You can do this to get a cheaper confirmation

It is almost May, and tens of thousands of Norwegian young people are ready to be confirmed.

Venue, food, table decorations, invitations and gifts. The crowns can roll fast when you are invited to a big party.

One of this year’s graduates is 15-year-old Anna Elisabeth Skålsvik from Bodø. She is looking forward to having a big party with nice gifts.

– It’s a nice tradition, and good to bring the whole family together.

But what is normal to spend on gifts and parties? And how can the costs possibly be reduced?

Consumer economist Linda Tofteng Eliassen at Sparebank 1 Nord-Norge says that we can see a decrease in gift amounts.

– This year is a different year than last year and the year before that. A few years ago, confirmation graduates received an average of NOK 50,000.

But now the guests’ interest expenses have been doubled. Therefore, she thinks we may see a decline.

Read more tips and share your experiences below!

“Outsourced” the cake table

For the Skålsvik family, it was important that the 15-year-old in the house was allowed to decide how the party should look.

– My mother and I are quite different. That’s why it’s nice to be involved in deciding. They wanted bacalao for dinner, but I was able to change it to Thai food instead, she says.

Parents Tormod Skålsvik and Unni Skålsvik say that they have taken steps to reduce the costs of the confirmation. Nevertheless, the bill will be around NOK 20,000.

– We have premises from work for father, and help with cake baking from family, friends and colleagues. There will be 50 guests, as we want to gather as much family as possible for the big day. Food for 50 people is expensive, but we have made it affordable where possible.

Put the money in a fund

The soon-to-be confirmed, Anna, has wanted bunad, which she knows she will get. Therefore, she might want to spend some of the money on buckles for it.

But she also has another plan for the confirmation money.

– I have a fund that I will probably put some of the money into. It is important to have when you are going to study, and you cannot buy a flat without saving.

– Do you have expectations of how much money you will get?

– No not really. A few thousand pounds? Not so many people talk about how much they want to get, but more about what they will use it for.

Economist Tofteng Eliassen says that what people give varies greatly.

– It depends on whether it is parents, grandparents, godparents, and so on. But the most important thing is not to give more than you can afford. Be less concerned with what others are doing.

– Don’t know how expensive it is

Silje Sandmæl, consumer economist at DNB, says it is good that Anna in Bodø is so reflective that she is already putting the money into a fund.

– I am among school pupils and students a lot, and there are many who regret not starting to save earlier.

Many, for example, are not aware that they have to pay a deposit if they are going to rent, or a deductible to buy an apartment.

Nevertheless, she sees that people have become more aware over the years.

– It has become trendy to save, and to be a little more thrifty. At the same time, when it comes to our children, we are probably a little more “boundless” in spending money. It doesn’t change that fast.

She recommends that parents set up accounts, whether funds or savings accounts, where confirmation guests can give money.

– It will be easier, and it will reduce the pressure. You no longer have to feel ashamed if you put a small sum into an envelope. It becomes a little more private, and it is easier for the confirmand to save.

– Save from birth

Eliassen says that many parents save for this day from when the child is born.

– The most important thing is to make a good plan and that it is put into practice corrosion after nourishment. Some have actually saved since the children were small, and have the list and frames accordingly. Not everyone has done that.

She says that there is no point in hindsight, and in any case not making unwise financial decisions close to the date.

– Those of us who work in banks experience that there are some who have to take out consumer loans to make ends meet. It is important to set boundaries so that you don’t go broke.

In Norway, each confirmation is around NOK 40,000 on average. Then bunad is not included, says Tofteng Eliassen.

– But that does not mean that everyone has to budget for it. You can have a confirmation with 40 guests and spend 10,000, or less.

She says that it is not necessarily one thing that sucks the money out of the wallet. It is often a sum of all the different things.

What can one do then?

The consumer economist has just had a confirmation himself, and has some concrete tips for parents:

Prepare the food yourself

– If you can cook some of the food yourself, it will save a lot. Feel free to get help from friends and family. Then you can either ask people to bring a cake to the cake table, or you can cook the food together.

She says that they themselves made two large stews and ordered some small dishes as well.

– We made a large Asian fish stew and a chili con carne. We ordered some small dishes in addition, but then we ordered for 15 people instead of 40, since there was so much food otherwise.

Table decorations can be found everywhere

Table decorations, tablecloths, napkins and miscellaneous can be very expensive if you want.

It can also be a post on which a lot of money can be saved, says Eliassen.

– Table decorations can be made yourself. Go to the shore, find stones, shells, etc. to decorate the table with nice things from nature.

Place cards can, for example, be made from small logs that are cut crosswise, and the names can be written on with marker. The possibilities are endless!

The confirmation suit must not be new

A bit like the wedding dress, the confirmation suit is something that is rarely worn often. This is because teenagers have a tendency to suddenly grow up in the sky.

The bunade can be put up and taken out. Therefore, the suit would like to be something that does not necessarily have to be bought new in the shop.

– We bought used, a package with a suit and shoes for NOK 900. Then we saved money. The suit was worn once and was like new.

Borrow a bunad!

Figures from the Norwegian Institute for Bunad and Folk Costume show that 70 per cent of women have at least one bunad, while the figure is only 20 per cent for men.

This may indicate that the confirmation for a 15-year-old girl can be considerably more expensive than for a 15-year-old boy.

– The biggest difference is that many girls want bunad. A bunad can cost somewhere between NOK 30-60,000, and that’s a crazy amount of money. Sometimes there is a certain pressure on this, and that is a terrible shame.

For those who cannot afford to buy bunad for their confirmation, there are good solutions.

– It is possible to both rent and borrow bunad, just so it is said.

• What did you get for your graduation? Share your story here!