Thankful again for another blessing

          It was only last week of August that I learned about this scholarship when one of my classmates asked me - Ate Grace nakapagpasa ka na ng requirements sa scholarship? I didnt know what she was talking about so I answered - Anong scholarship? Anong requirements? She again answered, -Yung kay Lani, deadline na ngayong Linggo. Oh I see, "di na ko siguro abot dyan, wala pa akong requirements."

          Then the next day, my kuya called me in our office, informing that there's a scholarship program near his area where he played tennis.
And so we went there the next morning but when I got there they were all holding some filed papers.
So I asked one student about it , "Anong mga requirements sa scholarship?"
He answered, scholarship form fully accomplished, voters certification, good moral, school ID, school registration and true copy of grades. Then he showed me the form, it is the same form showed to me by my classmate. I told myself, "Sayang deadline na di ako umabot."

          That day also, I met my classmate again and told me, "Ate Grace, extended ngayong first week ng September ang submission ng requirements sa scholarship." . I was excited and replied to her, "Talaga, asikasuhin ko na lang agad para makahabol." I badly needed any financial assistance for my studies since our company today is not doing well financially. So I message & requested my cousin who can file my voters certification in Taguig Cityhall, accomplished the scholarship form, and went to school earlier for other school requirements. Luckily I was able to file my scholarship on the last submission day.

          Last Wednesday I received a letter confirming that my scholarship application was approved.

          Both parent and student were required to attend a program @ Taguig City University auditorium for us to know the rules & by-laws of that scholarship program.

          I wasn't really aware that the local goverment of Taguig has this kind of program and really amazed that they give emphasis on education of the future generations to uplift the lives of the Taguiguenos. And I was surprised that one of the introductory speaker is also my professor in TUP.

          It was explained to us the rules and requirements and the equivalent amount allocated to each of us every year. The only request they asked was to study hard, be a good and honest citizen and help the city. And finally, at the end of the program our scholarship grant were distributed to us. I received P 7,500.00 scholarship grant and set aside 7k for my third semester tuition fee next year and P500 for my nanay ( talent fee daw nya,heheh... sobrang pagod din kasi nya that day).

          Not that I am promoting or campaigning for the Cayetano's since Allan Cayetanos is running for vice president today but I have witnessed a lot of improvements in our area under his wife's administration in our city in addition to the other services and the scholarship program she is implementing. Senator Allan's performance in the senate for me is also outstanding. Their vision to raise the literacy of the people is clearly shown and a lot of students are now eager to study more.

And if your are a Taguiguenos and you are interested in this program, check their website:
"http://www.taguig.gov.ph/programs/scholarship/ "- From college tuition fees, to full scholarship, review assistance and even the masteral and doctoral degree are covered in this program for as long as you are a three year resident of Taguig you can apply for it.


Just sharing again!!!!
Have a wonderful day!!!
God Bless!!!

Wonderful Saturday part 2

         And because of the good news that I had last Saturday, November 7, my mother and I celebrated. After our lunch at San Juan de Dios hospital canteen and after a few minutes of quiet time at their church we headed at Landmark again. We did our usual bonding activitiy - a lot of fashion show done inside their fitting room. The result, two maong pants & two wallets were bought - one for my mother and one for me of course.
          Malling has been our constant unwinding activity ever since and even if I'm a self confessed kuripot still the bicolano traits inside me comes out. I am often caught between thinking about my future and spending on a special bonding moments with my nanay. Life is short and my nanay is already 67 years old and she keeps on telling me, "sana highschool pa rin ako, ang saya saya ko noon." Highschool life was her happiest moment, and clothes were her usual outlet so I need give her little wants once in a while.
          Sabi nga ng nanay ko, "buti na lang may mall kahit papaano nakakalibang at nakakapahinga ako, magastos nga lang." Well, my mother has been so tired since my nephew was born, " unang apo, e". And so I answered her, okay lang naman gumastos paminsan minsan basta within the limit that's why I am into the cheper items than expensive ones, basta sulit pa rin.
          We also bought our favorite Foss Coffee at Glorietta at P 55.00 only. Chocolate Cream Chips and Vanilla Oreo were our favorites, "masarap at sulit na sa presyo talaga". They are open for franchise, If only I have the business skills I will try to take chance here but my mother said, "one at time, mag-aaral ka o magbi-business ka- pumili ka lang." Franchising business is one of my dream, but I do not have a business skills yet, so my franchise plan is still on hold.

My favorites, I only capture these images from the net, naiinis kasi nanay ko pag picture sa pagkain e.

          At 3pm, my mother went to market market to meet my brother while I headed to TUP for our saturday class. At night I checked my wallet, I was left with only P 160.00, oh dear where did my 2K go? So I begun tracking down my expenses and voila after few minutes of counting and adding it tallied, P935.00 for ultrasound - P400 doctors fee - P509.00 for transpo, food & others.

Still have a habit of tracking down my expenses daily

          Almost tally naman di ba, P2k - P1844.00 = P 156.00. Simple talaga ang gastos ngayon, but then no regrets - what's important is that my cyst is gone and my mother & I really enjoyed that day!!!!


Just sharing my Saturday experience again!
Have a great day ahead!

Wonderful Saturday part 1

          Sorry, I haven't been able to write a post for a while because of my studies. We just finished our unit examinations in Philosophy, Economics and Principles of Teaching. Good thing its a multiple choice test but it's a 100 items exams plus it also has an additional essay examination, sakit pa rin sa ulo, huhuh. And because I was really busy with my studies I almost forgot my health issues especially my monitoring check up and ultrasound on my endemetriosis cyst.

          Last month I went to Philcare to have an annual check up. It was Saturday and I was checked up by a different ob gyne doctor. As she was reviewing my records, she noticed what was wriiten there was "probably endemetriosis cysts". So she suggested that I should have my ultrasound done & interpreted by other ob gyne in a different hospital so she will be sure what kind of cyst I have in my left ovary.

         So I went to San Juan de Dios this morning to have a transvi-ultrasound and immediately after it was done the result was given to us. The doctor said she saw nothing inside and there was no complex structure seen in my left ovary. I was really happy with the result but I will still need to show it to my ob gyne in Philcare. Oh I forgot to mention that my mother accompanied me there and it was her who was really nervous with the result, nanay talaga heheh. We were so thankful that God is really taking care of us so we went to the church inside the San Juan de Dios hospital before heading out.

        And because we were so happy with the result, I suggested we go to Glorietta to have our usual mother and daughter bonding activity - window shopping, hahah. Still the kuripot inside suggested that we first took our lunch in hospital's canteen before heading to Glorietta, para tipid di ba? We roamed around SM & Landmark and did out fitting and window shopping activity then afterwards I headed to school for our Saturday class and my mother went to market market to meet my brother.

        I went home around 8pm already, I was too tired that I didn't know that I already fell asleep as soon as I lay my back on my bed. I woke up at 5:30am today and thank God for this another wonderful new day. Despite of the financial difficulty I am experiencing these days I am really thankful to God for all the blessings he's been giving to us.


          My family, my work, my studies, my experiences and everything around me are all blessings. It's Sunday today, its time to give thanks to our Lord for all the blessing he gives to us :)

Have a great weekend!!!!

My One Peso Spending Rule

          When it comes to spending I have my own rule, my 1000 peso spending rule and my one peso spending rule that I will be posting today. In my 1000 peso spending, I only spend it on things that has reason & value. My second rule here is - I think of thousand reasons before buying so I usually end up not buying at all or buying the cheaper one instead.

          My one peso rule today will justify my reasons why I usually end up buying the cheaper ones. In one of the topic in our economics subject I had last week, the principle of least cost states that not all product with the lesser cost is economically wise to buy. On the other hand, the word "utilities" was also discussed to us and this will justify my one peso rule. Utilities means state or quality of being useful or the quality of goods & services that satisfy. So as long as the product satisfy my needs and its purpose then its okay to buy cheaper products. Sorry, this is a bit long & boring topic, just want to justify my spending actions.

          I'm not promoting that we should always buy the cheaper products but for people like me who belong to the class D society had no choice but to buy what we can only afford. "Nagpapakatotoo lang po ako, gumagastos ako ayon sa aking pinansyal na kakayanan at hindi ayon sa dinidikta ng lipunan." I had once read an article in Daily Bread before that says, "I asked for riches that I might be happy, I was given poverty that I might be wise." and because of this words I am proud to say that I have become wiser in buying products. I don't own a Nike or Adidas shoes but I'm contented with the P250 shoes I bought at C5 bangketa. I wanted to have a Victoria Secret cologne but I'm happier that I have a buy one take one Cherub Disney cologne that I bought at P 52.75 only. I don't have Levis pants or other branded clothes but I'm happier that I am wearing a comfortable P269.75 maong pants I bought at Landmark. I don't own an IPhone , instead I have two Myphone brand, one is more than 5years & the other one was more than 2 years already. My eyes were usually caught by the Ninewest bags displayed at Glorietta mall before but I'm proud to say that it has no effect on me now because I have a Melody bag I bought at P 280.00 more than five years ago at Market Market and I'm still using it today, "kaya pala sabi ni aling tindera noon - wag mo ng tawaran yan miss matibay ang Melody bag" and I have proven that it's true, " aparador kaya ang bigat ng bag ko, heheh."

          Last month, I proudly announced again that I bought a P100 watch at Market Market tiangge store. My brother smiled, "ayos yan adidas pa tatak ha, he was teasing me actually, heheh." My casio watch stopped last August so I borrowed an old swatch watch from my mother and again it stopped after a month. Both batteries needs to be replaced but I have no time to go to the watch shop so when I pass through the tiangge stores I bought a new watch at P100 only. I bought it last September 12 and it is still working as of today. My mother said, "hay naku, tyempuhan lang kapag nakakuha ka ng palpak isang araw lang yan hihinto na" but luckily I am still wearing it today and it's been already one month & six days since I bought it plus it has an extra battery, hope it works too. I'm marking the dates again September 12, 2015 and it must last until December 10, 2015 - the 100th day from the day I bought it. That's where my one peso stands, just as long as it satisfies my needs & it's purpose, one peso per day is not bad at all.

         The casio watch I bought last December 2013 only lasted 1 year & eight months and that's equivalent to 608 days. Divide it to P 1,750 (my casio watch price) and it's value is P 2.88 per day. Though it's battery can replaced and it can be use again afterwards, but given a situation where time is valuable to me, I needed a temporary solution & that's my first reason.

My added reason here were situational and I call it "let it go situations" and the advantage of owning a cheaper products.

1. Nadukutan na ba kayo? I hope not but if yes, how does it feel if your iPhone was pickpocketed, "ang hirap mag let go di ba, paulit ulit na iisipin mo hanggang makabili ka ng bago, heheh? I've known someone who've experienced that kind of situation, "iyak talaga sya", kung mura lang cp, yung sim & contacts lang ang panghihinayangan mo, di ba?

2. Nahold up na ba kayo? I hope not again but if yes, how does it feel again? Others will say, "cellphone lang yan ibigay mo na kesa buhay mo ang kuhanin sa yo," Again, if your cellphone is a bit expensive, "ang hirap mag-let go di ba? My bestfriend once told us a story an about an incident where she gave her cp without resistance and we were all laughing as she narrated a story, "Na-hold up ako noon, hiningi ang cp at wallet ko, e umuulan, manong pakihawak tong payong ko kukunin ko lang cp at wallet ko sa bag. Pagkatapos ko ibigay ang cp at wallet ko, manong pahingi naman ng pamasahe lang, hindi ako makakauwi nito e, binigyan naman sya." As she was telling the story, we asked her "ano ba yung cp mo? Yung malaking Motorola, binigay ko na rin para mapalitan na yung cp ko pero ang kapal ng mukha nung holdaper tinext ko nag reply agad gamit pa rin yung sim ko". Move on agad sya di ba, heheh. Ang sakit ng tyan namin katatawa talaga."

3. Nabagsak na ba ang cp nyo? If you did, how does it feel? "Hindi ako maingat sa gamit, ilang beses ng nabagsak ang cp ko, good thing it's only a myphone brand and both my cp were still okay, but if it is an IPhone brand "iyak na ko nun, repair pa lang ang napakamahal na." Well, it happened to my brother few years ago.

4. Baha? My brother once told, "Ate, matibay kasi tong brand ng sapatos na to & isa to sa latest model, mura na to naka sale na. Okay ka lang 5k yan, sige ilusong natin sa baha yan, sa akin kahit masira oks lang 250 lang - P5k vs P250 kong sapatos, payag ka? Syempre hindi, 5k ito e. Walang maganda at mahal na sapatos sa bahang kalye. Again, its okay to buy cheap products just as long as it serves its purpose.

5. Nanakaw? My brother once had a pair of havaianas slippers. "Ate, matibay tong tsinelas ko, one year na kaya to. Sa kasamaang palad, nanakaw sa tapat ng bahay namin, bad trip yung kapatid ko. Sosyal na ang magnanakaw ngayon alam nila ang branded products. So I told him, ako 20 pesos lang slippers ko umabot rin ng one year pero hindi nanakaw. Dumaan yung pulubi, inabutan ko ng 5 pesos, nakita yung tsinelas ko, hiningi binigay ko. Nagpaalam na ng maayos sa akin, nakatulong pa ako, di ba?

6. Matibay daw? So he bought another havaianas, after two years napigtas naman pero hindi napudpod. So I told him, ako 50 pesos lang tsinelas ko umabot rin ng two years pero hindi napigtas napudpod nga lang." Seriously, there are brands that are not so expensive but has the same durability. I have a carribean slippers I bought 2 years ago at P 169.75 only, it's my favorite slippers & up to this day I still use it whenever I go to mall or even just to make errands at the store.

7. Muntik mawala? My officemate once told a story she was laughing as she narrated, "Nahulog yung isang havaianas ko sa rails ng MRT tulakan kasi, hindi ko makuha kasi nasa baba at baka dumating ulit yung tren, siksikan pa naman. Kaya hinintay kong mag-alisan ang mga tao bago ko tumawag ng guard para kunin, hayun tuloy na-late ako. Kung di lang yun mahal ang havaianas ko iniwan ko na yun. Again, its hard to let go of things that has an expensive value, right? That's the reason why I prefer buying the cheaper brands.

8. Madaling Magsawa? I have an Ipod shuffle bought almost ten years ago & up to now it is still working. Apple brand kaya yun kaya hindi nasisira pero almost 6k din ang bili ko nun kaso naka stock na lang sa cabinet at hindi ko nagagamit ngayon. I know someone who had a bandolino shoes, ang tibay talaga kaso pinagsawaan ko na rin hanggang pinamigay na lang :) Financially wise? Yes it is wise to buy those products because of its durability. But for how long you plan to use a certain product, that is the question.


Whether its cheap or expensive just as long as it serves it purpose price won't matter. But still I only spend according to necessity & my financial capacity not according to the society, this is my principle in spending.

How about you? What's your principle in spending?


Just sharing again!
Be safe and Have a blessed weekend!!!!


"Blame Typhoon Lando for this long post, he is the reason why I'm in the mood of writing, love to stay inside my room with this kind of weather :)"

My Financial Goals Update

         Yes I am studying but that doesn't mean that I have taken for granted all the financial goals I have set this year. My goals are still posted on my wall and everyday I look at them so that I will be reminded of what I need to accomplish before 2015 ends.

          Last week, I received my midyear 13th month pay of P 6,156.00, this was suppose to be given last June but unfortunately our company is in financial crisis. Good thing they managed to collect a suffice amount for the company's expenses.They also gave us our partial salary for September 30 payroll and hopefully it will be completed next week. Yesterday, after our Saturday class in TUP I headed directly to Wealthbank to deposit 5k to my savings account and fill up a form authorizing the bank to automatically transfer 5k on my special savings account next week. I also deposited P 1,800 on my Wealthbank atm account so I can mark my #2 goal on my list.

          It was only last week that I was able to understand the whole context of my BPI Philam Life insurance. First, it has a cash value that continuously increases as years go by. Second, it is a whole life insurance so that means I am insured until I'm 100 years old, yeheey.........."abot pa kaya ako dun?". And lastly, I was also informed that I already have an almost 20k cash value in it, another "yeheey". Should I decide to terminate my insurance, I can get the cash value of my policy but then I have no plans of terminating it now. What's really good about it is that my cash value continually increases so if at the age of 60 or 70 years old I plan to terminate my policy, its cash value will be given back to me. I estimated that it will be more twice of the amount I have invested in it, hope I'm right with my calculation, "basta lalampas yun sa nahulog ko, panalo na ko nun". I have until February 2017 to finish it's eight year payment period.

          Speaking of cash value I also added it in my record, so as of today I can proudly say that I already reached my 200k target, that's the reason why my #9 goal is marked on my list. I've also made some revisions too that's the reason why there are some bold markings in it. My initial plan was to have a total 20k on my special savings account & additional 5k on my Soldivo fund. But I changed my plan, I decided to redirect my focus on my FAMI & Philequity mutual fund. I plan to have atleast 30k total amount invested on FAMI and on Philequity as well before the year ends. And if I still have some extra savings I will try to reach that 20k goal in my special savings account this December.

       Just two more goals to finish this year---reach 20k on wealthbank and 30k on FAMI & 30k on PEMI.!!!!!!! :)
  


Just sharing again!
Have a blessed weekend guys!
God bless.

I survived the first semester!

This is not a finance related post but let me just write this one to release the feeling that I have today.

Yes, I survived!
No exact single word can describe what I really feel today.
I am so happy that I was able to pass the six subjects (18 units) I enrolled three months ago.
I couldn't believe I was able to surpass the first semester of my back to school journey.

Would you imagine three months ago I was on the verge of giving up.
If it weren't from my classmate who has been my constant motivator I would have given up already.
If it weren't from my suking tricycle driver who said that I have nothing to lose I wouldn't enjoy my back to school journey.
If it weren't from the influence of my classmates who were so eager to pursue their studies I would have given up easily.
If it weren't from the support of my family, our company & friends here in net I wouldn't appreciate the value of education in my life.

Looking back as I recall the fears that I had when I first entered the school campus, I was really hesitant to pursue this goal. All the fears that I felt when I deliver my reports in front of the class, all the stress that I had working while studying, sometimes undecided as to which field needs to be prioritized, all the efforts I made just to complete our projects & assignments, and the pressure I had when I took the final exams, praying and hoping to pass the subject as I reach the end of the term. All the hardwork finally paid off as our professor handed over to us our classcards last week.

It's very fulfilling to see the grades written on the classcards because I know that it all came from my hardships. Oh, I love all the grades written on it, "mataas o mababa basta nakapasa, ayos na - dugo't pawis ko lahat un", heheh. But regardless of whatever grades I received, what is important to me is that I've learned a lot. I've learned from my professors. I've learned from my classmates. Lastly, I've learned to value and appreciate my work today. I used to complain a lot on my job but after all the experiences that our professors shared to us I realized that their job are much more difficult than mine. It would take a lot of passion and dedication to embrace that kind of profession. Inspite of the difficulties, the reward is priceless, seeing all the fruits of their hardwork in molding the future generations of our country come into reality as they encounter a lot of their students become successful in their own field. I salute all the teachers out there.

After that three month back to school journey I decided to continue what I have started.
Yesterday I just finished enrolling for the second semester.
I have enrolled 21 units, two minor subjects were added because it is mandated.
I still have a stage fright & still have that nervous feeling when I do my reportings and demo teachings but I think my life is more enjoyable and challenging today. "Sarap kaya ng buhay estudyante." The proof is seen in my other blog -"Lakbay aral".

As what my classmate always say to me at the end of the class,
"Always ask for the divine enablement and you will be able to surpass all the difficulties in life."
Afterall, that is what your name "Grace" means.



Just sharing my experiences!
Have a blessed weekend!

Just the Basics

If you have read some of my posts, you can easily describe me as a pessimistic and worrier person. I worry a lot especially if it concerns about my future and my family. I guess that attitude was molded by my past experiences when I was a kid. Really thankful that I didnot quit studying & that I have a psychology related subject called Child & Adolescence that helped me a lot to understand myself & the people around me as well.
I used to panic and worry before but now I have become more aware on the positive things around me rather than the negative situation I have. I have learned to appreciate more what God has given me and understand his purpose on everything.
Now since this is a financial blog, I have shared my previous post on hep hep hooray which I accidentally deleted, huhuh , it's about our salary went half and last month we received nothing.
Yes, "wala po kaming sahod" last month, just the completion of our August 15th salary were given to us. Good thing, I still have a secondary source of income from the rent I receive every month from my brother who is renting my little room beside our house for P 3,000.00. After a week P 1,000.00 was given to us as our partial salary plus some side income of 650.00. So instead of panicking again, I apply my own basic rule, spend only on the basics, just the basic needs.

        Last July 31, I only received a P2,000 salary plus my secondary source of P 3,000 which gives me a sum of P 5,000 total income. How did I spend it? - I bought 1 sack of rice (1,950.00), 16 pcs of eggs (65.00), & groceries (550.00). I paid my half share utility bills @ home - Meralco, water & Pldt 1,300) & deposited 1,000 on Philequity.
        Last August 28, I only spent P 1,600 on utility bills, 500 on groceries, 16 pcs of eggs (65.00) to fill the egg section of our refrigerator, 600 on lpg gas, 1,400 on life insurance & 1,000 on Philequity. Good thing we still have a stock of rice in our storage, we don't pay house rent anymore, my mother has a separate budget for ulam from my brother and I have an extra emergency back up on my savings account.

        Rice, foods, utility bills & monthly rents are inevitable. Just as a I prioritize rice (basic food) & eggs (just for backup/we are seven in our family) & utility bills before I spend on other things the same rule I also use in paying my life insurance & monthly top up on mutual fund because I know & I feel that they are part of my basic needs. That if I don't prepare my future today I might end up being a homeless and hopeless again.
        Spend on the basics & plan your future only then you will see the real essence of saving & investing today.
        I know that God will always help us get through our problems but then let us not forget that it is our obligation to prepare for ourselves first - spend wisely, invest early & save regularly.



Just sharing my experience!
Have a blessed weekend!

Budget Adjustment Period

Last week I received a salary of  P 3,255.24 and it's the salary range that I expected since I still have a cash advance of P 700.00 & a penalty charge of P 300.00. It was last month that I have trained myself to a hapit mode because I know that my salary will be stashed into half. With only 6 to 6.5 hours of work daily & no overtime, I know that I must live within my means & I should still continue saving & investing for my future. Though the market is down these days, I still believe that it will recover soon that's why I make sure that I set aside my monthly top up on my mutual funds.

My Income

And here's how my budget goes:

And though I was left with P 1,289.24, I can still file a cash advance when it's needed. The good news last week is that my boss noticed my undertime deductions & he called me " Grace, ang laki ng deductions mo, adjust natin ang time mo --- so official time was adjusted to 8am till 4pm, he included our breaktime (12pm -1pm) so I can still have a full 8hr/day salary.
God is really Good, he is touching other's heart to help me and I really feel so blessed and thankful to HIM.

Just sharing again!
Have a great day guys, kahit na maulan enjoy pa rin :)

My Learning Experiences

In the first two weeks of my student life in TUP I really wanted to quit. I wanted to back out when they gave us the syllabus, grabe nalula ako sa dami ng topics. Then all my subjects have reporting activity & topics were all assigned (grabe, may stage fright pa rin ako, although I've finished 2 reportings already). Plus assignments, research activities & thesis we're distributed to us.

Would you believe we needed to research 41 cases and all of it were already decided by the Supreme court, (wala naman akong balak maging abogado,eh huhuh). So far I have read 5 cases, the least were 5 pages & the most were 38 pages. We will be reporting some of the cases & 3 cases were assigned to me, sadly I have picked the landmark cases so I really need a lot of time reading to understand it better. Aside from those loaded activities I mention, our professor clearly emphasize to us that we need mastery of the field that we are going to teach in the future and since I'm an architectural technology graduate I need to be fully equipped with the knowledge & experiences from that field but sadly I already left that field 22 years ago, pano ko siya ituturo iba na ang field ko ngayon, :(.....

But as much as I wanted to quit, part of me was saying don't give up yet, there's so much more to learn. So what if I fail....so what if I have a lesser salary.....so what if I have a stage fright, I got nothing to lose but I will definitely gain a lot of knowledge from those experiences. Would you believe who gave me that insights & advise----my suking tricycle driver.
"Eh ano, kung bumagsak ka."
"Eh ano, kung may nerbiyos ka."
"Kung matuto ka naman, di ba."
"Kahit maliit ang sahod, may trabaho ka."
"Wala ng mawawala sa yo, kasi nakapagtrabaho ka na at may trabaho ka pa rin."
"Napatapos mo nang mag-aral ang mga kapatid mo."
"So ngayon, sarili mo naman ang isipin mo, grab mo yang opportunity na mag-aral."
"At higit sa lahat i-enjoy mo lang yang experiences mo ngayon."
Nasabi ko tuloy sa sarili ko--- "Oo nga naman, ENJOY lang."

Another piece of advise were given to me by my classmate who is already a teacher (she's not an educ graduate) but needed this course & licensure as a requirement in the school where she was teaching. She told me,....."Calm down Ms. Grace, don't worry. Just cross the bridge when you get there, concentrate ka muna sa subjects natin ngayon." 
"Napakabilis ng panahon ngayon, for all we know nalampasan na natin lahat nyan after a year. How will you know If you can make it or not kung ngayon pa lang susuko ka na?". Those were the reasons why I continued, o diba naka-one month na ko.

Ang nega ko no?......, good thing I have a lot of angel advisers around me. You will notice that in most of blogs, my pessimists attitude is shown and I am really thankful that I have a blog where I can release everything that's been circulating in head, parang praning lang no?

But kidding aside, another interesting subject I have in my course is the "CHILD & ADOLESCENCE" it's a psychology subject where we it focuses more on the human development of a child from birth to adulthood. There were times that I almost cried as our professor imparts all her experiences in the field of Psychology and I was like, ......."ah kaya pala ako naging ganun, kasi ganun ang nangyari sa akin nung bata ako". It was really an eye-opener to me because all the questions I had in my head were answered and when I asked our professor, "If there were problems in childhood how can it be cured?" she answered ....."just let it out & let it go". "If you saw someone crying, let her cry. If somebody confides a problem, let her talk. You just need some form of release for you to feel good because no matter how you contain it, it will come out though not exactly in words but the anger will come out in our actions as well." Now I know that this blog activity is really helping me overcome my fears & myself too. A lot of self discoveries were made also as we tackle different theories and I'll try to impart it here in my blog when I have time.


Just sharing again my experiences!
Have a Wonderful Wednesday!
Till then......

Hapit Mode Again & my Back to School Journey

I know that my salary will be stashed into half because of the limited time that I am now rendering in my work. Last Monday I received a salary of P 3,893.61, its bigger than I expected because my salary only ranges from 6k to 7k with overtime (every 15th & 30th salary) & I have a cash advance of 1k & penalty (charge) of 300 pesos. It's a good thing that I have set my expectations @ a lower level rather than be frustrated if my salary doesn't meet my expectations.

PNB visa card dues     =   P 1,987.31
FAMI equity fund        =  P 1,000.00
Monday transpo allow =      P 55.00 (kinapos na ng allowance)
School supplies            =  P     95.25
----------------------------------------------------
Total expenses             =  P 3,137.56

Net = P 3,893.61 (salary) - P 3,137.56 (expenses & investment) = P 756.05

School supplies I bought last Monday

Again I was left with this huge amount of (P 756.05) for my daily allowance but it was higher than my previous salary, bongga pa rin di ba :) Kidding aside, even if I have that salary range today I find it very challenging & fulfilling as I go to the process of adjusting to my financial needs.

What amazes me now is that I have discovered a lot about myself.
The first two weeks in school, I was really in shock when they gave us all the syllabus, grabe ang daming topics & cases to be reviewed. We we're already assigned with different topics to be reported every week & I was the first to deliver the report yesterday in one of my subject.

As I stand in front of the class, my hands went cold, my mind went in a blank state again & the sad part was......my stomach went wild (grabe nanlalamig ako di ko alam kung tatakbo ako sa cr or dun ako aabutan sa harapan) but I survived that moment & what happens next......hulaan nyo na lang, hahah -----the result was not so good talaga. The last time I reported in front of the class was 22 years ago in our technical english class, the second was yesterday & a lot of next will happen in the next few months. I must conquer my fear & I need to strengthen my internal locus.....FOCUS GRACE FOCUS!!!!

Research, thesis, quizzes,essays, term test, reporting, reporting & reporting, wahhhh......kayanin ko sana! Ika nga ng bunso kong kapatid, ginusto mo yan e, pangatawanan mo.......ang bait ng kapatid ko noh,:)


Just sharing my experience again.
Have a blessed day!
Till next time!

Books I bought @ Booksale

Two weeks ago, we went to Market Market Mall to unwind for a while. My mother is already complaining that she was so tired taking care of baby kenji because she just can't simply resist the charm of her apo @ home. The only way to keep her attention away from my baby nephew & to relax a bit was to go to the mall for our usual window shopping routine. I happen to pass by the booksale store & took a glimpse & luckily I found some interesting book there.

This book costs only P 35.00

Then last Sunday, we went to the Market Market Mall again with my brother, my sister inlaw, baby kenji & with mother to stroll around again & took this chance to go back to Booksale store to look for for some cheap books again & so glad I found these books.

This book costs only P 10.00

Another book for P 10.00

And the last book for P 10.00 again

Total costs of these books P 65.00 only, katuwa di ba?
( I just took off the 10 peso price tag of the last two books baka kasi asarin nila ako sa bahay e, heheh)

Tapping Potential is interesting, malapit ko na siyang matapos :) 



Just sharing again!
Have a blessed weekend!

Tighter Budget this June

I had P 390.00 left in my salary last Sunday plus the P 20.00 & coins in my purse.

But I'm okay with it because I felt I've accomplished much with my salary & income last week.
1) I was able to buy 1 sack of rice - P 1,900.00
2) I was able to pay my BPI-Philam life insurance - P 2,073.80
3) I was able to pay in full in my BPI mastercard - P 2,496.78  
4) I paid my share in meralco bill, water bill, & PLDT bill - P 1,435.00
5) We ran out of LPG gas also - P 600.00
6) I deposited 1k in my FAMI account - P 500.00 (came from my salary)
7) I also spend P 300.00 for our food/transportation to Calamba Laguna.
 (My mother & I attended the funeral of my auntie who passed away last week).
8) My daily allowance last Friday P 150.00 (kinulang kasi ako dahil sa bagong sapatos)
9) Additional Palengke expenses (eggs, fruits, rekados) - P 100.00

10) I bought a new book @ Booksale - P 35.00
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                        Total    ------------------------------        P 9,590.58
The total income & salary I had last week was P 9,994.60 less the total expenses P 9,590.58 equals P 404.02

Though I was left with that small amount from income last Monday I managed to fit into my budget for 4 days by bringing some baon everyday & that's what makes it challenging for me. (Kailangan mamaluktot pag maikli ang kumot). I've filed a cash advance last thursday in our office for my budget since I was left with few coins (1peso coins & 25 cents) in my purse.

Bad budget planning?.....Not really, I actually decided to go to that hapit mode of budgetting again this June though I also gave myself a little bit of splurging last May (new shoes (P250), tablet case (P350), hardware tools (P1,700) & some malling expenses) for I know that in the next coming months my lifestyle will change.
I'm on a transition process this month, I need to get use to a tighter budgeting system so it'll be easier for me to adjust to a half salary income I'll be receiving this June & in the coming months. I also planned to take note of every centavo on my expenses particularly on my transportation expenses (hindi talaga sila nagsusukli ng 50 cents), they always took 8 pesos fare on the passengers unless we give them exact fare, "nakakapagod at nakakahiya ng sumigaw ng sukli araw araw ha". So I requested my officemate to change my 100 pesos to (1peso coins) & 50 pesos to (25 cents) & that's the reason why you see some pack of coins in the photo above. Well, pag nagka-student ID ako I'll be paying them the student fare, hahah.

My Back-to-School journey already started last Wednesday & I'm still in a mental shock state today, first day pa lang reporting, research & thesis na agad ang ina-assign, wala man lang warm up sa Social Dimension subject ko, Principles of Teaching -medyo oks lang & my Student Learning Assessment subject I think will be the hardest for now, Child & Adolescent, Code of Ethics & Rizal Subject will start next week.

Guys, I need your help. I still don't know what to research on my thesis but I'm actually planning to research on discipline particularly on financial discipline on the kids & I'll be suggesting it to my research partner. If you can share me some articles, journals, psycholoy topics & sites about financial discipline of kids & about money too.
Thanks in Advance!!!


Till then,.......Have a blessed weekend!!!

On Family's Health Concern

My father had a mild stroke five years ago.
He was confined in a hospital for more than a week ( 3 days in ICU & 5 days in recovery room). We rushed him to the hospital @ 9pm in the evening though it was as early as 5am that my father felt some symptoms but since my father thinks its just a waste of time & he had no money to go to the doctor he ignores it, thinking that the pain & numbness he felt will pass away.
When I arrived that night my mother told me " Anak, kumbinsihin mo na dade mo na magpadala sa hospital, di na nagsasalita puro iling na lang ang sagot nya." He cannot speak already that time, he just nod when I told him, "De, may pera ako dito (kahit wala), pa check-up na tayo." Though I have no money, we rushed him @ San Juan de Dios Hospital with the help of some of our neighbors (binuhat na lang siya, di na kasi makagalaw & buti na lang may nagmagandang loob na may-ari ng sasakyan at naghatid sa hospital). He was admitted immediately because he had a Maxicare card that time. Afterwards my mother was also admitted there that day also because her bp went up @ 180/120. My father's hospital bill went up @ P 55,000.00 after he was released & because of the Maxicare & Philhealth it went down to P 15,000.00.

Now, imagine if that scenario happens again today & I have no money, will my father be admitted immediately at the hospital? They have no healthcards now since my brother got married last year. And that's the reason why I am being paranoid about this matter. I can't find a healthcard, healthcare plans, & even just an emergency card that will accept their age & condition & my budget, too. They are both 67 years & with pre existing illness already.

Last week I saw these MDR forms from Philhealth.
"Wow Ma, may Philhealth na kayo." 
She answered, "Oo libre na sa senior, pakitabi mo na lang yang mga forms."
Thats a big relief to me knowing that they already have a Philhealth, "mawalan man ako ng trabaho kampante ako kahit papaano." .

Two weeks ago, my father told me.
"Nak', naglalakad at dumadaan ako lagi sa healthcenter at nagpapacheck up, magpapa-urinalysis at blood chem ako sunod na linggo." I answered, "Okay yan 'de (short for Dade), maganda yan. Lagi kayo magpa-check up at magpa-bp dyan para kahit papano namo-monitor kayo." My father jogs or  walks around our area everyday & the barangay health center is just a few blocks from us. After a week, he went back & the result of his labtest are all normal (thank God) & the doctor just gave him Vitamin B complex aside from his usual maintenance medicine (clopidogrel, amlodepine & simvastatine).

Now, I am convincing my mother to go to that healthcenter also, atleast she can have a check up for free once in a while & some labtest are cheaper than the private hospitals. I also told here, I set aside P 1,000.00 in my cabinet in case of emergencies (also planned additional 1k for my father).


But still she insists that they must have a proper check up on their specialists.
So I also plan to bring them in San Juan de Dios hospital when I had money so they can have a proper check up atleast once a year in neurologist, nephrologist & cardiologist & to update also their prescriptions. I'll be saving some for it & will also be asking my brothers help for this. My mother's been complaining a lot lately on her back hips ,one of her kidney is getting smaller already (barado daw yung ugat sa left kidney nya & the nephro says it needs 500k for the operation but he doesn't advise it because of my mother's age).My mother also has a systolic hypertension & that's an added factor why her kidneys are weakening. So I keep telling her, always drink a blended carrots & apple fruits daily but she keeps on saying "wala akong time minsan, pagod ako pag-aalaga kay baby kenji :(".

When I think about my family's health concern, I sometimes felt weaker & helpless that I cannot help them financially & allocate more time to take care of them since I'm working daily mostly on overtime schedule . I got a lot of "If only's" in my head today - if only I finished the SSS voluntary contribution of my mother, she would also be receiving her pension today, if only I have gotten a healthplans for them earlier, & if only I have read those financial & inspirational blogs earlier I would have change my mindset & would have saved more in the past but I cannot go back in the past now to revise my life, just need to be prepared now, do what it's needed & just pray to God to take care of my family's health.


Just sharing again!
Have a blessed day everyone!

2015 Midyear Goal Updates

It's the sixth month of the year 2015 and I am reviewing my goals posted on my wall again.
I was able to open a Soldivo account last January & reach my 2k target on my BPI atm account & my 20k target on my Philequity account last month.
I just deposited another 1k on FAMI-equity fund last Friday, a total of 13k on my equity fund & 11k on my balanced fund bringing me to a total of 24k on FAMI.
I just paid my BPI Philam insurance today (P 2,073.21).
So from those marked goals listed above 5 goals were achieved another 5 goals to reach this year.
5 out of 5 not bad for me, I still have seven months to complete this.

I plan to revise my #6 goals to addtl 5k on FAMI & 5k on Philequity instead of adding 10K on my Wealthbank Special Savings account. I might use it for tuition fee if my salary/income doesn't suffice my necessary expenses in the coming months.
I want to focus & be consistent with my mutual funds investments this year & hopefully reach my 200k total savings & investments goal before the year 2015 ends.



Just sharing again :)
Have a great Monday!

My Monthly Grocery Budget

These are the usual grocery items I bought every month, just the basics of course -
3 Coffee, 3 Sugar, 3 Coffemate, Butter, Oats, Bread, Milk, Vinegar, Soysauce, Fish Sauce, Catsup, Juices/drinks, Dishwashing liquid, Vegetable oil & Laundry powder soaps are the basic products I bought every month & my usual budget is P 1,000+++. But this time I only added 1 can of fruit cocktail, condensed milk & all purpose cream since I plan to make some macaroni fruit salad for my father's birthday.

I also bought this particular drinks - Pineapple juice for my father, Cranberry juice for my mother, & that Coke is for me (minsan lang naman, heheh :)

Stock Groceries

But before my mother & I do our grocery shopping I always check the stock of groceries left  in our kitchen, just to make sure I bought the necessary quantity that we only needed for a month.

The reason why I am posting this today - is that I am actually reviewing the grocery items I bought last month & thinking of ways to trim my grocery expenses into half.  Next month will be the start of the school year & as per agreement with my boss, I will only be working for 6 hours with no overtime so my salary will be trimmed into half. I know that I will encounter financial difficulties in the next few months so I'm already preparing for it. I already told my mother about my new budget plan (P500 for groceries), & she's okay with it. I also asked our bunso to take full responsibility on our monthly utility bills (meralco, water & pldt bills), & he answered " di ko kaya 'te, hati lang kaya ko". Oh well, what can I do ---kailangan pangatawanan ko to, gusto kong mag-aral e, pero di ko pa rin puedeng bitawan ang responsibilidad ko.

Just another challenge !!!! kakayanin ko to :)


Just in the mood of sharing some thoughts again today!
Have a great weekend!

Got a New Pair of Shoes

I'm a typical shirt & jeans employee who still loves wearing chuck taylor shoes.
I walk around 15 minutes to 30 minutes everyday to save 8 pesos to 16 pesos daily wearing my red chucks that I bought more than two years ago.

Yes my shoes is more than two years old & though it looked ugly & dirty I love wearing it but it was only last week that I noticed that the back side of my shoes is already smiling (medyo tuklap na ang swelas).

As much as I wanted to buy a new one, I still don't have a budget for it. I think the new converse shoes costs more than P 2,000+++. So my alternative solution - a cheaper one "for pangharabas use".

Last Wednesday, on my way home around 11:45 pm, I saw a bangketa shoe sale @ C-5. I dropped by, fit one shoe & though it was one size bigger I decided to buy it @ P 250.00. Since I was feeling so tired & sleepy that night, it only took me 5 minutes to fit & buy it. It was only in the morning that I realize I got a new pair of shoes already, hahah.

Cheap...??? For some who like branded shoes, maybe yes but for me I don't think so.
I'm just being practical, imagine the cost of my converse shoes before was P 1,850.00 divide it by 3 years (assuming my shoes will last until December 2015) equals P 616.67 per year or P 1.68 per day. This shoes that I just bought last wednesday only cost less that half of its price per year. The challenge this time - is for this shoes to serve me for atleast a year (tingnan natin ang tibay) , MARK THIS DATE - May 29, 2015, Im wearing it already!

Just following my own principle - "Spending according to my financial capacity" :)


Have a great day!
God Bless Everyone!

Hardware Tools, House Repairs & Fault lines

If you have read my last year's post about our house, you can see our house doesn't look good & it really needs some repairs especially on the inside & that's the reason why I become interested in collecting tools.
I know that hardware tools are essential at home for there were lots of times that we needed some quick repairs in our house and I have to borrow these tools from our neighbors.
So I started collecting it.
Whenever I go to the department stores I look for tools.
Whenever I enter the mall I visit either Ace Hardware or Handyman first.
I always look for sale items & I buy it.

My tool collections last year

That was last year, but after I bought the hammer drill & started reading financial blogs I lost my interest spending on these items. Sadly as I checked my tools two weeks, most of it were gone already. So again, I'm back to revisiting hardware stores & searching for some sale items again. Good thing I read this  post "10 tools every homeowner should have " last week atleast now I have guide of what the basic tools are needed @ home.

Speaking of repairs, as I was looking @ the roof of my brother's house two weeks ago, I saw some rust formations coming out so I headed to the hardware stores again, bought 2 liters of red primer oxide & 4 pouch packs of vulcaseal to prevent further leakages.

The hammer drill I bought last year & the extension cord I bought last week

I also bought one 18 watts LED flourescent lamp in exchange for the 23 watts bulb we had in between sala & kusina (tipid kuryente mode) & 15m extension cord ( from P 1299.75 down to P 995.00) which was also on sale that day. Good thing that our "suking karpintero" who happens to be our neighbor was there last Saturday. Some repairs were made in our house including my brother's house, installed the fluorescent bulb &  added lock in our main door. He also inspected our roof on the 2nd floor, put some vulcaseal in it & painted the other roof with red primer. But he told me that two of our roofs must be replaced "May tama na yung dalawang  bubong nyo kelangan ng palitan pero nilagyan ko na lang ng muna ng vulcaseal - pang temporary solution." We've been in that house for 15 years & it was only 3 years ago that I started a yearly maintenance, if only I have done it earlier I would have saved those GI roofs. I'll probably deal with it next year after I finish my studies (malaking pera na naman kasi ang kailangan pagpalit ng bubong). I hope that vulcaseal can still hold & prevent those leaks until next year.

I was about to end this post yesterday,  when the news about the west valley fault caught my attention. Philvocs already released the list of barangays near that fault & sadly, our barangay North Signal Village is included in that list. I am bothered by this news because the beam structure in our second floor is not yet finish. My mother & I were watching news yesterday & she told me "Anak, paayos mo na lang tong 2nd floor para tumibay tong taas wag mo ng ituloy yang 3rd floor rooftop na pangarap mo at delikado." Yes, it was my dream to have a rooftop thats why I am also saving for it. I have dreamt of lying in a folding bed in our rooftop while watching the stars & the moon in the sky at night. I guess that dream will be put on hold for now & rethink about it while I focus on my other goals first. I'll try to think of ways also that can help strengthen the structure of our house instead of moving out, "medyo confident naman ako sa first floor namin, freak out lang ang nanay ko when she heard that news that she wanted to moved out of our house & go back to Pasay where we first lived."

I know that the Big One (an earthquake with a magnitude 7.0 higher) might happen in Metro Manila since we have an active fault lines here ( East & West Valley Faults) & we were always warned about this but it was only yesterday that we found out that our area is near & within that fault.
I think preparations must be done now to strengthen the structure of our houses & buildings. A lot of prayers is also needed because I always believed that God will help us get through it once it happens (but I pray it wont).

Just sharing my thoughts today!
Have a great weekend guys!
God bless everyone!

Charge & In-Charge

As a sales coordinator, part of my job is to schedule the pick up & deliveries of the riders which they think is the easier part but for me is not since I'm not familiar with places. Through years of  "pakikisama' & "pakisuyo" I have learned to become familiar with it.

The second part of my job, is to handle on phone queries & receive jobs both from email & walk-in clients, and forward the layout instructions to the graphic artist before final production. This part for me is mentally draining because I sometimes feel that all the megabytes in my brain were all used to absorb instructions.

The third part of my job is to deal with the problem when errors occured and this part for me is the hardest and the most challenging one. Why, because I'm in the middle part of the process here & I sometimes absorb the client's anger, negotiate  & explain to my boss why there's an error and who's fault it will be & who will be charge with materials used on that error.

And this was the scenario last week, the client saw an error after the final printing & he called me early in the morning last Monday "Grace bakit ganun, bumaliktad ang logo? Di ba okay at approved na yung digital, anong nangyari? Final size & orientation na lang ang pinag-usapan natin bakit nagka-error pa?" And in my defense " Sir, pacencia na po medyo doble ang workload ng artist ngayon & medyo complicated ang processing ng pag special color sa Photoshop."
And he answered back, "Grace, alam mong hindi tamang ikatwiran mo yan sa akin, internal issue nyo yan."

He's been our very kind, valued & a good payer client for the past few years and since I know that he's very kind person I sometimes negotiate about some charges when we encounter errors but this time he's response was not so good that my plan to negotiate about the charges did not pursue.

So who's fault it was-none, though I can say it was on the artist's side that the error occured but it was more on the software error but as our company rule states that final approval to the client must be done first before final printing so errors can be prevented. On this project, it was emailed first to the client before final printing but on the other hand the final approved digital is in our hands so it was our responsibility to countercheck it also.
I cannot blame the graphic artist directly for this because I know the pressure of his job since I've onced worked as a graphic operator before & it was really exhausting not only physically but mentally as well.
So next week I'll be reporting to my boss about this incident & I'll be taking the full responsibility on this matter including the financial damages associated with it. As an employee I'm bound by the rules but working in a sales department, I need to be sensitive on the client's sentiments also. "Medyo mabigat lang kasi 2k to 3k din ang estimate ko, katumbas na rin ng isang linggong sahod ko." :(

Meanwhile, yesterday I was lucky again. "Nakapulot po ako ng bente pesos uli at piso sa daanan habang papasok ng opisina, heheh." Plus, may salary increase na pala ako kasi tumaas na ang minimum wage ngayon kaya pala medyo mataas ang sahod ko, imagine umabot ng 7 thousand ang sahod ko, o di ba wow!!!!


How about you? How's your life @ work?


Just in the mood for sharing,
And counting my blessings as well!!!!
God bless everyone!!!

Random Things I Do to SAVE part 1

I'm a Bicolana & my parents are both Bicolano & Bicolana. I was born in Camarines Sur but I grew up in Villamor Air Base, Pasay City.
Being "gastador" runs in my blood but I was more influenced by an Ilocana caretaker who also lives with us in Villamor when I was 12 years old and I can say that I have adopted some of her frugal ways and I really admire her. And now I can proudly say I'm a Bilocana - a combination of Bicolana & Ilocana because I admit I do splurge once in a while but I am frugal most of the time.

Here are some tips that I always do to save:

1) I stick my old bath soap to a new one.

2) I cut the head of the toothpaste to make sure I have used all of its contents.

3) I divide the laundry bars into 5 parts.
I handwash some of my clothes every week before I finally put it in a washing machine & I want a laundry barsoap that I can have a full grip on it).

4) I buy Quatro Pack & Tri-pid Pack. It's easier for me to budget & take control of my consumption.

5) I sometimes prefer to buy some generic or cheaper brand that I know has the same quality with those well known brands.

I love this brand because of its double mint flavor (100ml cost only P30.60)

Glad that I have learned to be frugal at an early age and today I appreciate its financial advantage.
I am proud to be kuripot, proudly Bilocana :)


Just Sharing today!
Have a Blessed day!
God Bless Everyone!

My Enrollment Experience

As part of my personal improvement goals, my priority this year is to study again so I got myself enrolled last week in TUP where I graduated my 3yr technical course. I enrolled for BTTE ( Bachelor of Technical Teacher Education ) - a ladderized course intended for the k12 program.

Am I happy?.......Yes of course, I have taken one step towards my goal but as I entered the school campus for enrollment last week I got a little nervous and my mind starts questioning myself, "Kayanin ko pa kayang mag-aral? Makasabay pa kaya ako? " Hey I'm forty years old and after 21 years I'll be going back to school where most of my classmates will be 20 years younger than me. But then how will I know If I still can If I'm not going to pursue it so I proceeded.

Day 1 (Monday)
During the assessment, I almost failed the qualifications because of lack of credits on some of my subjects but I was still approved by the department head when he reviewed my form. And since I have reached the desired units (57 units are required & I got a total of 63 units on my technical subjects) required for the course, finally the assist. director approved my enrollment.

Day 2 (Tuesday)
There were also some minor problems that I encounter during the registrations because I failed to produce the requirements (medical test, drug test & certificate of employment) immediately. But the good thing about it was it has given me the courage to tell my boss about my plan to study and asked him for a Certificate of Employment.  I thought he was gonna fire me if he found out about my plan but so glad he answered "okay, saka na tayo mag-usap ng schedule kapag naka-enroll ka na". A big relief for me because I'd still be needing some financial back up and I still love my work of course. 
Day 3 (Thursday)
After the approval & submission of all the requirements, finally I am enrolled. The total expenses I had for this enrollment was P 5,647.00 ( P 5,227.00 for the tuition fee & P 420.00 for the medical & drug test). My first school day will be on June 3, 2015.

At forty, I still don't know what I really want in my life, what's my real passion & what's my real purpose here on earth. I am having some doubts today If I can surpass the financial challenges & difficulties that I will encounter in the future but then, how will I know If I don't take those risks? I have been weighing the pros & cons of my decision and still studying has a greater advantage in the future than being stuck up at my present work.

As I promised myself this year, I will be exploring my limits and taking some risks. I don't know where my decisions will lead me but I do hope & pray that God will continue to guide me in every step of my journey.


Just Sharing!
God Bless Everyone :)

Cash Loans Cleared

Finally, all the cash loans I made last year were all cleared. I just paid the last installment on my cash loans last week, yeheeeyyy!!!

These were the loans I made last year, the financial diskarte 1 & financial diskarte 2  posts I did to solve some of the unexpected financial problems, to help my kuya with his small business & a start up puhanan in lending. Yes, all of it were from my cash loans.

I am so thankful that I own a credit card that really helped me during those difficult times.
And I can say that I benefitted from those loans because aside from the lending interest I gained, I was able to save the dividend shares on my amwslai account from being forfeited last year & complete my emergency fund.

Though there were some setbacks from my cash loans because all of the scrap materials for basahan I bought last year were stocked up in our house because of miscommunications we had from the supplier to the buyer I still consider it as a learning experience, ika nga "may mga lugi talaga paminsan minsan sa business". Anyway, all those scrap materials can still be converted into cash just waiting for the right buyer, so wala pa rin "lugi".

Another 10k cash loan was made last January payable for 3 months which was used for lending. The last installment was paid last month & I earned P 1,400 from it.

And though I made two-10k cash loans last March for lending again & last April for my tuition fee, I have calculated the interest from the credit card vs the lending interest, still I got a positive result from it. "May tubo pa rin ako kahit papaano" :)

Just sharing some info on how to compute fixed add on interest on cash loans,

 balance transfers & cash conversions on credit cards

I guess you may be wondering why I keep on making some cash loans even if I do have some extra saving already. That's because I easily get frustrated & disappointed when I saw withdrawals on my savings account. "Am I the only one who has this kind of attitude?"

I do not want to lose my momentum in reaching my financial goals. So as long as I can earn the add on interest that the credit card will charge me from the cash loans I made I will continue to do it whenever I need it. For now, my credit card act as my second back up emergency fund.

I think "knowing yourself first" really plays an important role in reaching our financial goals.

Just in the mood for sharing!
Have a great weekend!