A cheerful carnival costume, beers on the conveyor belt and a portion of fries with mayonnaise. Pull out your wallet for a few days of fun and laughter. Everything is rapidly becoming more expensive and we also have to pay attention to the little ones during carnival. But will that work? Today in our Duurder Leven series, 22-year-old Iben from Schijndel: “We’re going to have a drink at someone’s house before we dive into the pub. That saves a lot of money.”
Do you celebrate Carnival?
“Yes. My plan is to go to Den Bosch on Sundays and Mondays, having fun with friends. The other days I have to work in the chip shop and I actually like that, because then I also spend less money. I think everyone is aware that carnival is a lot more expensive this year than you are used to. Five days of partying, I can’t afford that.”
What kind of nice pekske are you wearing?
“In Den Bosch it is the unwritten rule that you wear a blue farmer’s smock or a blue jacket, and then of course the scarf in the Oeteldonk colors red-white-yellow. I’ve had that jacket hanging in my closet for a few years now and I Carnival appears again, so I don’t have to invest in a carnival suit.”
A beer costs between 3 and 3.50 euros during carnival in Den Bosch, does that make a difference?
“That is really quite expensive, and I assume that you will pay even more for a glass of wine. You also have to pay a deposit for a cup. That is why we want to drink at home with some friends first, so that it won’t be too expensive. I have to get out of bed a bit earlier, while I prefer to sleep in until about eleven o’clock. But it’s just the smartest solution.”
What else do you pay attention to?
“We are going to have a party in the afternoon, so that we can go home by public transport. A taxi from Den Bosch to Schijndel also costs a lot of money, so that really saves.”
Do you have any tips for other Carnival celebrations to save money?
“I prefer to drink wine, but if you buy some small Ranja bottles and you throw them in the beer, it tastes a bit like rosé beer. Also very tasty and that’s just a bit cheaper.”
Are there still things you leave behind in these expensive times?
“Groceries are incredibly expensive. Recently friends came to visit and then I made a snack platter. Cheese, sausage, toast and two bottles of red wine, nothing special really. Yet I lost 50 euros, that was really a shock.
A dinner outside the door is actually no longer possible. In addition to my studies, I work in the snack bar for about twenty hours a week, but I still keep an eye on what is in my bank account and how much I spend. Then I weigh carefully what I can and cannot do. For example, I used to go to festivals quite often, but that is now on the back burner.”
Are you worried about the future?
“At the moment I still live at home. My boyfriend and I do have plans to live together one day. Because we are together, with a double income, we will probably be able to find a place to live in Schijndel financially. In m” One would have been different, that is really not affordable. I’m not really worried about finding a job, I think I found something like that after graduating.”
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