With Eid Al-Fitr holiday just two weeks away, many families in the Kingdom are cash-strapped because of expenses incurred during the summer holiday and Ramadan. Some say they don't know how they will make ends meet in the month ahead.

“I have four children and I'm worried how I will afford clothing, gifts and upcoming school supplies,” Mazen Al-Madani, a private sector employee who earns around SR5,000 a month, told Arab News.

He said he fell into debt by allowing his family to travel to Dubai for a couple of weeks during the summer holiday, and paying for household expenses in Ramadan. “I have four different credit cards that have all been maxed out,” he said.

In 2012, Saudi families spent SR7 billion on summer tourism, an increase of 28 percent compared to the previous year, according to an economist, quoting a study.

Others say they had to take out bank loans to pay for expenses in summer, Ramadan, the upcoming Eid and back-to-school season.

“I had no other choice but to take out a substantial loan from the bank to afford the summer and holidays,” Salem Al-Amoudi, a Saudi father of three, said. He said he would have to budget carefully over the next four to six months to pay back the loan.

Other families in financial difficulties say they had to stop shopping at the larger malls and purchase household items from discount stores.

“We usually go shopping for household decorations at some of the famous shops on Tahlia Street and at various malls, and for school supplies at the well-known bookstores. But this year we have opted to shop at discounted merchandisers such as Home Center and Bashawat due to a lack of funds,” said a Saudi mother of three, who wanted to remain anonymous.

She said she would like to purchase special Eid clothing and gifts for her children, but simply can't afford to do so this year.

Some families want stores to have special sales in Ramadan to ease their financial burden.

“In other countries, such as in the West, large retailers usually offer sales ahead of major holidays. However, in the Kingdom retailers take advantage of the consumer, making it an even bigger problem to stretch one’s salary,” Selwa Abdullah, a Saudi mother of six, said.