Budget for your bonus

As much festive cheer as we have, we need a think ahead

This year, reconsider how you spend your annual bonus. Cut back on mindless festive spending, lavish holidays, and expensive booze, and rather invest that money in your home. How? We suggest you prepare and budget for your bonus before those rands hit your bank account.

While there are many worthy causes that could benefit from your cash, or commendable actions you can take—like paying your child’s school fees in advance—why not think a bit bigger?

Make a renovation or maintenance wish list for your home.

Add big and smaller items: Does your roof need painting, do you need new taps or plumbing in the bathroom? Do you desperately need an extra bedroom?

Even tiny things like replacing lightbulbs, changing out old and ugly light switches or patching up cracked and chipped counters, walls and furniture without going full renovation on the room deserve a spot on your list.

With work and school winding down, and days getting longer and longer, we suggest you get yourself a drink, find a notepad and start scribbling away. Now is also the time to get quotes for future work, and if you accept the quote now you can be assured you will be first on the worksheet come January 2025.

This is the perfect time to make long term plans and figure out what your house needs to become a home. We suggest you split our list into the following categories:

Short term fixes

These are important and urgent. Fix leaking pipes, sort out short-circuiting appliances, service your alarm system, repair your roof. Trim overhanging trees, fix boundary fences. This is the part of the list that needs your immediate attention and deserves to be serviced first. Most of these list items can’t be ignored anymore and fixing them will not only protect your property value from dropping but also ensure that you and your family can be safe, dry and healthy. Unfortunately, some of these items will be “grudge purchases” but they are important. So, suck it up and shell out some of your hard-earned bonus money.

Medium term projects

These are the important but not urgent things. This is the fireplace, the new stove, the bigger shower and the new countertops. These are the projects you can save for monthly and probably achieve before December 2026. These projects will add value to your home, without overcapitalising on your property. Retiling a patio or kitchen, building a carport…medium term, achievable projects that are worthy of your hard-earned budget.

Long term aspirations and dreams

This is where the Pinterest dream house mood board comes in. Here you can go wild. Add that R900 000.00 kitchen reno, the brand-new custom built bath house with rain shower and en suite dressing room. Add the extended patio, sunroom and pizza oven/built in braai with a fire pit, a hot tub and a 12-seater outdoor table…play around and get creative. You  deserve it! (and maybe you’ll win the Lotto!)

There is no harm in dreaming, and we love the idea that one day we might just be part of your ultimate home-renovation story.

If you are dreaming even bigger – to build your own home, here is a handy article indicating what to budget form.