Think of spending wisely during Ramadan

Even before Ramadan, the festive mood is already on the air. Shops and hypermarkets have started selling the Hari Raya necessities like the ingredients for making the biscuits and kuih.

On the garment section, rows and rows of Baju Melayu for men and the Baju Kurung for women have been added. Head scarves and shawls in various designs and colour adorn the shop walls providing greater choice for shoppers.

The hive of business activities can be seen during the fasting month at the Ramadan bazaar in Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman (TAR in short) where many of the items synonymous with the fasting month and Hari Raya will be on sale.

However, the never ending array of offerings tempt consumers to over spend. When the cash at hand runs out, the credit card comes out. Some even go to the extent of borrowing money.

While one may eat four to five times a days in other days, during Ramadan they only eat after breaking of fast and start their fast with a simple meal. The trend nowadays is to break fast outside, with posh restaurants and hotels in the list as well.

Hence, the expenses that should come down during Ramadan instead go up due to the additional cost incurred for breaking fast in posh places and buying more than what is needed.

The Ramadan buffet promotions could cost up to hundreds of Ringgit, with a lavish spread that one may not be able to finish all that served in the menu. What a waste if one could not finish what has been paid for!

So what happens if one cannot finish the food served? A big waste.

While the number of meals during the fasting month have been reduced, the quantity appears to have increased. Buying more than what is necessary appears to be the norm these days.

The excessive buying is fuelled by the Ramadan bazaars that mushroom all over the place, with unlimited food spread available along with the drinks. The hunger and thirst from fasting makes one to fall for the temptation and buy beyond what they can eat or drink.

Often much of the food bought end up in the dustbin. This contributes to the statistics provided by the Solid Waste Management and Public Cleansing Corporation (SWCorp Malaysia) that Malaysians waste 17,800 tonnes of food daily.

Surprisingly all these happen during the Ramadan when Muslims are reminded to curtail their desires and spend wisely. They are also reminded to give priority to halal food that are highly nutritious.

In fact, Muslims should appreciate Ramadan that only returns once a year. The culture of wastage during the holy month has to be eradicated. Remember there is a quranic verse that states; "And give to the near of kin his due and (to) the needy and the wayfarer, and do not squander wastefully.

So do not the violate the sanctity of Ramadan with wastages even if you have the financial means.

Spend wisely, only on what you want in keeping up with the fasting obligation and in celebrating the first of Syawal. For the the public servants, they will be receiving their salary in June 15 Jun and have to wait for their next salary on 25 July. So spend prudently as there is a long period to tide over.

For the Muslims, no matter where they are, my Ramadan Greetings to you all.

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(This commentary is the personal opinion of the writer and does not necessarily reflect Astro AWANI''s stand or views on the matter)