How Long it Took to Clear and Save Mom's Plants

Every plant on the frontage of my childhood home was planted by my Mom. It changes every few years. Everytime I visited she was doing some gardening. She was still gardening the day before she passed away. I knew it her plants are very important to her, so we've been doing the herculean task of saving what we could.

I tried to bargain with the contractor if we could leave the frontage plants alone. They explained that they had to construct a new front wall and it would affect the structure if they're not able to clear the area. I've been propagating some of the plants the past few months as back-up. Luckily, our gardener was finally available last week and helped set-up plants to propagate. 

It took three full days to clear the front lawn. My Mom packed in a lot of plants and some had poked the front wall already. We bought several large pots and soil and prioritized what plants to keep. The gardeners helped pot the plants and we hope they'll grow this rainy season. The back-up plants I propagated the past few months have rooted and are growing nicely. I just need to make sure they are watered regularly, so we can transplant them eventually. 

My current small garden is now full of Mom's plants. The gardeners said we look like we're selling plants (haha). I know it's just a small fraction of what Mom had in her garden. I'm just grateful we're able to save her hardwork. She loved her plants dearly and she'll be happy to know we have a starter set we can bring back when we move back home. 

#BeKind #StaySafe

Were You Part of the Happy Savers Club?

I was a young child when my Mom opened a savings account for me. The Happy Savers Club was a promo of a bank meant to encourage young children to start saving. I don't remember when my Mom closed the account, but the last balance was 231 pesos, haha. She eventually opened a proper account for me.

My Mom was a banker. She retired because of me. I was a handful to take care of since birth and that forced her to retire. She told me her first job was a bank teller and she eventually moved to the bank's headquarters. She loved going to the bank and I was always in tow. That's how I learned and became comfortable doing banking errands. 

Mom's way of teaching was always practical. She used newspapers to teach me how to reach. I remember she'd have me read the headline out loud everyday. That's what she did with banking chores. She had me fill out the bank slips for my accounts. 

When she opened a new account for me after the Happy Savers Club, she told me to have a goal. I don't know when I declared that I was going to save for my future wedding. I mostly deposited gifts and savings from my allowance. The account grew very slowly. I eventually didn't use it for my wedding, I used it to pay for graduate school tuition. 

It was worth spending my lifelong savings for schooling. It really helped me progress in my career and helped me make smarter decisions for me and my family. 

#BeKind #StaySafe

Broke Until 30

I was broke until I was about 30 years old. My salary all went to Miggy's tuition, upkeep and his toys (yup, he always got rewards for good grades). And I remained broke because I also saw myself through graduate school. My Tita had to help me pay off my schooling debts (thank you Titay). I was only able to start saving when I won 100k at the Ad Congress.

This was our wedding arras given to me by my Mom. It was from her arras when they got married.

I saved as much as I could growing up. I had a "wedding fund" which I eventually used to fund my graduate studies. I didn't ask help from my parents to fund grad school because I put them through so much already and they were still taking care of me and Miggy. So I made sure I provided for Miggy's schooling. While all my friends were going on trips and enjoying their 20s, I had to be prudent with my spending because I had responsibilities. Would you believe I was already in my 30s when I first went to Boracay? (And that was a business trip!).

After that super dry period I told myself I needed to save. I had to. I was 28 when my cardiologist told me that I needed to eventually have heart surgery. You can just imagine how worried I was, but with hardwork and many, many prayers things just worked out. There were also many angels along the way who helped me.

I think one of the things that should be taught early in school is financial planning. My Kuya gave me a challenge a couple of years ago -- to be financially free by the time I'm 50. The clock is ticking so I'm trying to work my way towards it. My Kuya gave advice last year on how I can manage my money better especially since we're an empty nester now (no more tuition fees to pay!!!).  Here's what he suggested I do (I compute it after setting aside money for tax) --

10% investment to build passive income
10% to upgrade yourself
10% to celebrate
10% keep for emergency
55% everyday expenses
Start at 5% tithing

What I like best about this plan is the amount set aside for celebrating. That helped me move on from the mindset that I'm still broke. I've been that way for fifteen years and it's been easier for me to spend for my boys than to spend for myself. I guess that's how it is when live in fear (I don't want to leave my family in a bind). Now that Miggy's done with school, I could relax a bit and enjoy my hard-earned money. Kuya's list is helping me better plan my future.

Eating at Jollibee is celebration enough for me.

It's never too late to start saving. I was a fresh grad when my Kuya taught me not to spend beyond what I'm earning. The only financial hole I fell into was my student debt. I was stuck in it for a long time. After I got out of it I made sure I did not fall into that trap again (well taking graduate studies eventually paid off). I've also disciplined myself to live within my means.

What about you? How do you save?


CB//160 #StuckAtHomeDay/190 #WFH108 #StayHome #BeKind 

Managing Your Money

Whenever I slacked off in school my Mom would remind me that she won't be around forever. I have reason not to believe that because at 80 my Mom is stronger than me although I've been finally able to beat walking faster than her in the last few months. Her secret to her good health is gardening!

When I was younger I would feel bad whenever my Mom would tell me she won't be around forever. I eventually realized that she was telling me this so I would become independent and make the right decisions. I became a Mom at the tender age of 18 and you can just imagine how I thought my life was a huge disaster. I only thought about that for a second actually because I knew I had to plan because I had a little one I had to care for. My parents put me back on track (back to school). I took it as my salvation, finished two degrees and figured out how to earn for my son.

After graduation I took it upon myself to ensure I covered everything Miguel needed. His milk. His toys. Doctors appointments. Tuition. I still got support in the beginning, but eventually I managed. I remember I was the last person I knew who traveled to Boracay because I just didn't have extra money for traveling. My Kuya also taught me that one should just buy what you need and not what you want.

I read that one has to have savings. For many years I didn't have that. I was at some point in debt because I paid for my MBA tuition using my credit card (thanks Titay for bailing me out). The extra money I had I would buy Miguel nice toys (those expensive models you build) not for him to enjoy, but to learn (came in handy when he was into robotics). It was only in my 30s that I was finally able to start saving.

One important thing I learned is not to upgrade one's lifestyle because you had a salary raise. I remember when I moved to Singapore I managed to live on just SG$50 a week. I was able to do this because I eat mostly in the office and just eat at the Kopitiam. It's been almost 5 years I've lived here and I still buy most of my toiletries from Manila, eat at Kopitiam's only on weekdays and buy only what I could consume. It's hard and there are days I indulge too (but with a limit).

So how much should one save? I don't really know, but what I follow is I remove my savings from my monthly salary and then I set aside money for tax and then I pay my bills. I have a set weekly allowance which I try my best to follow (as I said it's very hard!), but with the money for savings, taxes and bills set aside I'm really forced to just spend within my means.

I only use my credit card when I buy appliances (I prefer to pay monthly at 0% interest) and to book flights. Pay everything monthly so you don't spend on penalties. One thing though that I'd really would like to do this year is invest money in something that can be a source of income when I retire (suggestions are highly welcome). My Kuya said that if I plan to set up my business I should start it while I'm still working. That's something I would really need to think more about since my energy is pretty much depleted with work and running a household. This part needs more thinking time :)

So in summary -
1. Save.
2. Be mindful of your spending.
3. Save first before you spend.
4. Do not use your credit card like it's a license to buy everything you need. Use sparingly and pay everything when the bill comes.
5. Invest (I'm still figuring it out).