Eidul Fitr is my favourite annual occasion. Yes, I love it because it’s a time to celebrate after having fasted for the whole month of Ramazan, but I love it more because Eid means I’ll be getting lots of eidi!

Come on, after being such a good soul the whole month I am not going to lie that this is not what I look forward to the most on Eid. Crisp, clean and brightly coloured currency notes that make their way into our hands either in fancy envelopes or directly, are truly a great sight to behold. And for the most part, they are ours to do what we like with it before mummy takes it away for safe keeping — and she keeps it so safe that we never get to see it again!

Have you ever given a thought to how much money is circulated on each Eid in the form of eidi? Each of you siblings get a fair amount of eidi, then your parents also part with a larger amount of money as eidi to other kids and if you multiply it by the number of families there are, that’s a lot of money!

With money comes responsibility — the responsibility of using it sensibly and not wasting it on frivolous things that we don’t even remember buying. The frivolous things I am talking about are stuff like loads of candies, colas or toys that you get bored of in no time. When I was younger, I would also rush to the neighbourhood shop and buy loads of chocolates and bubble gum, munch them all day and be too full with junk to eat all the goodies that was cooked at home or the homes we visited.

Looking back, now I realise the silliness of it all. And now I make a plan, or a budget, of what I will do with the money I get on Eid. Let me share what is my eidi plan for this year. I am going to save half of my eidi, and I will give that amount to my parents who will deposit the money in a junior savers account they have opened in a bank for me. That is where I deposit part of the money I get the rest of the year on other occasions such as my birthday and result day. I am looking forward to buying a smart phone with it when I grow up and am allowed to keep a cellphone.

As for the rest of the money, I will use to buy a pair of grippers (football shoes) that I have my heart set on for some time but didn’t ask my parents for it because they are expensive. And I know my sister is planning to buy a hair straightener, and I seriously don’t see the need for straightening already straight hair! But mum has allowed her to throw away her money this way, and only after a lot of pleading and persuading. Girls are girls!

Anyways, if I still have some cash in hand, then I am going to keep it to use in the school canteen when the school restarts in August. You may think that I am contradicting what I said earlier about not spending eidi on frivolous stuff like chips and cola, but let me explain in detail.

During school days, once in a while we do spend a bit of pocket money on buying stuff from the school canteen, maybe because we are still hungry after having the lunch which mum packed, or it’s very hot and a cold juice is badly needed at home time or friends are celebrating the success of a science project. So instead of asking my parents for pocket money or spending the cash they have given me for emergency expense, I use my leftover eidi.

So this is just my simple eidi budget plan, but I do know that by using the money I get on my needs I am saving my parents’ money, which they can then spend on other household needs. When we are young and can’t contribute to the household expenses, we can help our parents by saving money ourselves and by utilising the gift money we get on the things that we need.

Think about it my friends, I am sure you will come up with much better plans for using your eidi and gift money. You will not only end up feeling pleased with yourself but your parents too will be so proud to have a sensible little saver in the family. Good luck and Eid Mubarak!

Published in Dawn, Young World, July 2nd, 2016