HOW TO SAVE (part 2)

1UTANG and GASTOS

-          Pay off debt

Credit cards, Loans and Utang sa kaibigan... Piso man yan or thousands, you have to prioritize getting it off your Credit list. Anong silbi ng  kumikita ka pero di nababawasan ang utang mo?

I borrow money from my friends sometimes.. but I make sure to pay them ASAP. Joke ng iba, di sila bangko o lending institution. You have to understand that like you, they have other expenses as well.

Offering installment may help you pay off your debt. Although some won’t accept installment payments (their reasoning is because they could spend it easily), you can still save a percentage of your debt in your “Saving wallet” until you could pay your debt in full.

-          Wag bilangin ang manok na di pa napipisa

My Uncle always tell us not to Buy stuffs if you don’t have money yet.

Sample:

You have Php 50 in your wallet

Your company will pay you Php 50 tomorrow for your salary

You saw a discounted Php100 shirt (original price is Php300) in the store and promo is valid only for today.

Would you buy the shirt?

Don’t. Never spend the money you still don’t have. Stay Calm, Keep your money and tell yourself “sige, next time nalang pag kumpleto na yung pera ko”. There would always be promotions like that in the future. This is the reason daw why some of the seafarers that he’s been with end up having more debt that savings.

-          Stop with the “trending”

“Ay! Uso ang nude sneakers! I have to buy one”

“Sosyal pag may Rayban or Gucci bag, bibili din ako”

“I’m addicted to makeup.. I have to buy this new matte lipstick”

I am not a fan of trendy stuffs. So hindi ko masyadong issue to. But I just can’t understand why people love buying new stuffs that are waaaay beyond their budget… Tapos magrereklamo sila na short na sila. Like, it’s okay to buy a new bag or glasses on your payday. But ask yourself first:

“Do I need it? or want it? or I’m just saying that I need it because I want it?” Di mo maloloko sarili mo because you know the truth.

This is all about being honest with yourself and deciding not only for the moment but for your future. Buying the item would give you joy.. but think about what happens after few months pag patong-patong na yung utang mo.

-          Once in a lifetime moments

Maybe the best excuse that I get is “Minsan lang to, sayang ang experience”.

Walang masama sa gala, outings or travel, as long as you know na di ka mababaon sa utang. My aunt once told me that she doesn’t regret spending a lot for the vacation as long as it makes her and everyone around her happy. I agree with her at that point. 

Wala naman kasing masama because knowing her, she is very industrious, she has a permanent high earning job and a lot of part-times. It may be contradicting with my point on “Wag bilangin ang manok na di pa napipisa” but I think it is okay if you would negate it with your personality… kung hahayaan mo bang kulangin ka ng pera or you will look for more sources of income to make for financial status stable. Again, depende naman kasi sa pagiging responsible ng tao yun.

-          Ang langgam at ang tipaklong

We all know this famous fable about the ant who saved up food for the rainy season and the grasshopper who just played around. We should remember to be the simple little ant and save as much as we can until the right time comes. We should be wise enough to make decisions like this.

When I went to U.S. last summer, I don’t have any savings. Pumunta ako on a vacation and left the money I saved at home. My mom, my aunt and uncle gave me some money as a gift but it was not even 20% of what my cousins have… (lol I don’t even think it is even 10%). It was ‘kinda sad and nakakapanglumo at some point. But my subconscious keep telling me “Relax, you made a good decision. At least pag-uwi mo ng Pinas, di butas ang bulsa mo”.“hayaan mo na.. bata pa kasi sila. They still don’t know the value of money and how hard it is to earn for yourself”

It's okay na magtiis, to limit yourself at some point... rather than wasting everything now and have nothing next week.

-          Be responsible before it’s too late

They say, experiences are the best teacher. My question, Aantayin mo pa bang you are #BrokeAF before mo ayusin ang finances mo?

Mas mahirap lumangoy sa 6ft deep na part ng ocean kaysa sa 2ft deep part near the shore. Why would you even wanna go deep into the sea of financial debt and credits if you have the chance to get off the water in the first place?