How I made my first 100 Thousand Pesos?

I was searching for some files in my laptop when suddenly I encountered a list of blog articles that I should do (in the future.)

The title above caught my attention so I decided to do it right away.

At my age (I’m already 27), a woman who has not yet reached this stage (having 100k) is surely going through some struggle with her finances. Shoot! Compare yourselves to me because I am just an average lady who works for an average company that gives an average salary. I have not gone abroad to work (nor was sent by the company for an onshore task.)

Fortunately, with my passion to become a winner, I strived hard to achieve where I am today in terms of finances. 

My first hundred thousand was a no joke. I had to follow a lot of rules, curb my longing for fabulous things and incline on simpler so as not to stress me to my road to true riches. 

How I did it?

1. I first implanted a vision that I am holding a hundred thousand pesos. I pictured myself smiling while holding the money. (Of course you should be happy.) 
2. Then I drew out a plan together with my mentors. They showed me how to do it the right way. Slowly but surely they said.
3. After planning, I needed to execute it. I needed to save a constant amount each month. And so I did.
4. Then sustaining it is the most crucial thing. You have to be addicted to the feeling that it’s good saving money. You have to feel the pleasure in between the pain. You have to know that sacrificing at an early age will yield a better result in the future.

After a few months I realized I was rhythmically in sync with the habit. And then a few months later I already have a few thousands. The story goes until I had my first hundred thousand. 

Was it hard? Yes, at first. But you’ll get there in no time. It’s never too late. Start saving and investing today!

I am now looking at my first million. Hmmm.. Sounds great isn't it?:)

~Till then.

If They Can, Why Can’t You?

This post is inspired by Bro Bo Sanchez’s book My Maid Invests in the Stock Market. 

I read the book many times already and it always struck me why a simple kasambahay (house maid) can invest in a sophisticated manner while other employees who earn more has nothing to put aside?

This one is a true story. I know a kasambahay who is very young but knows how to handle her money. Her monthly income is below the minimum wage bracket. She takes care of the laundry of the family as well as maintaining the cleanliness of the house. She lives simply, spends simply, eats simply and maintains a very simple life style. A part of her salary goes to the family in the province and is used for their business. The other part she saves for her future studies. 

Although this kasambahay is not yet investing in the stock market, she knows and defines what part of her salary stays and what part goes to the business. She can compute how much her money has grown over a period of time given that the circumstances favor her. Likewise, she knows how much she will lose if fortune is not on her side.

The maid in the book and the maid in my story are alike in many ways. 

1. They both send money to their families.
2. They have the discipline to save a constant amount each month.
3. They are both business minded.
4. They have a vision in life.

How many of us send money to our families? Almost all I guess.

But how many of us are saving a constant amount each month?

How many of us are business minded?

And how many of us have a vision in life?

Our only difference from the two maids are our mindset. They want to get out of the lower class that’s why they strive hard to earn and invest (in their own simple ways.)

I hope we all do what the two maids are doing. And I hope we can all have a vision in life, before it’s too late.

~Till then.

Simplify Life

I have always been a fan of simplicity. I have never wanted complex thing nor appreciated clutter in my life.

Today I would like to share 52 things that I learned on simplification. This article is based on the book 52 Ways to Simplify your Life by Steve Woodworth.

And here it goes:

1. Get enough sleep

2. Have a rest day

3. Get away from it all

4. Take mini retreats

5. Stop the newspaper

6. Turn off the television

7. Limit magazine and read great books instead

8. Stop the noise

9. Experiment with Peace

10. Know where your time goes

11. Accept yourself

12. Know your values

13. Set a clear goal

14. Learn to say No

15. Plan ahead

16. Start every day with God

17. Practice awareness of God

18. Turn off the adrenaline

19. Advance with a retreat

20. Forgive

21. Channel your anger

22. Seek help for difficult relationships

23. Use a budget

24. Pay off your mortgage early

25. Fast from buying

26. Save 10 percent for yourself

27. Have fun saving money

28. Avoid debt

29. Ignore fads and fashion

30. Don't compete with the Joneses

31. Invest simply

32. Give it away

33. Enjoy manual labor

34. Plant a garden

35. Find a hobby

36. Do simple repairs and maintenance

37. Hire someone for difficult jobs

38. Don't accumulate expensive tools

39. ind the right person to help

40. Recycle

41. Buy with sensitivity to the rest of the world

42. Get outside

43. Watch for beauty

44. Put your family first

45. Become an encourager

46. Invest in edifying relationship

47. Love the unlovable

48. Invite a friend to join you on a pilgrimage

49. Stop seeking perfection

50. Go with the flow

51. Keep simplicity simple

52. ollow your bliss

There are 52 weeks in a year. If we could practice one in each week then by the end of the year we will be one step closer to simplifying our lives.

~Till then

No Expense Week

I did not spend anything for five days straight. (Monday-Friday). Not even a single peso went out of my pocket.

I shared this with my office mates and they were surprised about the possibility of not spending anything in a week.

How did I do that?

Simple. I live near the office so I just walk from our house to the office. I go home every lunch time and bring my mirienda from the leftover desserts. We contribute approximately 350Php every week for our food and it's anough to feed us three times a day, five times a week.

I hope I can do this every week.

~Till next week.

Valuing Time

More and more of my friends are becoming interested in the numbers game. They ask questions like: "What's the best interest rate you ever had?", "How much did you make last year?" and "What's the projection this year?"

First of all I do not have the power to foresee what's going to happen this year. Actually nobody can. The market is not a science. It is an art. How many times will an author need to post this in twitter so that followers can understand?

I feel frustrated every time questions like this arise. I was thinking, so are you only going to save money when some prophet told you to do so because it’s the greatest time to save and invest? Is it not a part of your life still?

For readers to understand here is an illustration.

We have here Saver A and Procrastinator B.

Age	Saver A	Procrastinator B
20	20000
21	20000
22	20000
23	20000
24	20000
25	100000	20000
26	112000	20000
27	125440	20000
28	140493	20000
29	157352	20000
30	176234	100000
31	197382	112000
32	221068	125440
33	247596	140493
34	277308	157352
35	310585	176234
36	347855	197382
37	389598	221068
38	436349	247596
39	488711	277308
40	547357	310585
41	613039	347855
42	686604	389598
43	768997	436349
44	861276	488711
45	964629	547357
46	1080385	613039
47	1210031	686604
48	1355235	768997
49	1517863	861276
50	1700006	964629
51	1904007	1080385
52	2132488	1210031
53	2388387	1355235
54	2674993	1517863
55	2995992	1700006
56	3355511	1904007
57	3758173	2132488
58	4209153	2388387
59	4714252	2674993
60	5279962	2995992

The illustration tells that while Saver A is diligently saving and investing for his future, Procrastinator B is waiting for his prophet to tell him to save and invest.

Five years later, the prophet came.

Notice that although they saved same amount each year for five years, the end result is different. Saver A ended up richer than Procrastinator B. This illustration easily translates the saying TIME IS GOLD.

Looking at our world right now, how many people are procrastinating? How many people are blinded by the glitz and glamour of life forgetting about saving and investing for their future?

I hope you are not one of them.

~Till then.