Left My Wallet at Home! Gaah!

Half-way to the hospital for my follow-up check-up I realized I left my wallet at home. I had taken it out of my bag last weekend and forgot to return it inside my bag. I realized I left it because I was wondering why my bag seemed spacious. I wasn't worried I won't get back home, I was annoyed I wouldn't be able to get some stuff at the grocery.

I didn't want to be late for my appointment so I just went to see my doctor. He was happy with my progress. I told his nurse I hope I didn't need to pay for anything since I left my wallet at home. She said not to worry since the fees and medication were going to be charged to insurance. Whew!

Just me and Mr. Cat today.

I really wanted to buy Sweetie some coffee buns. His favorite is from a bakery at the Bugis MRT Station. Luckily my coin purse was in my bag. I walked past the bakery to check the price and then went to the side to count my money. I managed to buy 4 coffee buns and skipped buying my favorite bun.

I was surprised to see that the MRT entrance into Bugis Junction is already open. I stopped in front of Cold Storage to just look longingly at what I wanted to buy (new flowers). I passed by Toastbox and saw they had my favorite bread. I hoped I had enough coins to pay for it. Luckily I did.

While waiting for my doctor I checked my bag if I had any money in the bag. I had my coin purse, but nothing else. I realized I probably had cash in my MRT card, in apps on my phone and there's Paylah. I have colleagues who go out without any cash (now I remember my manager owes me $20 since March). In Singapore you can go out and just have your money tied to apps or your cards, no need to bring cash. I follow a budget so as much as possible I don't use my credit card because spending tends to pile up if you do.

Before I went home I discovered my Starbucks app had some money in it. Of course, I got some dessert for me and Sweetie. I usually take a taxi and pay cash to help uncle taxi drivers. Today I had to take Grab going home since I didn't have enough money on me. Maybe I'll just buy the grocery items I need tomorrow after physiotherapy.

Going out without my wallet wasn't a disaster. I'm happy I was able to buy coffee buns for Sweetie. I just need to make sure I don't forget it again tomorrow!

CB//161 #StuckAtHomeDay/191 #WFH109 #StayHome #BeKind 

The Quest to Keep it Simple

I can just imagine my brother laughing at me when I say I'd like to keep things simple. I'm quite fussy in more ways than one (well I do have a medical condition), but I've been trying my best to keep things simple just like my Mom.

Invest in Stuff that Need to Last

When I was a kid we rarely went to buy stuff at the department store. I remember when I was in first grade it was a big affair when we went to SM to buy my first Gregg shoes. My Mom wanted me to use Gregg shoes because it was a shoe brand known to last. Unfortunately my feet didn't agree so my Mom exchanged it for several pairs of shoes (Gregg shoes was expensive). One pair was the popular Kung Fu black shoes which I used every single day until it retired and then there were several pairs of colored shoes. From this I learned, for everyday use buy what's going to last and for frilly stuff just buy the inexpensive one (just make sure though you are in agreement with the expensive stuff you buy). I follow this guide for buying gadgets and home appliances.

Haggling and Going for More Affordable Clothes

For times when we needed to buy clothes my Mom would schedule trips to Baclaran. I have a godmother who has a store there and we always made a stop at her shop. I learned to haggle from my Mom, but nobody compares with how my grandma could haggle. She was really good and oftentimes got merchandise at 50% off the price. Majority of my clothes came from Baclaran until I was in high school. It was my Dad who used to bring me to SM to buy clothes when my Mom was away traveling. When I was in university I discovered University Mall and Giordano from my classmates. Until now though I cannot get myself to buy very expensive clothes. I get more excited over "sales" than "new season".

Less is Better

Now this is something I am still working on. All of my material possessions went under water during Typhoon Ondoy and that's when I realized I had too much stuff. I ended up throwing out a lot of my things because they were rendered useless. I also realized I was too much a pack rat.

I had a seatmate at work who didn't have a single thing on his desk. His desk looked like no one occupied it. One day I told him, "Hey Shannon when I grow I'd like to be like you." He gave me a big smile and proceeded to remove stuff from my desk which he thought I didn't need. Most of the things he said I didn't need were mementos from trips and gifts from friends from the community. He said just keep stuff that you really use everyday, other things you can just probably borrow (yeah he used to borrow a lot of my stuff haha). He also said that he cleans out his closet every quarter and he pro-actively removes clothes he hasn't worn for 3 months.

Looking at the clutter on my desk I'm still very far from being like Shannon. After Typhoon Ondoy though I've managed to reduce drastically (Sweetie yes that's drastic) and moving to a home that's a third of the floor space we used to have really forced me to go for less stuff. I still love to shop, but I'm now more mindful to just buy what I need and what I would actually use. It's going to take awhile for me, but I guess it helps as well that Sweetie reminds me to fix my clutter every so often (organized chaos remember?).

Money, Money, Money!

One thing I don't like about being a grown-up is having to balance earnings with spend. I started earning some money when I was a kid. My Mom taught me how to make gift tags using recyled gift wrappers and paper board and pincushions. We then sold them during our parish fiesta through the tiangge and for some strange reason my produce was always sold out before lunch. Mom then put my earnings in my Banco Filipino savings account (remember Banco Filipino guys?). She stressed that I always had to save.

When I started school and had a regular allowance I had to write down all my expenses and defend the raise I wanted to have. I remember starting on a 2-peso allowance, then PhP5... 10... 20 to 40 and then it flattened at PhP100 when I was in college. Unlike kids today who get their gadgets handed to them by their parents, I had to work for it. I became a student assistant (highest paid in school!) and eventually took on a freelance writing job at Pilipinas Shell before I graduated. 

It was fun then coz I didn't have bills to pay! Eventually I started working and I never did get the chance to really save because I had Miguel's tuition to pay and my MBA tuition too. I finished my MBA only because I charged my tuition to my credit card. A very bad move, but I wasn't very liquid that time and didn't want to ask for help from my parents. Eventually the horrendous finance charges (and a very persistent ex) pushed me to seek help from my parents so I could clear up the liability. 

I've since avoided using my credit card. I'd do without it, but since I travel a bit I have to have at least 2.

There are a couple of things I learned through the years about handling money and I'm blogging about it to remind myself (I'm not perfect and sometimes indulge in shopping!):

1. Buy only what you need. (advise from my Kuya)

2. Spend only within your means. (Don't use that card unless you can pay for it at month end)

3. If you get a raise or additional revenue, don't change your lifestyle. (If you used to be a fastfood person, then stick to it and don't go lunch-ing at expensive restos).

4. If you need to buy an appliance or gadgets, go for the ones that will last. Don't go for cheap ones just because they're cheap. (I have an eleven-year old TV! And I won't buy a new one unless it conks out).

5. Don't spend money that ain't yours. It's definitely just going to get you in BIG trouble. (See #2).

Investing is another issue altogether and it's something I'm still mulling over, but an investment banker told me that you should break down your investments this way: 30% for short term, 40% medium term and 30% for long term. And I'm definitely have a long way to go. 

A couple of announcements from my friends:

1. The Philippine e-Library with the UP Information and Technology Center invites you to [e-Lib.blog] on March 14, 2009, 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. at the UP Computer Science Building. (Bloggers can get hired to blog). For more info and to register visit this page (password: ilovetoblog).  

2. De La Salle Philippines would like to encourage all La Sallians to wear green on February 13, 2009 and to participate in their Green Love Grows photos contest.

3. There's an Android Hackathon happening on February 21, 2009 organized by Migs Paraz and Charo Nuguid, so if you're a hardcore developer who does Android development, better sign-up now!