Or rather, one wedding in particular—his.

He is very keen to marry his sweetheart but with the economy in the doldrums and Christmas expenses coming up he finds he just can’t afford to.

He says he’ll have to put off marrying fiancée Mitchelle Germaine until he has saved enough money from his job as a mechanic, and saving is not so easy nowadays.

“If the economy was better, I would be making more as a mechanic,” the reluctant bachelor tells FMT.

As it is, he’s just too hard up to do anything really festive. “I don’t think I can even afford to buy things for Christmas. Probably I’ll just have money for food and enough fuel to go back to my village.”

Luigi feels there is some truth to talk that the economy is not doing so well these days.

“I’ve been hearing about people getting paid up to six months late from their Kuala Lumpur bosses. So yes, I would say the economy now is very bad.”

He is not alone in being worried about being unable to make Christmas wishes come true this year.

Many other Sabahans are not planning to push the boat out this Christmas either.

Fire station chief Agustavia Joe Guasi, a mother of four, says she is not buying anything extravagant this year.

“Normally the year end is when we save for the start of school next year.

“I am spending more on food to celebrate my husband’s birthday and New Year back at our village.”

Oil and gas worker Hector Mervyn Stephen, 40, says, “Christmas celebrations are important for me because I work away in Labuan, so I don’t have much time to see my family and friends.”

“But I’m trying to spend wisely. I need to avoid all those sale advertisements which tempt me to spend.

“Of course during the sales you can get cheap stuff but do I really need it?” says the father of three.

He thinks most people will still go on Christmas shopping sprees but says his own money will be spent strictly on family gatherings and gifts for his children. There simply isn’t enough money to spend wildly.

“The kids understand why as they get older, and my wife never complains.”

Political economist Firdausi Suffian says Sabahans do have money to spend but it is not a lot and they have to look at what they can buy after taking care of unavoidable expenses.

He points out that the Statistics Department says the average household income in Sabah is just over RM4,000. Roughly a quarter of that is spent on rent and utilities.

The next necessity is food and transport, leaving less than 10% for clothes and festivities.

The Khazanah Research Institute, which carries out research on the pressing issues of the nation, reports that average families can only save up to RM100 a month now, while back in 2014 they could save around RM120.

Firdausi says some people try to get around the shortfall by acquiring credit cards, but he warns they will feel the pinch when the bills come in as they are spending money they don’t actually have.

However, he hopes that the economy will improve after the 2020 Budgets.

Businessman Henry Bong, 34, says it’s not fair to blame the government for people spending less in the shops this year-end as there are other contributing factors.

“People prefer to shop online now, so shops selling clothes and other merchandise are struggling.

“The online selection is greater and prices can be cheaper,” he says, adding that his friends in the retail industry are complaining of falling sales.

“But food and beverage outlets are doing okay because people drink and eat a lot during this period,” says Bong, who owns a chain of food outlets and Airbnb homes.

Isabella Malakun general manager of the International Technology & Commercial Centre (ITCC) shopping mall, which opened in Penampang in 2017, says that while some shop owners at ITCC tell her that their branches in far-flung districts are suffering, shopping activity at her mall is positive.

“Because of our competitive rental rates, the outlets at ITCC are able to offer more affordable prices.”

“People are feeling the pinch these days and are trying to find quality items at lower prices. Normally they won’t buy a blouse from a shop for RM100 when they can get almost the same quality but cheaper online.”

Malakun says her mall has another advantage when it comes to generating sales: “We have Mr DIY, SuperSave, Bataras and our anchor tenant Pasaraya Am.”

These big names bring customers to the mall, and other shops there benefit from the footfall.

“The spillover happens when families go to other shops after visiting these outlets.”

So perhaps it’s not all doom and gloom for everyone.

How are Luigi and Mitchelle getting on with their marriage plans?

It seems they are still in a pickle.

“It’s hard for us to plan a wedding when food and drinks are getting way too costly now. A whole chicken can cost up to RM30,” says Luigi.

“At 28, I’m starting to realise how careful I have to be, especially now everything is so expensive. My phone bill alone is over RM200.

“After paying the bills, I can save up to RM300 a month but sometimes nothing at all if there are extra expenses.”

If he really sacrifices small luxuries and saves hard, perhaps he will be able to make his sweetheart a New Year bride.