Happy with our cost efficient options

Instead of the normal weekend routine of staying at home surfing the net or watching missed TV Series and playing with my little girl, we left the house at around 2:30 pm today to check out Kaluoka 'Hina- the new planetarium feature of SM Science Discovery Center.

We rarely go out as a family on weekends since we realized that spending our weekend at home and maximizing bonding time with the family is one way to cut down on our monthly expenses. We can save an average of 8000 pesos for every month of not going to the mall (taking into historical considerations that when we go to the mall,we buy snacks/meals and be tempted to buy "something" as well)

Today was an exception as we got free invites to watch the advance screening of Kaluoka and took this as an opportunity to learn about science in SM Science Discovery Center. Good thing that after the advance screening, cocktails were served and had our snacks for free instead of spending it in nearby fastfood joints. We found out as well upon chatting with others during the cocktails that it was also the last World Olympic Pyro Show night and decided that after watching Kaluoka'Hina, we will catch the Pyro Olympics to maximize our stay in Mall of Asia (MOA)

We finished in Science Discovery Center 5ish pm. Upon learning that the first Pyro show will be around 7:30pm, we decided to stroll along the mall and do some errands - pay my Globe bill, buy EQ diaper of my little girl in SM Hypermarket which has long been out of stock in our nearby supermarket - Shopwise.

I was a bit overwhelmed by a lot of people strolling in MOA. Based on my personal assumption and observation, after the Glorietta bombing, other people opted to frequent MOA rather than Glorietta mall or maybe these people wanted to catch the last night of the Pyro Show just like us.

As we were about to have early dinner at around quarter to 7, we were shocked to see that the seaside deck of the mall was closed to the general public. Only those with buffet reservation or show ticket can access the restricted area. The regular ticket costs P150 per head while buffet in seaside area restos would cost about P1000 per head. This was a smart move for MOA management - to maximize every profit generating opportunity and charge a fee for those wanting to catch the Pyro Show nearby.

For us who are trying to save as much as we can, we find these expenses unnecessary as we can still view the said pyro show elsewhere. We decided to drive to Macapagal avenue and instead of spending P600 for entrance tickets, we decided to spend it for our dinner in Gerry's Grill Blue Wave. While driving, we saw lots of cars trying to work their way around MOA to get the best view possible of the Pyro Show. I realized that Filipinos are smart and innovative in their own little ways. Some people brought along mats and had an instant picnic in the open ground near MOA. Others parked their cars along the various roads near MOA. Some brought "take out" meals and ate their dinner in their cars while waiting for the next Pyro Show (Four countries were slated to do Fireworks exhibit through the night with 30 minutes interval after the first display on 730pm).

Good thing the weather cooperated through the night and when the show started most people in Blue Wave restaurants opted to dine outside and watched the magnificent firework display while eating. =) I felt so happy with our cost efficient options through the day. We ended up paying less than our regular weekend getaway expenses. =)

News for the Day

I arrived early this morning at work - a bit sleepy since I only slept less than 8 hours the night before. As I walked out of the elevator, I noticed that our floor was still dark - no lights has been turned on in our work area. I could only count the times where I was the one who turned on the light in our floor area and today I think was the 5th time that I did it in my entire 5-year stay in the office.

About an hour later, my officemates started arriving for work. A few minutes later, we received a text message from one of our technical colleague that our dear packaging specialist expatriated in G country died few hours ago. We were all shocked as the memories left by our dear colleague was only of happy moments full of witty remarks, smiles and laughter.

Goose bumps filled the atmosphere.. Some cried specially those close to him upon learning the sad news. I was initially shocked since I never thought he would die in such a manner - he was assigned in G land for only about half a year.. He doesn't have any fellow countryman in his area of assignment.. and the last thing I heard about him from one of our colleagues who recently went to Glandia was that P lost a lot of weight - that he was thinner than before and that he was homesick already.

He was already confined in the hospital and stayed in the ICU for about 4 days prior his death. Few weeks prior to his confinement, he was already sickly. He initially don't want to tell anybody about his condition especially his family.. What spread around was that he was admitted in the hospital for salmonella infection. I never thought salmonella would be that deadly especially in such a modern country! When his health condition worsened and he was already admitted for ICU, they contacted his home market for the news. His sisters were able to fly out the soonest they heard the news and be with him for a night before his death.

In my opinion, P doesn't deserve to die the way he did. He was one of the best packaging specialist I've ever met.. Though I was unfortunate to have not worked with him directly, I see him along the corridors before, worked with him previously in an outreach program and he is such a delight to be with. I see his packaging initiatives and how successfully it was launched in the market and I was thinking this man will be successful in his career and could become one of the packaging head in the near future for our company.

With what happened to P, I came to realize aside from prioritizing one's health above all things, the value of keeping in touch all the more with your family,relatives and friends especially if you are far from them. Just a little hello would do to know that you care for them. I confirmed all the more that being assigned in another market is not a bed of roses. There are a lot of sacrifices that needs to be done.. Being homesick is one.. You are quite lucky if you could bring your family with you.. Sometimes you might be able to realize that it is even more expensive living abroad despite being in expatriation assignment than being in your home country. Expensive - physically, financially, emotionally and psychologically. It's priceless to have loved ones at close where you can hug them if you want to. kiss them if you need to and catch up with them on their various stories for the day. Simple joys truly matter. Life is too short to miss out on simple blessings.

Eternal rest grant on the soul of P and may perpetual light shine upon him.

Are you happy?

One of my frequently asked questions to friends, colleagues and relatives. Happy people are successful people they say. Everybody wants to be happy. If all of us are happy then I think there will be not much problems to encounter in this world. Sharing with you a great article for secrets of happy people. =)

http://stress.about.com/od/positiveattitude/a/happy_people.htm

Start Up in Household Budget Management

I just got my salary adjustment but despite the increase, I became more conscious of how I spend my earnings.

I am the official finance handler in our household. My husband gives me a certain amount for his monthly share and i try to stick to our monthly household budget. There were a few times that I failed in sticking to it but most of the time we are always on track.

I want to share with you how we did it and perhaps you can share with me as well your tips on how to save for the rainy days, spend less and invest wisely. Perhaps we might be in the same boat and we can compare notes. =)

Just to give you a background, our scenario is the following: we bought a condo unit and had a certain amount on loan, we have a car part of the company car loan benefits which we pay 50% share for 5 years at 0% interest. A few months to go and the car is ours to own already. We are planning to sell it since it still has a high resale value given minimal kilometer run. We have 2 babies - a 2 year old and a 1 year old respectively. Our firstborn was initially diagnosed with a pervasive developmental delay undergoing treatments through various therapies such as occupational therapy, enrolled in a small group class and waiting for his turn( as we already enlisted him) in speech therapy session. As part of our medical benefits, our great company subsidizes a huge % for medical costs such as but not limited to consultations, medicines, treatments with only some minor exceptions. I'm glad that my son's condition falls part of the reimbursement scheme but as to what are included and not - i still have to learn about it along the way.

HOW DID WE START?
We initially started on the wrong foot in terms of financial management but we were both glad that it was corrected after almost reaching financial lowdown and now we have recovered from our financial experience as a couple pretty well. A year ago, my husband and I fully disclosed our net income. Then we determined how much our budget would be for our personal expenses as well as which are part of our compensation. Personal expenses such as daily food budget while working, gas, parking fees/toll fees, cellphone bills and "miscellaneous" - where occasional shopping, DVD purchases, salon trips for haircuts, foot spas with pedicure, massage and other expenses to our delight would fall into.

Next we determined our monthly expenses and budget for it such as yayas' salaries, housing loan monthly amortization (fortunately our parking space is included in our amortization), association dues, bills for landline phone bill, internet, water, electricity and cable, drinking water expense, Dr Edwards water for babies, babies' health check up . We even alloted a monthly budget for recreation - for going out/eating out in the malls, occasional city trips and dates for hubby and me.

Since there are only minimal savings left given our expenses, we initially agreed that whatever is left is to our discretion - either we put it in our joint savings account our add it up to our mutual fund investment. At the start of our marriage, we opened 2 joint savings account wherein we placed our "wedding gifts" in this account. 1 local currency joint savings account and another in a foreign currency. Just to briefly share with you, we in a way had a break-even with our wedding expenses given the wedding gifts that we received. =) Later on in our relationship, we also opened mutual funds separately wherein our co-investor are our babies. We also separately have accounts for cooperative savings account which yields higher interest rate than banks, purchased insurance/plans such as educational, endowment and life insurance.

Have you had your flu shot lately?

Last week, all of us underwent flu vaccination as my company offered free flu vaccine to its employees and dependents as well as "at cost" vaccination fee for non-dependents. I took advantage of the cheaper flu vaccine (but not necessarily sacrificing on the vaccine quality) in our office and had our househelps get vaccinated as well. 

This season of summer is flu season as well. Be prepared for the influenza invasion as it is a serious disease. Symptoms might include fever, headache, extreme tiredness, dry cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, muscle aches and stomach symptoms such as nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. 

It is possible as well that you may infect people around you even before flu symptoms show thus it is important to get everyone in the household get vaccinated against flu. It is recommended to take your flu shot annually. Apart from getting vaccinated, other flu prevention tips includes eating a balanced diet, getting proper rest, keeping your distance to another person (generally you should avoid being closer than 6 feet to someone whom you suspect has a flu or is coughing or sneezing), clean and disinfect your surfaces (worktable, house stuff etc), wash your hands with soap to help kill germs that you may pick up from touching people, touching various surfaces and even animals.

* Most of the tips  and information I got from the leaflet provided by Solvay

Let's Tour the Philippines!

I was fascinated to see DOT's newspaper advertisement promoting various Island Getaways for this year. I realized upon reading the ad that there are still a lot of places that I could look forward to for my vacation here in our country.

Last year I was able to attend the Kulinarya Tagala Tour (sarap food grabe!) and about last month, I joined the Binondo Wok Tour (amazing! I haven't seen this side of Binondo before!). I got excited to see that there are still a lot of beautiful places worth exploring. Recently, I embarked on the Corregidor Tour and it was such a great experience.

Given my quite busy schedule, I might probably be able to go only to those offering day tours or weekend getaways. I am trying to come up with list that I'm planning to visit for the year:

1. Intramuros Walking Tour
2. Kulinarya Bulacan/Pampanga
3. Taal Trek
4. Pinatubo Trek
5. Boracay Getaway (last time I've been to Bora was in 2004 pa! )
6. Baguio Experience (same with Bora)
7. Cebu (my last Cebu experience was in 2002 pa!)
8. Subic (same with Bora!)
9. Palawan Adventure (want to experience the Underground River adventure!)
10. Dumaguete
11. Banaue Tour
12. CamSur Wake Boarding Experience
13. BOhol
14. Ilocos Tour (I was still in Grade 4 when I last visited Ilocos. I'm now married and have 2 kids - you do the math)
15. Batanes Getaway

I wouldn't mind though if my list would extend to next year as long as I would be able to visit all of them!! =) 

For more info on various Island Getaways in the Philippines, log on to:

www.wowphilippines.com

www.experiencephilippines.ph

www.wowpinoy.net

www.philtoa.org