Finding Alternatives -Back to Basic

The good thing about most Filipinos is that they are very responsible to their families.
But the bad thing is - sometimes their family members become too dependent.
Being a breadwinner is not bad but being trapped in that position is very difficult.

Being the only girl in the family molds me into thinking that I dont have to earn more.(Maybe that's one of my regrets - I didnt focus on self improvement). I shouldn't be the one to provide for family needs, it's a man's job to be a good provider. And I still have three brothers to assume the responsibility. But having an alcoholic jobless father, a jobless brother & a mother who's making rugs as the only main source of income in the family before pushes me to work hard.

For almost 18 years of being a minimum wage earner I was able to help my brother finish college & provide a small house for my family (the lot is not yet ours I just paid for the right for 75,000 - 15 yrs ago-its a long story). It's been my goal to have a small house since renting a house, the advance & deposit payments everytime we move to another house always drains all my savings before.

But things don't turn out the way I thought it would be. Life is more comfortable now but harder on my side. My eldest brother is still jobless, my younger brother already has his own family & my youngest brother has a job already but you know boys prioritize their gf first. I thought I am done with my obligations but nope, I am still on the same loop. I guess I just have to accept it, I can't bear seeing my mother handles all the problems at home. She has done so many sacrifices for the family.

But this situation will not prevent me from fulfilling all my goals this 2014.
Even if living below my means is really hard since almost 50 % of my income goes to the family's household expenses, I must save. But If I can't save for my mutual fund then I must find alternatives:

*First alternative - making rugs @ home
Making rugs is what my mother & I do during weekends this prevents us from going to the malls.This was also my first source of income before & this is what I do while watching TV @ home.
And yesterday I did two bundles of it, just one more & I'll finally have one thousand pesos for my mutual fund this August, yehey.....

If you can't adjust your means then you have to live below your means.
If you can't live below your means then you have to adjust your means.