How to resist the pressure of a picture-perfect Easter
By Sharyn McCowen
If the pressure to plan an Instagram-worthy Easter is filling you with dread so soon after Christmas, you're not alone.
Social media is fuelling pressure to have "perfect" holidays - "picture-perfect decorations, matching outfits, curated everything", says sustainability advocate Tamara DiMattina.
"It can distract from what truly matters: connection, not perfection."
The real cost of Easter
While Christmas is known as the budget-busting holiday, Australian households fork out billions every Easter.
Aussies were tipped to spend $2.05 billion on hot cross buns, chocolate eggs and other Easter treats in 2024, according to research from the Australian Retailers Association in collaboration with Roy Morgan.
This was up more than $400 million from 2023.
Frugality writer and mother of two Serina Bird has witnessed the "rampant consumerism" around Christmas and Easter grow year after year.
"Just the fact that so many people get themselves into debt is really concerning," she says.
"It's become so commercialised, and disconnected from its roots."
This commercialisation of holidays has brought added stress in addition to financial pressures.
"There is an enormous amount of work that goes into these gatherings, and it's often women who are also caring for young children and older parents who are carrying the mental load."

It's ok to scale back
Despite the added pressure wrought by social media, DiMattina says the concept of scaling back on holiday celebrations is no longer a revolutionary notion.
"When I started Buy Nothing New Month 15 years ago, scaling back at Christmas felt radical," she says.
"Now, more people recognise the waste and stress of excess, and there's a noticeable shift toward simplicity, meaningful gifts, and experiences.
"We've all seen our plastic making its way into birds' stomachs. We've seen the monster piles of discarded 'stuff'. None of us want that."
The good news, says DiMattina, is that you can have a stress-free celebration.
"We all want a beautiful, peaceful, fun, relaxing time with loved ones that doesn't cost the earth," she says.
"We can have the beautiful, simple time without the financial stress or waste."

Have the conversation
Want to start simplifying your celebrations for Easter, which this year falls on April 19, or already thinking ahead to Christmas?
"Start conversations early," advises DiMattina.
"Set clear intentions and plan gifts, budgets, and expectations ahead. Reflect on last year: What worked? What didn't? Focus on creating joy, not debt."
If you buy less and avoid waste throughout the year, it will be easier come Christmas time, she says.
While talking about saving money risks you being seen as cheap, framing it around reducing waste is often more palatable to loved ones, says Bird.
DiMattina agrees.
"By talking about your desire to reduce waste, avoid plastic, cut spending and consumption, people around start listening," she says.
"This is actually a really beautiful gift you can give someone, the gift of stepping off the stressful, expensive, wasteful consumer treadmill."

Ignore the marketing
Anyone tempted to overspend at Easter should refocus on their financial goals, says Christine Dang, a financial adviser with Fox and Hare.
"Christmas may not have been ideal on the spending front, and they're motivated to address it quickly," she says.
"Set your priorities for 2025 and create a plan for those priorities. What's one step you can action immediately that will help you get started with the plan?"
Tempted by elaborate marketing campaigns? Stay true to your values and focus on simple traditions like time together, homemade treats or nature-based activities, advises DiMattina.
"Remember, the push to commercialise Easter is coming from businesses wanting to get your money from your account into theirs," she says.
"If you must gift stuff at Easter (hang on, since when did we give Easter gifts?) go for thoughtfully packaged treats that will end up in stomachs rather than landfill.
"Every time I go to buy something I think 'do I need it, where did it come from, where will it end up, and what else could I do with this money?'"
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