By Elizabeth Davies
For twentysomethings there is one holiday that trumps the rest both in expense and anticipation.
It’s not your birthday, as you’re just on the cusp of finding these depressing.
It’s not Christmas because this has become more about the latest family feud and excessive alcohol consumption than the joy of giving.
It sure as hell is not Valentine’s Day as it’s common knowledge that this was designed to make couples feel smug and singles want to eat their feelings and talk to their cats about how no one will ever love them.
New Year’s Eve is the one night to rule them all. The one universally recognised night of the year where you are encouraged, nay, expected to give the previous year the middle finger and convince yourself that the next year will be different.
You will earn more, drink less, go to the gym and achieve all of your goals. Of course you say all these things to yourself whilst spending your last dollars on a bottle of wine and a king size block of chocolate, because it’s still 2013, and goals are for tomorrow.
I’ve never been particularly interested in the big festivals such as Rhythm and Vines. The tickets alone are around $300 not to mention camping, transport, food, alcohol and everything else you will undoubtedly find to spend your money on.
For the last couple of years I’ve grabbed a few close friends and rented a beach house for a few days, it’s casual, relaxing and about half the price.
Unfortunately I’ve left it slightly later than usual this year and as a result places to stay are harder to find and more expensive.
However, I haven’t for a second considered not going away. I’ll be the first to acknowledge how ridiculous it is that I’m prepared to pay more money than my rent in order to go on holiday to relieve the stress of paying my rent.
Not to mention the fact that I will take shifts off work in order to relieve the stress of not earning enough money at my minimum wage job.
These decisions may not be logical but our willingness to throw money at one special night is testament to one important fact. You cannot put a price on sitting on a beautiful beach, surrounded by people you love, greeting the sunrise of a new year, and believing wholeheartedly that this year will be better.
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*Elizabeth Davies is a 23 year old post graduate journalism student at Auckland University of Technology. She lives with her partner in Epsom and spends her free time refurbishing vintage furniture and attempting to bake while fighting a daily battle against her bank balance. She writes a weekly article for interest.co.nz on money matters and financial struggles from a young person's perspective.
6 Comments
As it happens I think life in Auckland in January is under rated. No traffic, tennis courts and golf courses very available; tennis at Stanley Street to go and see. Enough uncrowded cafe's, restaurants and bars open to enjoy. Beaches if that's your thing. Barbecues, and all the other comforts of home. If the weather's not good, then you are not stuck at the beach in the rain.
I do understand there is inertia and habits that mean housework and other things get in the way of a good break, but you can discipline yourself to not do those for a few days, I've found.
Am not trying to talk you out of a beach holiday for cost reasons; just that many it seems to me take one because they think they should, and because most of their friends think the same.
I usually head down-country to visit my parents over Christmas and New Year's, but I usually come back to Auckland a day or two into the new year and always love that first week back where work is cruisy, the roads are quiet, the sun is often shining and everyone around the place seems to have a friendly demeanour. In the past the only drawback has been returning to dingy flat-living! Not next year though :)
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