Will you allow your spouse borrow money to celebrate the festive period?

Not having enough money to spend during the festive season may lead many to resort to borrowing, leaving lots of depressing bills to settle in January. So, to borrow or not to borrow? PUNCH asked some people if they would allow their spouses borrow money to take care of the family’s wants this festive season.

Maudlyn Ifada

It is a capital NO. I will not allow my husband to borrow for anything, except it is a capital project. It is not good to get involved in debt for a project which will not bring future income to my family. Therefore, since festive period always comes and goes, I will not be bothered if we do not have enough money to celebrate this time around. I know this cannot happen to us every year. We will devise ways of limiting our spending on just the necessities. One thing I definitely know: once we have food to eat and our home is good to relax in, we will just stay indoors, watch some favourite TV shows, eat and before we know it, the period will be over.

Harriet Alaso

It is not a bad thing if he borrows money to celebrate at this crucial period. It is not a strange thing for a loving and caring husband to borrow money to make his wife happy in this season. That’s not a problem as long as he is going to pay back, and I know he will. I mean, a real man will go to any length to make his wife happy; of course, going to any length does not mean he has to steal or rob. All I mean is that he can borrow to make me happy and then he can pay it back when the condition improves. I also believe that it cannot be everytime that he will borrow. So, there is no big deal in doing it occasionally.

Ogungbenro Tolulope

I cannot allow him to borrow to celebrate the season because Jesus is the reason for the season and He will definitely provide for our needs. Come to think of it, why should we accumulate debt just to celebrate any festive period? I am sure it is not worth it. We are not made for the festive season; the reverse is the case. We will hang on the little that we have and who knows, if we pray, God can just send people to bless us and meet our needs. I believe so. There is no need to borrow for things that will not last forever.

Tosin Davies

Allowing my husband to borrow for any reason is not even a good idea at all not to talk of borrowing to celebrate a festival that will always occur year after year. I will encourage him that we should manage what we have and prepare for next year’s. Borrowing money to spend on things that will not give us financial return is a bad idea. I know my husband is a loving and caring husband and he does not have to spend millions to prove it to me. Therefore, I will manage whatever he gives me as his token of love and then we can focus on the more important projects that we have to embark upon next year.

Adetunji Oluwatimileyin

I cannot allow him to borrow. We must learn to cut our coat according to our cloth. Christmas is not once in a lifetime event; it comes and goes, and life still goes on. I will not put unnecessary yoke on my spouse if he does not have enough money to celebrate this time around. Debt accumulated because of a festive period is not worth it at all. Even if he wants to borrow, I will persuade him not to do so. All we need to do is just to make sacrifices and limit what we spend. Once we do that, we are good to go and then we can plan ahead of next year’s.

Omiata Oluwadare

No, there is absolutely no reason to borrow money to celebrate any occasion. Christmas is not about how much you spend, but about how much you appreciate God for His infinite love towards mankind. Therefore, I cannot allow my wife to borrow money to buy things for either herself or me. If we do not have enough to spend now, it does not mean we will suffer the same fate next year. The festive period will be over and then we will face the reality again. I cannot borrow money to buy stuffs not to talk of allowing my wife to do so. We have to spend within our budget.

Olaniyan Oyejide

The scripture says that wisdom is the principal thing and in all your getting, get understanding. Wisdom tells me that I should not allow her to borrow money to cater for an ephemeral period. She has to show understanding if we do not have so much to celebrate this time. Situations like this will definitely not last forever. But one thing I will promise her: if we do not have much to buy new apparels and go on vacation this time, I will make sure I do those things next year. I will not be happy too if I do not have enough to make my wife happy. I will plead with her and then we can plan ahead for next year.

Ayobami Michael

Even if my wife and I have abundance in our bank accounts, we do not have to withdraw so much to celebrate the period. Showing off in new clothes and shoes does not in any way add value to the family. There are more important things to do with our money. Meanwhile, we do not need to buy new things to be happy; we also do not need to go on vacation to enjoy the moment, except if it is necessary. A visit to the beach could be all we need to have fun and cherish ourselves again. So, borrowing money to achieve this does not make any sense to me. I will not even allow it.

Dotua Obordor

I cannot just imagine borrowing money to buy clothes and other stuffs in the name of celebrating the season. If there is understanding between us, we do not need to borrow a dime round place unnecessary burden on ourselves. We will do it in the little way that we can afford now and I know that next time, it will be a different scenario. We can even travel to the Bahamas or Fiji Island to celebrate in the future. I will persuade my wife and children that we should cut our coat according to our cloth.

John Peterson

No, I cannot. It is totally absurd and even insane to borrow money to celebrate. We will rather make do with the very little that we’ve got than borrow and be paying after the period. It is not worth it. I have my own principle which says that better is a dry morsel with peace than ‘borrowed affluence’ that will bring debts. It is totally crazy to get into debt because of a festive period.

So, what’s it going to be for you?