7th Lunar Month Superstitions That Can Save You Money

Watch out for these 5 ways you can save money during the 7th Lunar Month.

Whether or not you believe in 7th month superstitions, they do affect you... financially, that is. You see, even if you don’t believe in it, others do; and that can affect the prices of goods and services during this time.

Here are a few ways the 7th lunar month can save you a few bucks, if you’re not superstitious yourself.

Property Prices Dip During the 7th Month

Many Chinese people avoid buying property during the 7th month. It’s considered an inauspicious time to move into a new home. This is why most property developers refuse to launch on the 7th month.

It’s been calculated that home buyers pay about 7.43 per cent less for their property during the 7th month. Resale flats can see discounts of 10.89 per cent, whereas developer units may see discounts of 8.09 per cent (not many developers are willing to launch at this time, though).

If you want an even steeper discount, you can opt for housing that has “bad” Feng Shui, or unlucky numbers (e.g. unit #4-44). Hey, if you’re not superstitious, it shouldn’t matter.

You Can Get Cheaper Renovation Services 

It’s taboo to start renovating your house on the 7th month. The noise and mess are said to attract hungry ghosts, and it’s especially dangerous to have works that carry on past sunset.

All of this reduces business for renovators and contractors. In some cases, they get frustrated and fall behind schedule, because property owners refuse to let them work at this time.

This means that sometimes, you can bargain for a discount, if you’re willing to have work done during this time. There’s no guarantee you'll always get a discount, but it wouldn’t hurt to schedule your reflooring or retiling to take advantage of this.

At the very least, even if you don’t get a discount, you’ll know there’s an abundance of renovators or contractors who are available. That helps you shop around for a lower price.

Plane Tickets Can Drop by Up to 20%

We don’t know if you’ve realised this, but the 7th month often coincides with off-peak tourism peroids. It usually falls on August or September, when flights and hotels are far from overbooked. Discounts can be as steep as 20 per cent, when it comes to plane tickets.

If you want to save a few bucks on vacation - and escape the hungry ghosts at the same time - maybe you should schedule a trip during the 7th month. Your only worry will be finding someone to cover you at the office, if you tend to work late…

You Can Get Lower-priced Wedding Packages 

The superstitious will avoid getting married on the 7th month. This is because ghosts who passed on before they tied the knot could get jealous, and will wreak havoc on the newlyweds. (For some reason, dying turns people into jerks.)

Most wedding planners and bridal salons expect a dip in business, toward this time. Likewise, restaurants and hotels expect to see a lower rate of bookings. If you don’t hold to traditional taboos, that makes it an ideal time to hold your wedding - you have a better chance of getting cheaper venues or packages now, than at almost any other time of year.

Also, if you wear a wedding dress at night and walk behind your neighbour, you can totally freak them out.

(Editor's note: Don't blame us if you try this and end up on Stomp.)

Certain Clothes May be Discounted

Black and red are seldom worn during the 7th month, as these are considered attractive to ghosts. You know where this leading: an opportunity to look for clearance sales for these outfits, usually just prior to the 7th month.

Some stores will try to store these types of clothes until later, but others have no interest in holding on to a big inventory. As such, you can expect certain black or red pieces to go into the sales bin.

The best place to check for these is in heartland malls, or in the small boutiques below HDB flats; they typically have a greater need to clear out stock.

You don't have to risk the wrath of spirit by donning your discount clothes the moment you get them. You can always store them away in your wardrobe, until it becomes safe to wear them.

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