Ate Maui

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Ang mga plano ko ngayong 2013

May nabasa akong isang artikulo tungkol sa isang pag-aaral na ang mga taong nagsusulat ng kanilang mga plano o hangarin ay mas naisasakatuparan ang mga ito kaysa sa mga taong naisip lamang ang kanilang mga plano at hindi ito isinulat o ibinahagi sa iba. Kaya heto ako ngayon naglilista ng aking mga plano para sa taong ito, at umaasang maisasakatuparan ang lahat, o halos lahat ng mga ito.

Mabayaran ang lahat ng mga utang. Noong nakaraang taon ay naging hirap ako pagdating sa aspetong pinansiyal. May mga maling desisyon ako nung mga nagdaang panahon tungkol sa paggastos ng kita. Maraming gastos sa aking pagbubuntis, panganganak at pagpapalaki ng sanggol na hindi ko napaghandaan. Upang makatawid sa mga gastusing ito kinailangan kong mangutang ng pera. Nangutang ako sa bangko. Nangutang din ako sa aking mga magulang. Hangad ko na ngayong taong ito ay mabayaran ko na ang mga ito. At sana hindi na dumating ang pagkakataon na ako ay mangutang pa. Kaya ang susunod kong plano ay
Makapagtabi ng kita, o mag-ipon. Kailangan makapagtabi ng mga kinitang pera o makapag-ipon upang matupad ang naunang plano! Pero bukod pa roon, kailangan talagang makapag-ipon para may mahuhugot sa oras ng pangangailangan at para makapag-"invest" o mapalago ang kita. Nawa'y mapalago ang kita sa pamamagitan ng mutual funds, stocks, o sa isang kahit na maliit na negosyo.
Makapagpaayos ng bahay. Ito ay plano naming mag-asawa. Kung kami ay makakapagtabi ng pera gusto sana naming maipaayos ang ilang mga bagay sa aming bahay. Mahalaga ang pagpapaayos ng bahay para ito ay maging mas ligtas para sa aming lumalaking anak. Maraming kailangang ayusin sa bahay pero sana maisagawa namin ang kahit isa man lang na "home improvement" project ngayong taon.
Makatapos ng pag-aaral sa Masters. May isang dekada na akong nag-aaral ng aking Masters. Napakahabang panahon na ito. Nahirapan akong tapusin dahil sa ilang mga importanteng mga pangyayari sa aking buhay at dala na rin ng kakulangan ng pondo para tapusin ito. Sana sa maiipon kong pera ay makapaglaan ako ng pondo para matapos ang aking Masters. O di kaya sana makahanap ako ng scholarship o magpopondo ng aking pag-aaral.
Makapagbalanse ng oras sa trabaho at buhay (work-life balance). Ako ay isang nagtatrabahong ina at maybahay, o tinatawag ding "working mom". May mga pagkakataon na mas nagiging abala sa trabaho pero sana ay makapaglaan din ako ng kinakailangang panahon para sa aking pamilya at mga mahal sa buhay. Ngayong pagbubukas ng taon tinanggihan ko ang isang magandang trabaho dahil sa aking palagay ay mababawasan ang panahon na makasama ko ang aking pamilya. Sana ngayong taon ay mas makapaglaan ako ng higit pang oras sa pamilya sa pamamagitan ng pagtatrabaho mula sa bahay (work from home).

Sa mga nakakabasa nito, sana po ay matulungan ninyo ako na matupad ang mga planong ito ngayong taon, at nawa'y makapagbahagi rin kayo ng inyong mga plano para sa taong 2013.

Sunday, January 6, 2013

Yaya Drama

We hired a yaya for Toyang since I came back to work from my maternity leave. She has had two yayas for the last 5 months. We did not like the first yaya since she did want to follow our parenting style and plans thankfully we did not have to fire her since she was the one who left. We hired a second yaya who seemed nice and kind but is not consistent. We allowed her days off but she would arrive late which also affected our plans and jobs. So we fired her. Since our baby does not have a yaya yet we had been bringing her wherever we go. I had brought her to my office one day and she has gone to her dad's office the following day. It has not been easy these past days but I kind of enjoy it. Thankfully there is not much work at the office yet since we just had Christmas holiday but soon we will all be busy at work so we hope that we could find our baby a good yaya who will take care of her while we are at work.

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Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Hoping and bringing hope

"I’m participating in the Keeping Christ in Christmas Blog Carnival, hosted by Raising (& Teaching) Little Saints, Truly Rich Mom and Arma Dei: Equipping Catholic Families. We'll be sharing different ways, tips, stories and real-life experiences that will help us focus on Jesus as the Reason for the Christmas season. Please scroll down to the end of the post to see the list of carnival entries.”

It is Christmas time once again. Christmas is one of the busiest times of the year, with all the shopping, parties and heavy traffic. It's easy to be distracted with all this hustle and bustle and forget the true meaning of the season. Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, the God who became man to give us hope and salvation.

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Christmas gifts on a budget

"I’m participating in the Spend-Less Holidays: Saving While Savoring the Season Blog Carnival, hosted by The Frugal Fil-Am and Dainty Mom. We’ll be sharing our tips on how to spend less this holiday season, so that we can have a more meaningful Christmas. Please scroll down to the end of the post to see the list of carnival entries.”

It's Christmas time once again, and it's the season of giving. Though sometimes it feels like gift giving is burning holes on our pockets, this should not be. There are ways by which we can give gifts that are nice without the need to spend too much. It's just a matter of finding the best deals and being creative.

Here are some ways by which we can give budget-friendly Christmas gifts:

1. Buy your gifts early. Avoid the Christmas rush. The best time to buy Christmas gifts is before the "ber" months. Many stores offer mid-year sales of their items, so you can buy these items at discounted prices. If you're looking at going to Divisoria, the Philippines' shopping mecca, to buy goods at cheaper prices, the mid-year is a good time to visit since it is not too crowded. By September, the crowds at Divisoria increases since people flock the shopping centers to buy their Christmas gifts.

2. Check out group buying sites. Group buying sites allow people to group together to negotiate for lower prices or better deals for products or services. However, before you make the purchase, read carefully and understand the fine print as it will give you the details regarding your purchase such as the voucher's validity and where to claim the items. You also need to do due diligence in looking for and in purchasing items only from legitimate group buying sites as we don't want to just lose our hard-earned money. To check if the site is legitimate, try to contact them through phone and email. If they don't respond immediately, you may have a hard time in redeeming your purchase.

3. Consider online shopping. I like buying stuff online because of its convenience. With just a few clicks I am able to choose and pay for the items that I want to buy. There are also online stores that sell items at discounted prices, sometimes cheaper than those sold in malls. Some online stores even deliver the items at your doorstep for free! Purchasing through online stores saves me time and money, and these savings also help me cut down on my costs, or allows me to do other things. But just like in #2, please check if the online store where you'd like to buy your items is a legitimate one.

4. Create your own gifts. If you think that you have some creative talent and access to tools, you should consider creating and designing your own gifts! There are so many gift ideas that you can create or design by yourself. If you know graphic design, you can put it to good use by creating customized clothing and accessories. If you know how to cook or bake, you can consider giving food as gifts. There are many things that you can make with little effort and using inexpensive and readily available supplies. Online, you can find many ideas for creating your own gifts. And these kinds of gifts are extra special because they have your personal touch in them.

I hope these tips can make your Christmas gift-giving budget-friendly! :)

Also, please check out this list of interesting posts about making our Christmas celebration more meaningful :)

Domesticated Goddess
The Learning Basket
Apple's World
A WAHM's Life
Changing Nappies in High Heels
Savvy Saving Couple
Kids Party Hub
My Life in Letters
Super Mommy Wannabee
The Frugal Fil-Am
Mrs C's Sugarcoated Life
Henry's Mom
Roller Coaster Mom
Saved by the Miracle of Baked Mac
Mommy Journey
City Girl, Country Home
The World is Our Classroom
Lique's Antics
Mommy Bares All
Consumer Queen
Truly Rich Mom
Dainty Mom
Saving Well, Spending Less