Frugal and Fab!

Dear Mommies, I know how hard it is to resist the temptations of shopping for a high heel red shoes just so we could stick to the budget. But the fabulous life we live during our single days need not be compromised when we become a mother. Yes, I know that in a mother's world, a shower is already a luxury but just a reminder: Your beauty is one of the things your husband loves about you. Please do not let it fade just because the needs of the kids should always come first before yours. You can be fab without spending so much. The happiness of seeing yourself beautiful in the mirror can change a lot about yourself. We need not to buy expensive and branded things to look pretty. Make sure your budget would include a little to buy something for yourself once in a while. Looking good need not to cost an arm and a leg. Here are some of my tips for being frugal. I hope this could be of help to you too:

1. Buy yourself some cosmetics. Yes, I know its not a budget friendly advice but hey, we're talking about being fab here. You don't need an expensive lipstick to get everybody's attention. A lipstick of quality can may you look as good and brighten up your face without having to cut your family budget in half. A foundation, lipstick and eyebrow pencil if properly applied can make you a head-turner. Add up a smile and sexy eyes... perfection!

2. Invest on classic-looking clothes. Classic never gets out of fashion. A simple and elegant little black dress and little white dress is a good investment on clothing. You can wear these two dresses a lot of times and just add some accessories to make it look different everytime. You can add bangles, watch, scarf and even you bag can be an accessory to your outfit. And because black and white are neutral colors, mixing and matching with bold colors will always result to fabulous!

3. Tyangge is the place to be. You don't need to have all your clothes branded to feel fashionable. What we all need is not a name patched on our clothes but a good looking jeans that would fit us properly. I surely realized that when I was a mom. I never visited tyangge when I was still single. But now, its one of my favorite place! How many times have I bought an ill fitting pants when I was still young? Oh God, I can no longer count! I bought them just because its the fashion trend and because of the label. Now, its a different perspective. I recently bought a pair of jeans for 500pesos (yup, 2 for 500) in tyangge and I would always get a compliment how good it looks on my legs. One more thing, because it fits me well, its also a comfort to wear.

4. Work-out from home. Gym membership fees are ridiculously expensive. If you really, really want to be fit, you do not need these fitness center to get in shape. You can easily search and download work out videos from the internet that would be effective for you. I, for one, can attest to that. I downloaded a video of Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred and I was able to really shred some lbs! Yes, I am proud to say I lost some lbs but there's more to lose to reach my ideal weight. Jillian Michaels ways work for me and I am keeping her as my virtual trainer. No need to go to the gym (I hate it, I get bored in the gym), no expensive fees, no transportation expenses, definitely home-based, best of all, in no time you'll see the difference in your body. Try it!

These are just few of the things I would like to recommend as a mother to be able to stay fab and yet applying frugality in every way we can. 

Be frugal and still be fab. Please make this as a pledge from now on.

Stay positive and pass it on!

The Million Peso Calculator

I know that I have a lot more to learn when it comes to financial literacy. But as far as I'm concerned, a lot of readers of this blog may have the same goal as mine, to reach their first million peso. I know its not a lot but hey, its still the start of becoming a millionaire! I am in the process of realizing this goal and hopefully by the end of the year this would materialize. Stay positive everyone!

I am in no position to give you advises regarding financial freedom since I am still in the learning process of it. Instead I would like to share to you this tool I came across the website of Mr. Fitz Villafuerte that gives you an estimate how long it would take you to reach you 1million peso. Of course, this is not accurate but you can just try it for fun. Who knows, this may just give an idea how to reach your million in shorter span of time.

First enter your Current Savings, and then enter how much you can save in a month in the Monthly Deposits box. The Rate of Return is simply an estimate of how much the amount is growing annually (e.g. the interest rate of the bank you put in your savings, gains from your investments, etc). Lastly, your current age.

Let me quote his description of the tool:

"This financial calculator uses the principle of compound interest to calculate how your money will grow. Although the presented results are not realistic because it doesn’t take into account other factors such as inflation; it nevertheless gives us a strong vision of what’s possible for us. By estimating our financial status and using this simple tool, we can have an idea how far (or how near) we are to becoming a millionaire."

Hope you enjoyed using the tool! How far or near you are to your goal, one thing's for sure, believe you can and you'll have it.

Click here to put this Calculator on your site.

Stay positive and pass it on!

Monday Madness!

The start of the week had always been a assumed as a dreadful day to begin with. Monday, to most of us especially commuters - kids who go to school, working parents who prepare their children for school, working students, employees, etc - this is the least favorite day. Why? For me, Monday used to be the most unproductive day because firstly, the time spent on traffic, secondly, because the long traffic starts the stress. Getting to the office tardy and stressed is not the right mood to start the week at all!

Now that leads me to conclusion that I can never start a positive attitude if I will concentrate on these Monday madness. I need to divert my attention to focus my mind on other things and at least reject the negative vibes from people around me who are also stressed. Morever, if I engaged myself on other things, I believe will motivate myself to be more productive.

I've figured out some ways to make Monday morning traffic somehow delightful. Hope these helps ease your Monday ahead :-):

1. Plan. While traveling from home to office or school, you start planning your day, your week, even the whole month. Write your to-do list on a paper, phone, organizer etc that you can look at to help keep on track with your tasks.

2. Write. Writing is one of my hobbies. It may be challenging to write while surrounded by the busy city but you may also find inspiration in the midst of it. So if you have love for the unspoken words, you may want to do what I've just done, writing a draft of this blog while on a bus commuting, using the tablet my husband gave to me. ;-)

3. Read. If writing is not your forte then you may want to try reading. As for me, reading supercedes my love for writing. Reading books leads me to a whole new dimension. Making me forget the not-so-nice things about reality. You may also want to read the newspapers for current events and some intellectual articles about finance, business, economy, which may help you in a way or two.

4. Communicate. A lot of communication devices are in the market right now, making it easy to keep in touch with our loved ones despite the busy schedule and our distance to them. If the week will be too busy for you, why not say "hi!" as early as the start of the week to make them feel they are never forgotten? This is also a very effective way to give and take good vibes!

Remember stay positive and always pass it on.

Good morning, Monday! You never fail to start the drama! :-)

"Kuya"

The first time I saw this on TV, I was teary-eyed with the widest smile. I was so touched at the kind of love siblings can share and it made me feel so blessed the whole day. Please spend a minute to watch this McDonalds commercial and I swear whatever you're going through today, this will make you feel lighter.

I hope that all parents would be able to teach their children how the love and bond of siblings should be. Bond of siblings is always greater than that of your best friend, if it was inculcated from childhood. Both of my parents loved their siblings so much and they would always tell us that we, three girls, should stick for each other no matter what. I would have to agree with them. As my parents aged, I can see the fruits of being a good sibling. All of their siblings are grateful for them and they loved my parents more than their other brothers/sisters. I noticed from them that they are never afraid to be alone, because they know that their siblings would always be there to take care of them because they were the ones who took care of them when they were still young.

To all mothers, make an effort to establish a solid connection among your children beginning the early years of their lives and make the connection unbreakable. When they grow old, that bond will be the one that would hold your family together till the end.

Stay positive and pass it on!