makes Tet memorable is rarely the expensive things. It is the reunion meal, the moments gathered with loved ones, the old stories retold. No product can buy that feeling, and it does not take much money to have it.
When you are aware of this, cutting back on showy spending becomes easy, because you know you are not losing the core. A simple but warm Tet is worth far more than a flashy one that leaves debt behind. Placing your focus in the right place helps you spend on what truly matters.
Review after Tet to do better next year
Once the Tet days have passed, take a few minutes to look back at what you spent and where. This is not to blame yourself but to learn for next time. Which expenses were truly worth it, which were impulse buys, and which could be trimmed without losing any joy.
These small notes are the basis for building a more realistic Tet fund next year. Over a few years, you will have a fairly accurate picture of your costs and grow increasingly proactive. Tet will gradually become an occasion you await in ease, rather than a season of worry repeated year after year.
Tet is not expensive; it is the lack of preparation and the urge to keep up that make it expensive. When you contribute to a fund early, shop by list, and hold to your limits, you can fully enjoy the spirit of togetherness without trading away your financial peace of mind.
This year, try starting a small Tet fund from the very first months. By year’s end, you will thank yourself for having prepared, and welcome the new year with truly light spirits.