Tomorrow is January! Yayy! No? Okay.... Having survived the Mayans dooms day prediction, 25th December and Santa Claus you are now faced with the worst demon yet, Jeanuary. It will definitely come and with it comes a ton of back to school expenses, a fact most parents dread.

If your kids are beneficiaries of the free primary education, you will not incur first term school fees, or at most you will have to give a fraction of what you will be expected to pay as school fees. Despite this, there are many other back to school expenses you will have to cater for. We are talking about back to school stationeries, uniforms, and transport costs if your kids school far from where you stay.

If your kids are in high school and you haven’t come to terms with reality, then you are screwed, more so if you kids are about to join high school. Apart from the stationary you will need to buy, there’s uniform which you might have to purchase, transport costs which you might incur and school fees.

For those of us who spend the festive in the village, factor in the likelihood of increased fares during the “rush season”. As demand for public transport back to the city intensifies, so will transport fares rise in January. You have three options here:

1. Leave the village early before fares rise
2. Budget for increased bus fares
3. Don’t go to the village at all

Another reality that you might find yourself having to come to terms with is rent. For some of us, holiday starts early, meaning we will probably find ourselves spending most time outdoors as opposed to staying indoors. With this comes the risk of forgetting about rent comes January.

This is for Nairobi residents; you might have evaded the December 31st analogue switch deadline, the High Court will give its final ruling on the matter on 11 January 2013, meaning you still run the risk of having to purchase a set top box.

If you haven’t prepared for these expenses, use your December salary wisely. January is a female dog. Be smart about it.