2010 Looking Back

2010 has been a fruitful year because of the many blessing that came my way. I had lots of grabbed opportunities, gained great friends, saved more than what I’m supposed to save, learned more lessons and played more games.

I cannot count all the blessings I received this year but I can enumerate some.

First and foremost, I thank the Lord for the great health of my niece. I know mama and papa are watching over you little Cata. Stay healthy, eat well and be happy. If God permits, I will give you a poodle soon.

Next, I want to thank the Lord for the great wisdom about finances. Through this wisdom I was able to set-up a great foundation this year. Greater than what I had last year. I hope everything goes according to plan. If not, I know that You have another plan and Your will be done.

I want to thank my friends for the gift of friendship. Friends don’t have to be together all the time. They just have to connect and update every now and then. They don’t have to give gifts. Because true friendship blossoms even without the icings of the cake.

I also want to thank the not so friendly acquaintances. You taught me a good lesson about life: that everybody has to experience a little dose of you to be good on relationships. Great lessons are learned from bad experiences they say. And I owe you these lessons.

~Till then.

The Best of 2010

Traveling is one of my passions. And I must say I travelled too much this year.

Last January, Paul and I went to Coron, Palawan. It was our first time to explore the island and we were fascinated by nature.

Come April, I was able to conquer Mt. Pinatubo.

Then a sudden trip to the suburbs and I found my friends and I in Mt. Romelo.

(photo courtesy of Mary Joy Torres)

We also went beacheneering in Batangas.

(photo courtesy of Mary Joy Torres)

We celebrated hubby’s birthday in Boracay.

And went to Baguio three times.

So next year I won’t be traveling as much because I need to save money for my ultimate destination on 2012. Yey!

~Till then.

National Book Store Heads Up

One of my favorite bookstores, National Book Store (NBS), has tied up with Apple products to grace it’s new section – The Work Station.

The section will feature a full line of Apple producs which include Macbooks, iMacs, iPods and accessories. For the mean time, the Work Station is available at selected NBS outlets but I am hoping that it will go nationwide.

This move of National Book Store will definitely boost its sales and also the sales of the Apple products.

Life is a Choice

My friend told me that life is a series of choices. You live your life according to the choices you make. You will always find yourself in crossroads. One road may lead you to success. Others may lead you to more challenges. If you choose a path make every experience count. Make every little detail live in your memory. Because you can never go back. You can only say, “If only.”

I am an abnormal 24 year-older once. While every 24 year old ladies shop, I study about finances. While they party, I stay at home. While they buy things, I save. These are some of the choices I made. Choices that for me are great. Because they made me realize that life is not a matter of what you have. Instead it is a matter of what you give.

~Till then.

Is going abroad the solution to poverty?

My cousin’s wife is going abroad. She’s bound to go somewhere in the Middle East. She told us this is the only solution so that she can give her two sons a better life. She will be one of the so-called heroes of the new generation.

Yes she will be earning a lot more than what she earns here in the Philippines. But unless she decides to make a difference, the money will be wasted. And I’m hoping this will not happen.

Getting a huge salary is just another beginning. What you do with the huge salary is the process. Remember, it’s not the amount of money you earn but the amount of money you save and invest.

~Till then

How was your 2010 financially?

Another year has passed and the statement "I don't have savings again this year" is very common. Most Filipinos lack investment knowledge. Only few know about the stock market, mutual funds, bonds, etc. Most of us are happy with the 4% annual interest in the bank while enjoying the 3.5% monthly interest (that's 42% annual interest) in our credit card. It's because most of us where taught since childhood that the only savings facility are the banks.

The following could have been your mutual fund financial statement applying the concept of money cost averaging.

Wow! Your 120,000 capital gives you roughly 30,000 tax-free. Yes, its tax-free here in the Philippines.

That's money working for you!

If you continue saving 10,000 monthly for five years and considering a conservative 15% annual interest (conservative because the current actual average five year return is 20%), your money will grow to 930,448.61.

That amount might not be enough to buy your dream house or own a condo unit but who knows, you might be bored in investing 10,000 monthly and increase it 15,000. That would mean a higher return in the future.

Remember, "time not the timing is your best ally in investing". Do not procrastinate and start investing Now!

~Till then.

Sleeping my Way to Great Relationships

For a long period of time I’ve been depriving myself of enough sleep. I used to sleep only 5 hours a day and I tell you it’s not at all great. My attitude was affected due to lack of sleep. I was erratic. I easily got angry at small things. My aura is always not good. And I always have a lot of mood swings.

Then my boyfriend told me to get eight hours of sleep every night. Adjusting my body clock is not that easy because I’ve been having sleep problems since time immemorial. But since I’m very much eager to change something I gradually change my sleeping habits.

Since then, my friends noticed a different me. I’ve been actively participating in discussions inside the house. I sleep soundly. I serve others better than I do before. And I am actively participating in health activities more than ever.

I love my body and myself. I love sleep.

~Till then.

Three Ways to Give Tithes

I was once a non-believer on tithes. Why? Because I was raised to give but a lot lesser. I am not saying that my parents were not great. Actually they were great. They taught us to fight life and not to be dragged by life where ever it wanted us to be. But the thing is, they did not have the proper wealth attitude. And that I want to change.

If you want to experience abundance in life you should start to learn to give without expecting anything in return. For truly rich (from Bro Bo Sanchez) people give more.

1. Give to the Church.

It is stated in the Old Testament that we should give 10% of our income to the church. But in the New Testament we were asked to give according to our heart’s desire. So follow your heart. The heart of abundance gives more for he experiences and wants to share prosperity in life.

2. Give to family.

Giving to family should not be an obligation. It should be given in our hearts’ content. Giving to the family gives us the joy of paying back what they have given to us.

3. Give to your favorite charity

If you have a favorite charity or organization, make it a habit to give donations and financial support because these charities are run through the support of other people.

~Till then.

Smile! It’s Contagious

Smile is like a disease. It’s is highly contagious and can infect thousands of people in a fraction of a second. It is a great way to start a day.

I don’t know a lot of people and they don’t have a reason to smile at me. But when I started to smile at them automatically they smile back at me.

How pleasing can it be seeing others smile back at you.

How NOT to break your bank account on Christmas!

I got this tip from a friend and I was so amazed because I did not feel robbed when I shop for Christmas presents.

The tip: Save a portion of your monthly income for your Christmas presents.

It may be a hundred, five hundred or a thousand pesos depending on the amount you choose. For as long as you commit to the plan nothing will go wrong on Christmas.

For the past 11 month I was able to save more than enough for the kids and I am so happy I can give away extra cash for charity.

~Till then.