The rising cost of essential goods, particularly staple food items, is likely to put a squeeze on spending this festive season.
That's according to the debt review group, Debt Rescue, which says many households are under financial strain and turning to credit just to keep up with basic expenses like groceries, electricity, and fuel.
"Literally living on loans, on their credit cards, et cetera, to put food on the table, to put fuel in the car. And also that some people are having to make such drastic changes. They're cutting back on their food expenses, they're going for cheaper proteins, which are not necessarily the healthiest ones - we've got food instability," said the group's COO, Annaline van der Poel.
Poel added that food inflation remains one of the biggest challenges facing households, as most items are transported by road and are directly affected by diesel costs.
She advised consumers to avoid the festive spending hype and urged those in need of debt relief solutions to seek help before it's too late.
" The hype around the festive of season, all the specials, the lights lure us into possibly buying things we don't need or buying things we need and hoping that we are saving.
"In the process of coming into the new year, we end up in this very, very difficult situation where when the new year comes, it's the longest month of the year between paychecks, because if you get paid on the 15th of December, your next paycheck is only at the end of January.