As the calendar turns to April, we start seeing a change in our habits. The water bottles come out, batteries from the geyser

and old condensers from the fans are removed and the woolen clothes are stored. As the months pass by and we reach June and July we see a lot more of such kind of habits. The things mentioned above are something we can all relate to as middle-class people. When the summers arrive and there is rise in temperature and humidity, we experience heat waves which impacts the various aspects of an economy like the agricultural sector, middle class, lower class, and, labourers, etc.

The middle constitutes a big portion of the Indian population, about 31%, is considerably impacted due to the summer season. A rise in temperature makes a substantial change in the eating habits. The intake of water-rich items increase, especially with a severe rise in intake of beverages like soft drinks, and juices (whose consumption increased to a 37% in April - May 2022 as compared to the same duration in the previous year) whereas the consumption of hot beverages like tea, coffee fall (but still a sizable chunk remains).

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There are a lesser number of varieties in the veg menu as compared to the wide variety in

winters, as the scorching sun raises the consumption of dairy items like curd, buttermilk, and lassi.

The number of dine-outs also tend to rise with the temperature thus generating a similar pattern of the number of dine-outs, the temperature, and the expense of dine-outs all three rising simultaneously when compared to the winter season.

The pattern of the usage of utilities consisting of water, gas, and electricity tends to differ from each other.

The quality of water to quench thirst and act as a natural coolant allows it to be used excessively by people to keep themselves hydrated, wash the floor, fill the coolers, and tanks, water the lawns, wash cars, and for entertainment purposes during April to July. All this necessary and avoidable or unnecessary use results in the high usage of water pumps.

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Meanwhile, during the same time, the reliance on the fans, coolers, and ACs tends to increase with the knob of the refrigerator needing to be lowered further to keep the groceries intact.

All this elevated use of the water pumps, coolers, ACs, and refrigerator results in a heightened electricity consumption thus, contributing to a lengthy electricity bill. The only commodity under the utilities that experiences a decline(in terms of quantity used and so the cost born) in the warmer months is gas (LPG, PNG) as its usage while cooking drops with respect to October to January (& mid-Feb) along with a drop in the alternate uses of gas like geysers and heaters.

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Unlike the expenses of gas (LPG), the cost incurred due to transportation for shorter distances tends to rise from April to June,

as people prefer taking a bus or personal vehicle over walking. Under such conditions, the monthly travel expense tends to balloon for those families who prefer personal transport over public due to the high vehicle maintenance and increasing costs of petrol and diesel.

The months of June & July also tend to be a vacation to various popular tourist destinations like hill stations, water parks, or amusement parks amounting to an extra expenditure big in proportion to its duration (like an expense of about ₹20,000 within 4 days during a vacation). Similarly, the summer camps for kids mostly organized by the schools, or other regional activities to let them learn, have fun team-building exercises are certain (though avoidable) expenses for every other middle- class family.

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Like some of the costs above, the medical expenses incurred could be high but uncertain as April and May experience strong, hot, and dry summer winds called Loo, which leads to an increased number of heat strokes, heat waves, dehydration, and exhaustion. There could be other conditions like respiratory problems caused due to excessive wildfires, and allergens along with an increase in the number of diseases like dengue, malaria, chikungunya, cholera, etc spread by mosquitoes, flies, and insects due to the increase in humidity in June and July. Thus, resulting in an increased chance of hospitalization,

and medical care.

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The expense on personal care items and clothing tend to be less in May, June, or July as compared to winter with no requirement for essential woolen garments like sweaters, jackets, or gloves to protect from the cold. Though seasonal items like cotton clothes and moisturizers tend to be high(not compensated by the big online sales which mostly comes in October to December).

But this high price is balanced by the less quantity bought as compared to the personal care items bought to act against winters.

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Change in the calendar does make some holes in the pockets, the biggest being the increased consumption of electricity followed by the medical, transportation, and vacation costs, but also fills some like the decreased consumption of gas (LPG) or personal care items.

To mitigate some of these expenses several ways can be adopted like using efficient energy-saving appliances, maintaining(regular cleaning and service) the appliances like fans, coolers, or refrigerators to ensure low energy consumption, having a medical cover, avoiding activities which may result in heat strokes, exhaustion and thus, in a possible medical expense, and effectively planning any trip (considering & comparing the possible costs) that you wish to take. Thus, cutting unnecessary expenses, conservation techniques(to save energy), prioritizing the commodities, financing, and awareness, along with effective and efficient financial planning, can mitigate the economic effects the warmer months have on our spending habits.