Green is in

I remember when I was a kid I used to plant in our little garden. I like flowering plants and those that have different colored leaves.

So when we decided to purchase our own house I specifically requested that it has a garden. Even just a small garden.

Today I’m happy to say that I have the small garden I requested. I initially planned to plant some flowering ornaments but I decided to plant some herbs for the mean time.

I planted some pandan first.  When they have grown enough I will transfer them to their pots.

Sorry no picture for now. I’ll just update this blog when I got a nicer picture from our yard.:D

~Till then.

Living in One Income

We have been contemplating on the idea of living in one income and we would like to make some radical changes in our lifestyles to make this happen.

According to the books and blogs I have read, there are three basic things a couple must do if they want to live in one income.

1. Sit down and talk about the idea. – This idea is great for starting couples. Since [it is assumed that] there are only two of you, basic needs are easy to cover with just one income. Determine also whose income it will be. Books tell me that couples have to live with the lower income but that is not an absolute rule.

2. Determine expenses of each. – The couple’s expenses are different from each other. They need to know what is important and what is not through a thorough assessment of each purchase. Give it a month or two to determine the expenses by listing each purchase and analyzing them at the end of the month. It is important that both parties agree on one simple goal - and that is to minimize expenses.

3. Devise a plan and implement it. – This is the most important thing among the three. After the couple has determined what are important and what are not, they can now devise a plan on how to minimize their expense and live in one income. It is also important to update the plan accordingly and counter check or sustain every quarter to make sure that the plan is implemented and the goal is achieved.

So where are we right now?

We are currently at Item number 2 right now. We agreed to make a list on all our expenses so that we can track where our money goes. We also agreed to ask each other’s opinions before a big purchase. It is easier when both of us are on the same page when it comes to money management techniques and investment strategies.

We are just on our first quarter and I hope we can make it through.

~Till then.

Commuting in the Philippines

Ever since I started working, I always choose to live near my workplace to save on fare, time and energy. But since we already bought a house that is located outside the busy streets of Metro Manila I have no choice but to wake up early in the morning and commute from house to work.

I am now experiencing my worst nightmare and so far I think I am doing well. It is taking me almost 2 hours from our house to my workplace and that translates to four hours of wasted time per day. I’m glad the radio in the jeepney and the television in the bus are there to lessen the stress.

I have to come up with a few tasks during my commute so that my four hours will not be wasted. I think I can do the following while commuting:

a. Send and delete messages from my Jurassic cell phone.

b. Plan my work load.

c. Prepare a meal plan.

d. Compute expenses.

e. Think of something to write.

I hope and pray that I can stick to this plan. It’s very hard to stay focused when you feel tired and sleepy.

~Till next time.

Move and Step Forward, No Turn Around

So this is it!

Boyfriend and I moved to our house. (Still paying for it though.)

No it’s not new and nope it’s not in an upscale neighborhood. We saved for a few years for this and I think we made the best decision ever. We are hurting a little because a big portion of our savings is lost and will be lost. But nevertheless, we are happy we saved money for this BIG purchase.

We were constantly saving and investing money for the future. This is one of the things we are saving up and it’s about time we use our investments for their purpose. As Rex Mendoza said a few years ago, “Dreams have deadlines.” And I know the biggest deadline has come.

I’d like to thank my bff/bf for initiating this decision.

Now I can really have my own garden.

~Till then.

Sunday Night

Sunday night was another tiring night. We went to University of the Philippines for our weekly training. Running is definitely an IN thing here in the Philippines.

After the training, Paul and I decided to eat something for afternoon snack. We were abstaining on meat so we decided to eat fish ball instead. We had loads of fish ball in our system right now and a great amount of oil that came with it.

While waiting for Paul to finish his 10K run practice, I decided to take some pictures of the university. Not much because I just had my camera phone. Sometime soon we will be shooting in UP. Just for fun.

~Till then