I just started this online selling business and I want to make sure I get all the goodluck I can, so I'm starting with a promo as an "offering" to the universe and to the gods and goddesses of luck and beauty.
Instead of the SRP of P60 per bar, I'm selling my Cyleina soaps at P59 per bar OR P58per bar for orders of 3 bars or more, any combination.
For the Glutamaxxx, which retails at P100, I'm selling it at P99 per bar OR P98 per bar for orders of 3 bars or more of Glutamaxxx.
Payment options: GCash, Paypal, BPI deposit or COD
Shipping/delivery options: Xend, Air 21, pick-up or meet-up at a place and time convenient to ME (especially if the order is just for 1 bar of soap)
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Cyleina Organic Beauty Soaps
I have read in one of Bo Sanchez’ books (I actually have a lot of them… addicted to self-help?) that a person should not depend on just his or her monthly salary but should actually have numerous income streams, no matter how small those income streams are. So I’ve decided to revive a few of my ideas to have other income streams aside from oDesk.
One of these income-earning ideas is to sell online… and here it is, my first online business venture! These soaps normally retail for P60 each and the Glutamaxxx ultima one retails for P100, but I’m selling them for a lot less than what other authorized sellers are selling them for AND I’m willing to give more discount for bulk orders!!!
What’s more , I’ll soon be selling these wonderfully organic beauty soaps with a native soapholder, ribbon and gift tag… just perfect for the coming Christmas season!
What are you waiting for? ORDER NOW!!!
One of these income-earning ideas is to sell online… and here it is, my first online business venture! These soaps normally retail for P60 each and the Glutamaxxx ultima one retails for P100, but I’m selling them for a lot less than what other authorized sellers are selling them for AND I’m willing to give more discount for bulk orders!!!
What’s more , I’ll soon be selling these wonderfully organic beauty soaps with a native soapholder, ribbon and gift tag… just perfect for the coming Christmas season!
What are you waiting for? ORDER NOW!!!
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Paypal without EON card
I have been reading a lot about confused moms (I read the inquiries on Smart Parenting)inquiring on how to go about setting up their own Paypal accounts. Yes, up to this time there are still a lot of confusion on this despite several threads and long posts on various forum. So I've decided to add my own... before I pitch in my request that you use my referral link to sign up for a Paypal account. Hehehe. :-)
Myth# 1: You need an EON card to create a Paypal account - Back in the yester-years you probably would have needed an EON account, but not anymore since Paypal accredited Philippine banks to allow its Filipino members to transfer their Paypal funds to their savings or checking accounts.
In the olden day, EON was the only facility accepted by Paypal to enable new members to verify their account AND withdraw funds as well. So even if you don't have a credit card you can create a Paypal account and withdraw from it too, using EON.
These days, if you have a credit card AND a bank account, you are good to go.
Myth# 2: You need a credit card under YOUR name to verify your Paypal account - NOT! Now, this I have proven based on personal experience. I do have credit cards in MY name, but they're all maxed out and I needed to verify my Paypal account badly. Solution: USE HUSBAND'S CREDIT CARD.
I'm not sure if it will work with other relatives' credit card, but most likely it will if you have the same surname. This is my assumption because the as I was keying-in the credit card information, the SURNAME was pre-entered. All I had to do was enter the FIRST name.
Myth# 3: It is cheaper to withdraw funds using EON - Not!
My friend withdraws her oDesk earnings thru EON and she says her account is automatically charged $5 regardless of the amount she withdraws. So to get more value from this $5 she "accumulates" her earnings first before withdrawing to get more out of the $5 fee. Aside from this, if she transfers less than P7,000 from her Paypal to her EON account, she is also charged P50.
I'm have my BPI savings account and BPIFB joint account linked with my Paypal account. In my experience I get charged P150 pesos everytime I transfer my Paypal earnings to my BPI accounts. I also get that P50 Paypal charge if I transfer any amount lower than P7,000.
For penny-pinchers like me, every peso counts. P150 is still a whole lot lesser than $5, given how our exchange rate fluctuates. Plus, I hated Unionbank's service, whether thru the bank or via their customer service hotline. Their branch here along Quirino Highway, Novaliches really sucks!
So, if you need a Paypal account consider your options and ask around first to get the best deal when in comes to bank charges and services. I only know about BPI's charges, please don't assume it's the same for all banks.
However, if you've decided you want to go ahead and create a Paypal account I'd really appreciate it if you use my referral link:
Myth# 1: You need an EON card to create a Paypal account - Back in the yester-years you probably would have needed an EON account, but not anymore since Paypal accredited Philippine banks to allow its Filipino members to transfer their Paypal funds to their savings or checking accounts.
In the olden day, EON was the only facility accepted by Paypal to enable new members to verify their account AND withdraw funds as well. So even if you don't have a credit card you can create a Paypal account and withdraw from it too, using EON.
These days, if you have a credit card AND a bank account, you are good to go.
Myth# 2: You need a credit card under YOUR name to verify your Paypal account - NOT! Now, this I have proven based on personal experience. I do have credit cards in MY name, but they're all maxed out and I needed to verify my Paypal account badly. Solution: USE HUSBAND'S CREDIT CARD.
I'm not sure if it will work with other relatives' credit card, but most likely it will if you have the same surname. This is my assumption because the as I was keying-in the credit card information, the SURNAME was pre-entered. All I had to do was enter the FIRST name.
Myth# 3: It is cheaper to withdraw funds using EON - Not!
My friend withdraws her oDesk earnings thru EON and she says her account is automatically charged $5 regardless of the amount she withdraws. So to get more value from this $5 she "accumulates" her earnings first before withdrawing to get more out of the $5 fee. Aside from this, if she transfers less than P7,000 from her Paypal to her EON account, she is also charged P50.
I'm have my BPI savings account and BPIFB joint account linked with my Paypal account. In my experience I get charged P150 pesos everytime I transfer my Paypal earnings to my BPI accounts. I also get that P50 Paypal charge if I transfer any amount lower than P7,000.
For penny-pinchers like me, every peso counts. P150 is still a whole lot lesser than $5, given how our exchange rate fluctuates. Plus, I hated Unionbank's service, whether thru the bank or via their customer service hotline. Their branch here along Quirino Highway, Novaliches really sucks!
So, if you need a Paypal account consider your options and ask around first to get the best deal when in comes to bank charges and services. I only know about BPI's charges, please don't assume it's the same for all banks.
However, if you've decided you want to go ahead and create a Paypal account I'd really appreciate it if you use my referral link:
I'M ON TOP OF THE (GOOGLE) WORLD!!!
I just thought I'd see how my other blog (ohmomi.i.ph) ranks in Google's search result pages... lo and behold...
I'M ON TOP!!! I must be doing something right, huh? :-)
Thank you, Lord! Now, if You can just translate this into thousands of dollars or millions of pesos, that would really make me feel like I'M ON TOP OF THE WORLD!!!
(calling all web advertisers and publishers... your ads are welcome here and my other blog as well!)
I'M ON TOP!!! I must be doing something right, huh? :-)
Thank you, Lord! Now, if You can just translate this into thousands of dollars or millions of pesos, that would really make me feel like I'M ON TOP OF THE WORLD!!!
(calling all web advertisers and publishers... your ads are welcome here and my other blog as well!)
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Did you know that...
Again, let's make this a Filipino-English post para mas feel at nanunuot sa damdamin. if you need a pure English translation, just send me an email and I'll gladly translate it for you. Sayang ang pagiging freelance writer ko if I can't do that. :-)
Let's get the ball rolling. Did you know that...
1. You can get "loyalty credits" from being a Globe subscriber for at least 24 months?
Yup, it's true!. I've been a Globe subscriber for ages, or since 1997 yata yun. Ang arte-arte kasi ng Smart before and it was really hard to get a plan with a free phone from them noong mga panahong yun. Ewan ko na lang ngayon.
Anyway, so yun nga after 24 months of use, nag-expire na si plan. Eh likas talaga akong maurirat, I called Globe's customer service kasi I wanted to find out how to get a new phone, kasi di ba laging me mga bagong phone na ino-offer for free sa mga mag-aavail ng plan. Sabi ko pwede ko bang i-terminate existing plan ko then kuha ako ng bago just to get a new phone. Adik?
I was told I didn't have to do that pero yung phone na gusto ko is available only for a higher plan. Eh I didn't want to upgrade kasi plan 1200 yata ako that time. The customer service rep told me that ayun na nga... I can just get "loyalty credits" if I don't want to settle for a lower-end phone.
Ang scheme is I will have to sign up for another 24 months and they will deduct half the amount of my monthly plan, meaning 600 less tax or some charges yata yun for those 24 months. So installment. Let's say 1200 nga yung plan ko, more or less 700 na lang babayaran ko kasi ike-credit ako ng Globe ng 500++.
So, if you are a loyal Globe subscriber like me, make sure to find out when your plan is due to expire and call them right away to ask for the same deal. Ako, ever since I learned na me ganun pala, lagi kong hinihingi yun kasi parang hindi nila sasabihin sa inyo ng kusa. My husband does this na rin kasi nga tinuro ko sa kanya.
2. BPI waives annual membership fees - yes, yes, alam ko other credit cards do this... pero for the first year lang! Kaya paki-baba ang kilay nyo kasi useful din itong tip kong ito. :-)
Again, I've had my BPI credit card since 1997. Loyal sa mga Zobel de Ayala? I was once an employee kasi of one of Ayala Corporation's affiliates. PERO... I didn't know about this waiving of the annual fee thing until an officemate told me sometime 2005 na siguro. Imagine for years I've been religiously paying those annual fees eh pwede naman pala ipa-waive???
All you have to do is call them and request that waive your annual fee once it appears on your billing statement. Remember, it has to appear muna on your SOA before you call them, otherwise uulit lang kayo ng tawag.
Baket need pang intayin mag-appear sa SOA? Kasi me instance na hindi naman kayo nacha-charge. Well, at least in my case ganun. Hindi ko alam kung nagsawa na ang BPI sa kaka-request ko taon-taon since 2005 kaya hindi na nila ako china-charge, pero yun nga for the past 2 years yata wala akong annual fee. I would know kasi nga pag me nakita ako sa SOA eh itinatawag ko agad. Again, ginagawa na din ng husband ko itong discovery ko na ito. So try nyo din.
Might as well try it on your other credit cards. Malay nyo naman... Aba sayang din ang 1,500 to 2000 na membership fee.
3. Bayantel gives P500 rebates on your DSL bill IF you lose your DSL service and it was not restored within 24 hours.
I'm not very happy with the services of Bayantel kasi madalas napuputol yung DSL ko although na-program ko naman mag-auto redial pero still, hassle di ba? Anyway, pag naputol DSL nyo, i-report nyo agad kasi that is the only time the 24-hour count starts.
Take note of the exact time when it is restored. You will know kasi tatawagan naman nila kayo, so you really don't have to stare at your modem to wait for it to come to life. Pag lumagpas ng 24 hours at di pa nare-restore ang service, i-report nyo agad. Konting galit-galitan para mas effective although ako galit talaga lagi kasi naman my work depends on my DSL. Walang internet, walang trabaho.
At most importantly, wag mag-settle pag sinabing "may nagpunta na pero walang tao sa bahay nyo." Ang mechanics ng rebate program nila is REPAIR WITHIN 24 HOURS. Kahit dyan matulog ang repairman sa bahay nyo, kung hindi na-restore ang service nyo, you have every right na mag-reklamo and ask for that rebate. Basta lumagpas ng 24 hours kahit 1 minute lang i-reklamo nyo na. Well, that is kung importante sa inyo bawat piso na ginagastos nyo. If you don't need the rebate eh di keber. :-)
Isip pa ako ng mga tips and saving tricks na pinakinabangan ko talaga. For now, enjoy nyo muna mga ito.
Let's get the ball rolling. Did you know that...
1. You can get "loyalty credits" from being a Globe subscriber for at least 24 months?
Yup, it's true!. I've been a Globe subscriber for ages, or since 1997 yata yun. Ang arte-arte kasi ng Smart before and it was really hard to get a plan with a free phone from them noong mga panahong yun. Ewan ko na lang ngayon.
Anyway, so yun nga after 24 months of use, nag-expire na si plan. Eh likas talaga akong maurirat, I called Globe's customer service kasi I wanted to find out how to get a new phone, kasi di ba laging me mga bagong phone na ino-offer for free sa mga mag-aavail ng plan. Sabi ko pwede ko bang i-terminate existing plan ko then kuha ako ng bago just to get a new phone. Adik?
I was told I didn't have to do that pero yung phone na gusto ko is available only for a higher plan. Eh I didn't want to upgrade kasi plan 1200 yata ako that time. The customer service rep told me that ayun na nga... I can just get "loyalty credits" if I don't want to settle for a lower-end phone.
Ang scheme is I will have to sign up for another 24 months and they will deduct half the amount of my monthly plan, meaning 600 less tax or some charges yata yun for those 24 months. So installment. Let's say 1200 nga yung plan ko, more or less 700 na lang babayaran ko kasi ike-credit ako ng Globe ng 500++.
So, if you are a loyal Globe subscriber like me, make sure to find out when your plan is due to expire and call them right away to ask for the same deal. Ako, ever since I learned na me ganun pala, lagi kong hinihingi yun kasi parang hindi nila sasabihin sa inyo ng kusa. My husband does this na rin kasi nga tinuro ko sa kanya.
2. BPI waives annual membership fees - yes, yes, alam ko other credit cards do this... pero for the first year lang! Kaya paki-baba ang kilay nyo kasi useful din itong tip kong ito. :-)
Again, I've had my BPI credit card since 1997. Loyal sa mga Zobel de Ayala? I was once an employee kasi of one of Ayala Corporation's affiliates. PERO... I didn't know about this waiving of the annual fee thing until an officemate told me sometime 2005 na siguro. Imagine for years I've been religiously paying those annual fees eh pwede naman pala ipa-waive???
All you have to do is call them and request that waive your annual fee once it appears on your billing statement. Remember, it has to appear muna on your SOA before you call them, otherwise uulit lang kayo ng tawag.
Baket need pang intayin mag-appear sa SOA? Kasi me instance na hindi naman kayo nacha-charge. Well, at least in my case ganun. Hindi ko alam kung nagsawa na ang BPI sa kaka-request ko taon-taon since 2005 kaya hindi na nila ako china-charge, pero yun nga for the past 2 years yata wala akong annual fee. I would know kasi nga pag me nakita ako sa SOA eh itinatawag ko agad. Again, ginagawa na din ng husband ko itong discovery ko na ito. So try nyo din.
Might as well try it on your other credit cards. Malay nyo naman... Aba sayang din ang 1,500 to 2000 na membership fee.
3. Bayantel gives P500 rebates on your DSL bill IF you lose your DSL service and it was not restored within 24 hours.
I'm not very happy with the services of Bayantel kasi madalas napuputol yung DSL ko although na-program ko naman mag-auto redial pero still, hassle di ba? Anyway, pag naputol DSL nyo, i-report nyo agad kasi that is the only time the 24-hour count starts.
Take note of the exact time when it is restored. You will know kasi tatawagan naman nila kayo, so you really don't have to stare at your modem to wait for it to come to life. Pag lumagpas ng 24 hours at di pa nare-restore ang service, i-report nyo agad. Konting galit-galitan para mas effective although ako galit talaga lagi kasi naman my work depends on my DSL. Walang internet, walang trabaho.
At most importantly, wag mag-settle pag sinabing "may nagpunta na pero walang tao sa bahay nyo." Ang mechanics ng rebate program nila is REPAIR WITHIN 24 HOURS. Kahit dyan matulog ang repairman sa bahay nyo, kung hindi na-restore ang service nyo, you have every right na mag-reklamo and ask for that rebate. Basta lumagpas ng 24 hours kahit 1 minute lang i-reklamo nyo na. Well, that is kung importante sa inyo bawat piso na ginagastos nyo. If you don't need the rebate eh di keber. :-)
Isip pa ako ng mga tips and saving tricks na pinakinabangan ko talaga. For now, enjoy nyo muna mga ito.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
I need referrals for the following
These openings are for Emerson Electric Asia, ROHQ
Please send the resumes through raspberry_glace04@yahoo.com
DIVISION
POSITION
HIRING DIVISION
RANK
BALANCE
ITSS
.NET Developer
Industrial Automation - ASCO Numatics
Technical
1
ITSS
.NET Developer
Industrial Automation - ASCO Numatics
Technical
1
EFS
Accounts Payable Specialist
Closet Maid
Customer Service
1
WWCS
Aftermarket Administrator
Process Systems & Solutuions
Customer Service
1
EFS
AR Coordinator
Asco Power Technologies
Staff
1
GMDC
Assistant Team Lead / Team Lead
Liebert
1
ITSS
Capacity Planning Analyst
Corporate
Technical
1
EFS
Collections Specialist
Rosemount
Customer Service
1
EFS
Collections Specialist
Asco Power Technologies
Customer Service
1
EFS
Collections Specialist
Liebert
Customer Service
1
EFS
Collections Specialist
EPM - ERS
Customer Service
1
EFS
Collections Specialist
Appliance Controls
Customer Service
1
EFS
Collections Specialist
IA-EPT
Customer Service
1
EFS
Collections Specialist
InSinkerator
Customer Service
1
TSA
Configurator Support Associate
Intermetro
Technical
1
EPM
CSR - Corrective Billing Analyst
Regulators
Customer Service
1
WWCS
Customer Account Administrator
Process Systems & Solutuions
Customer Service
1
WWCS
Customer Account Administrator
Process Systems & Solutuions
Customer Service
1
WWCS
Customer Order Administrator
EPM WWCS
Customer Service
1
TSA
Customer Service Representative
Intermetro
Customer Service
1
EPM
Customer Support Engineer & Gatekeeper
Remote Automation Solution
Technical
1
TSA
E-Marketing Support Analyst
Knaack LLC
Staff
1
ECT
English Trainer
Emerson Climate Technologies
Staff
1
EFS
FA / GA Supervisor
Appliance Motors
Supervisor
1
GMDC
Financial Analyst
Asia Pacific Supply Chain
Staff
1
IA
French Speaking Engineering Analyst
ASCO Numatics
Technical
1
MAC
Inside Sales Associate
Fusite
Staff
1
EMSS
IT Desktop Engineer
EMSS IT
Technical
1
EMSS
IT Desktop Engineer
EMSS IT
Technical
1
GMDC
Logistics Data Analyst
GMDC MAC
Staff
1
EFS
Manila HCM Project Manager
Corporate
Manager
1
TSA
Market Research Officer
Ridge Tool
Officer
1
GMDC
Material Planner
Knaack
Technical
1
ECT
Monitoring Technician
Retail Solutions
Customer Service
1
ITSS
Network Administrator
Industrial Automation - ASCO Numatics
Technical
1
MAC
Operations Planning Analyst I
Therm-O-Disc
Staff
1
MAC
Operations Planning Analyst II - Site Anchor
Therm-O-Disc
Staff
1
IA
PDM Administrator
Technical
1
MAC
Product Service Engineer
Industrial Motors Division
Technical
1
MAC
Product Service Engineer
Industrial Motors Division
Technical
1
ITSS
Project Manager
Corporate
Manager
1
MAC
Quality Engineer
EAMC
Technical
1
MAC
Quality Engineer
Heating and Air Conditioning Motors
Technical
1
MAC
Quality Engineer
Hermetic Motors
Technical
1
EPM
Reports Analyst
Regulators
Staff
1
ITSS
RPG Programmer
Fusite
Technical
1
GMDC
Sales & Operations Planning Team Lead
Energy Systems
Technical
1
GMDC
Sales and Operations Planning Analyst
Energy Systems
Technical
1
ECT
Sales Forecast Analyst
ECT
Staff
1
ITSS
Service Desk Support (Spanish)
ITSS
Technical
1
ITSS
Sharepoint Developer
Corporate
Technical
1
ITSS
SQL Database Administrator
Corporate
Technical
1
GMDC
Sr. Procurement Systems Analyst
Corporate
Technical
1
MAC
Technical Sales Engineer
Therm-O-Disc
Technical
1
MAC
Technical Sales Engineer
Therm-O-Disc
Technical
1
EPM
Technical Support Admin/Web Support
Rosemount Analytical
Staff
1
EPM
Technical Support Engineer
Regulators
Technical
1
ECT
Technical Support Engineer
CPC
Technical
1
ECT
Technical Support Engineer
CPC
Technical
1
ECT
Technical Support Engineer
CPC
Technical
1
EMSS
Training / Admin Assistant
EMSS-HR
Staff
1
GMDC
Travel Analyst
Emerson
Staff
1
EPM
TSE - Spare Parts
Rosemount
Technical
1
EPM
TSE - Spare Parts
Rosemount
Technical
1
EPM
TSR - Spanish Speaking
Fisher
Highly Technical
1
ECT
Web Content Analyst
ECT
Technical
1
Please send the resumes through raspberry_glace04@yahoo.com
DIVISION
POSITION
HIRING DIVISION
RANK
BALANCE
ITSS
.NET Developer
Industrial Automation - ASCO Numatics
Technical
1
ITSS
.NET Developer
Industrial Automation - ASCO Numatics
Technical
1
EFS
Accounts Payable Specialist
Closet Maid
Customer Service
1
WWCS
Aftermarket Administrator
Process Systems & Solutuions
Customer Service
1
EFS
AR Coordinator
Asco Power Technologies
Staff
1
GMDC
Assistant Team Lead / Team Lead
Liebert
1
ITSS
Capacity Planning Analyst
Corporate
Technical
1
EFS
Collections Specialist
Rosemount
Customer Service
1
EFS
Collections Specialist
Asco Power Technologies
Customer Service
1
EFS
Collections Specialist
Liebert
Customer Service
1
EFS
Collections Specialist
EPM - ERS
Customer Service
1
EFS
Collections Specialist
Appliance Controls
Customer Service
1
EFS
Collections Specialist
IA-EPT
Customer Service
1
EFS
Collections Specialist
InSinkerator
Customer Service
1
TSA
Configurator Support Associate
Intermetro
Technical
1
EPM
CSR - Corrective Billing Analyst
Regulators
Customer Service
1
WWCS
Customer Account Administrator
Process Systems & Solutuions
Customer Service
1
WWCS
Customer Account Administrator
Process Systems & Solutuions
Customer Service
1
WWCS
Customer Order Administrator
EPM WWCS
Customer Service
1
TSA
Customer Service Representative
Intermetro
Customer Service
1
EPM
Customer Support Engineer & Gatekeeper
Remote Automation Solution
Technical
1
TSA
E-Marketing Support Analyst
Knaack LLC
Staff
1
ECT
English Trainer
Emerson Climate Technologies
Staff
1
EFS
FA / GA Supervisor
Appliance Motors
Supervisor
1
GMDC
Financial Analyst
Asia Pacific Supply Chain
Staff
1
IA
French Speaking Engineering Analyst
ASCO Numatics
Technical
1
MAC
Inside Sales Associate
Fusite
Staff
1
EMSS
IT Desktop Engineer
EMSS IT
Technical
1
EMSS
IT Desktop Engineer
EMSS IT
Technical
1
GMDC
Logistics Data Analyst
GMDC MAC
Staff
1
EFS
Manila HCM Project Manager
Corporate
Manager
1
TSA
Market Research Officer
Ridge Tool
Officer
1
GMDC
Material Planner
Knaack
Technical
1
ECT
Monitoring Technician
Retail Solutions
Customer Service
1
ITSS
Network Administrator
Industrial Automation - ASCO Numatics
Technical
1
MAC
Operations Planning Analyst I
Therm-O-Disc
Staff
1
MAC
Operations Planning Analyst II - Site Anchor
Therm-O-Disc
Staff
1
IA
PDM Administrator
Technical
1
MAC
Product Service Engineer
Industrial Motors Division
Technical
1
MAC
Product Service Engineer
Industrial Motors Division
Technical
1
ITSS
Project Manager
Corporate
Manager
1
MAC
Quality Engineer
EAMC
Technical
1
MAC
Quality Engineer
Heating and Air Conditioning Motors
Technical
1
MAC
Quality Engineer
Hermetic Motors
Technical
1
EPM
Reports Analyst
Regulators
Staff
1
ITSS
RPG Programmer
Fusite
Technical
1
GMDC
Sales & Operations Planning Team Lead
Energy Systems
Technical
1
GMDC
Sales and Operations Planning Analyst
Energy Systems
Technical
1
ECT
Sales Forecast Analyst
ECT
Staff
1
ITSS
Service Desk Support (Spanish)
ITSS
Technical
1
ITSS
Sharepoint Developer
Corporate
Technical
1
ITSS
SQL Database Administrator
Corporate
Technical
1
GMDC
Sr. Procurement Systems Analyst
Corporate
Technical
1
MAC
Technical Sales Engineer
Therm-O-Disc
Technical
1
MAC
Technical Sales Engineer
Therm-O-Disc
Technical
1
EPM
Technical Support Admin/Web Support
Rosemount Analytical
Staff
1
EPM
Technical Support Engineer
Regulators
Technical
1
ECT
Technical Support Engineer
CPC
Technical
1
ECT
Technical Support Engineer
CPC
Technical
1
ECT
Technical Support Engineer
CPC
Technical
1
EMSS
Training / Admin Assistant
EMSS-HR
Staff
1
GMDC
Travel Analyst
Emerson
Staff
1
EPM
TSE - Spare Parts
Rosemount
Technical
1
EPM
TSE - Spare Parts
Rosemount
Technical
1
EPM
TSR - Spanish Speaking
Fisher
Highly Technical
1
ECT
Web Content Analyst
ECT
Technical
1
Friday, May 22, 2009
Tips that Really Add Up - Continued ulit...
Let's make this post in Filipino-English naman para mas me feelings ang mga side comments. Hehehe. Feel free to jump right in and comment.
Bale isang tip lang ito kasi mukhang magiging lengthy ang pagdi-discuss ko so bear with me.
CONSOLIDATE YOUR CREDIT CARD DEBT
How many credit cards do you have? Ako, I have at least 3. Isang BPI classic, the maroon one, isang BPI Edge kasi wala akong mastercard before, and isang BDO Shopmore.
If you love shopping like I do, for sure gamit na gamit ang cards nyo and pag may nag-offer ng 0% malamang nangunguna kayo sa pila ng mag-aavail. I was like that. WAS... past tense na. I used to earn a lot in my job in a government financial institution. Di po ako nangongotong nor was I involved in shady deals. Supervisory level na ako dun when I availed of an early retirement package, so medyo malaki na kita ko and I was used to a lifestyle of just charging anything I want knowing I would have the money to pay or it come payday.
So when I availed of an early retirement package and got employed in a call center, dala ko pa din yung "lifestyle" ko which I did "enjoy" for 10 years. Since hindi pa naman ganun kalaki ang kita ng husband ko sa call center din, I just charge our groceries and meals out on my credit card. I came to my senses nung parang ang laki-laki na ng binabayaran ko sa monthly and yet it was not causing a dent in my outstanding bill.
Noon pa lang I thought of consolidating my credit card debt na. Pag may balance transfer na offer I would immediately avail thinking nakakatipid ako on the finance charges kasi compared naman sa usual 3.5% eh magiging .70% or at most .90% na lang. Or so I thought.
Since hindi naman talaga kalakihan ang kita namin sa call center, or actually malaki naman kung single ka and you live with your parents at wala kang kotse na at that time eh malakas talaga sa gasolina, panay pa din ang charge ko ng groceries at dinners or lunch out sa credit cards ko. I mean, hey, kaya ka nga nagta-trabaho para naman ma-enjoy mo din ang buhay mo. Kaya ayun, kaliwa't kanang balance transfer ang in-avail ko.
When I was in the process of deciding kung kaya ko mag-stay-at-home Mom, lalo kong natitigan yung mga credit card statements ko. Matagal ko ng na-realize na dapat kayusin na talaga yung mga utang ko kaya I have really stopped using my credit cards. Ni hindi ko na nga dinadala. I really felt naked at that time lalo pag alam kong wala naman akong cash. I just avoided going to the mall na lang. Kung groceries lang kailangan, dun na lang ako pupunta, di na ako iikot for fear na makakita ng magugustuhan kong want na iju-justify kong need.
Anyway, going back sa pagtitig ko sa credit card statement ko. I discovered na totoo palang me "hidden charges". When I computed my BDO monthly due I discovered na pati yung mga balance transfers ko eh isinasama nila sa outstanding bill ko na china-charge pa nila ulit ng 3.4% monthly interest! So kamusta naman di ba? Paano ka nakatipid sa finance charges pag ganun? Eh di it defeats the purpose entirely?!
Nakaka-asar kasi if you think na your deposit to these banks only earn a measly 1% PER ANNUM! Ni hindi nga 1% MONTHLY eh. Tapos yung mga deposito nyo ang ginagamit ng mga bangko ito to give out loans that charge 3.4% interest monthly!. Para kang iginigisa sa sarili mong mantika.
So eto nag-balance transfer ako ulit, pero this time sa BPI na. I was able to prove to myself na yung bina-balance transfer ko sa BPI eh hindi kasama sa china-charge ng monthly interest kaya pala kahit halos same lang ang credit limit ko sa BPI at BDO eh di hamak na mas malaki lagi ang nakikita kong finance charge ng BDO credit card ko. Another thing going for BPI is that they don't charge you immediately upon your purchase. Mag-i-start lang ang counting nila the minute they get the charge slip from the merchant where you made your purchase. So swerte mo kung yung merchant is matagal mag-submit ng charge slips. Makikita mo yan sa "post date".
Pag tiningnan mo yung credit card statement mo sa BPI, me purchase date or transaction date tapos me post date. Post date is when the merchant submitted the charge slip to BPI. Yun ang start ng pag-charge nila ng interest sa 'yo.
Sa BDO at alam ko Citibank ganito din, kahit isang buwan bago mag-submit ang merchant ng charge slip, nire-retroact nila yung pag-charge sa 'yo ng interest. So from the day you signed that charge slip, expect na tumatakbo na ang metro.
About 0% purchases. Wag din agad-agad maniniwala sa mga ganitong promo. Canvass, canvass, canvass. Check the actual retail price (parang Price is Right)kung cash nyo bibilihin yung item. Kasi kahit 0% pa yan, different yung ginagamit nilang price kesa kung cash purchase. In short, naka-tuck-in na talaga yung interest pag credit card nyo binili. Hindi talaga siya 0%.
Ewan ko lang dun sa mga sinasabi ng BPI na "THE REAL 0%" ha. Kasi nga ginaya na ng ibang credit cards yung gimmick na yun. Ang claim ng BPI eh 0% talaga sila, meaning hindi bloated yung price nung item to hide yung interest. Kaya nga CANVASS, CANVASS, CANVASS.
Kung gusto nyo talaga maka-ahon sa utang nyo sa credit card nyo, like me, i-avoid nyo at all cost ang paggamit ng credit card. Kakainin talaga kayo ng buhay ng interest charges. Or kung di naman talaga ma-avoid, make the conscious effort to pay it off na lang agad. Yung pautay-utay na minimum payment nyo will not do you any good. Patay na kayo hindi pa tapos ang utang nyo. At kahit patay na kayo hindi naman ira-write-off ng mga bangkong yang ang utang nyo. Hanggang mahahanap nila ang pamilya nyo, eh for sure makakatanggap sila ng statement of account.
Bale isang tip lang ito kasi mukhang magiging lengthy ang pagdi-discuss ko so bear with me.
CONSOLIDATE YOUR CREDIT CARD DEBT
How many credit cards do you have? Ako, I have at least 3. Isang BPI classic, the maroon one, isang BPI Edge kasi wala akong mastercard before, and isang BDO Shopmore.
If you love shopping like I do, for sure gamit na gamit ang cards nyo and pag may nag-offer ng 0% malamang nangunguna kayo sa pila ng mag-aavail. I was like that. WAS... past tense na. I used to earn a lot in my job in a government financial institution. Di po ako nangongotong nor was I involved in shady deals. Supervisory level na ako dun when I availed of an early retirement package, so medyo malaki na kita ko and I was used to a lifestyle of just charging anything I want knowing I would have the money to pay or it come payday.
So when I availed of an early retirement package and got employed in a call center, dala ko pa din yung "lifestyle" ko which I did "enjoy" for 10 years. Since hindi pa naman ganun kalaki ang kita ng husband ko sa call center din, I just charge our groceries and meals out on my credit card. I came to my senses nung parang ang laki-laki na ng binabayaran ko sa monthly and yet it was not causing a dent in my outstanding bill.
Noon pa lang I thought of consolidating my credit card debt na. Pag may balance transfer na offer I would immediately avail thinking nakakatipid ako on the finance charges kasi compared naman sa usual 3.5% eh magiging .70% or at most .90% na lang. Or so I thought.
Since hindi naman talaga kalakihan ang kita namin sa call center, or actually malaki naman kung single ka and you live with your parents at wala kang kotse na at that time eh malakas talaga sa gasolina, panay pa din ang charge ko ng groceries at dinners or lunch out sa credit cards ko. I mean, hey, kaya ka nga nagta-trabaho para naman ma-enjoy mo din ang buhay mo. Kaya ayun, kaliwa't kanang balance transfer ang in-avail ko.
When I was in the process of deciding kung kaya ko mag-stay-at-home Mom, lalo kong natitigan yung mga credit card statements ko. Matagal ko ng na-realize na dapat kayusin na talaga yung mga utang ko kaya I have really stopped using my credit cards. Ni hindi ko na nga dinadala. I really felt naked at that time lalo pag alam kong wala naman akong cash. I just avoided going to the mall na lang. Kung groceries lang kailangan, dun na lang ako pupunta, di na ako iikot for fear na makakita ng magugustuhan kong want na iju-justify kong need.
Anyway, going back sa pagtitig ko sa credit card statement ko. I discovered na totoo palang me "hidden charges". When I computed my BDO monthly due I discovered na pati yung mga balance transfers ko eh isinasama nila sa outstanding bill ko na china-charge pa nila ulit ng 3.4% monthly interest! So kamusta naman di ba? Paano ka nakatipid sa finance charges pag ganun? Eh di it defeats the purpose entirely?!
Nakaka-asar kasi if you think na your deposit to these banks only earn a measly 1% PER ANNUM! Ni hindi nga 1% MONTHLY eh. Tapos yung mga deposito nyo ang ginagamit ng mga bangko ito to give out loans that charge 3.4% interest monthly!. Para kang iginigisa sa sarili mong mantika.
So eto nag-balance transfer ako ulit, pero this time sa BPI na. I was able to prove to myself na yung bina-balance transfer ko sa BPI eh hindi kasama sa china-charge ng monthly interest kaya pala kahit halos same lang ang credit limit ko sa BPI at BDO eh di hamak na mas malaki lagi ang nakikita kong finance charge ng BDO credit card ko. Another thing going for BPI is that they don't charge you immediately upon your purchase. Mag-i-start lang ang counting nila the minute they get the charge slip from the merchant where you made your purchase. So swerte mo kung yung merchant is matagal mag-submit ng charge slips. Makikita mo yan sa "post date".
Pag tiningnan mo yung credit card statement mo sa BPI, me purchase date or transaction date tapos me post date. Post date is when the merchant submitted the charge slip to BPI. Yun ang start ng pag-charge nila ng interest sa 'yo.
Sa BDO at alam ko Citibank ganito din, kahit isang buwan bago mag-submit ang merchant ng charge slip, nire-retroact nila yung pag-charge sa 'yo ng interest. So from the day you signed that charge slip, expect na tumatakbo na ang metro.
About 0% purchases. Wag din agad-agad maniniwala sa mga ganitong promo. Canvass, canvass, canvass. Check the actual retail price (parang Price is Right)kung cash nyo bibilihin yung item. Kasi kahit 0% pa yan, different yung ginagamit nilang price kesa kung cash purchase. In short, naka-tuck-in na talaga yung interest pag credit card nyo binili. Hindi talaga siya 0%.
Ewan ko lang dun sa mga sinasabi ng BPI na "THE REAL 0%" ha. Kasi nga ginaya na ng ibang credit cards yung gimmick na yun. Ang claim ng BPI eh 0% talaga sila, meaning hindi bloated yung price nung item to hide yung interest. Kaya nga CANVASS, CANVASS, CANVASS.
Kung gusto nyo talaga maka-ahon sa utang nyo sa credit card nyo, like me, i-avoid nyo at all cost ang paggamit ng credit card. Kakainin talaga kayo ng buhay ng interest charges. Or kung di naman talaga ma-avoid, make the conscious effort to pay it off na lang agad. Yung pautay-utay na minimum payment nyo will not do you any good. Patay na kayo hindi pa tapos ang utang nyo. At kahit patay na kayo hindi naman ira-write-off ng mga bangkong yang ang utang nyo. Hanggang mahahanap nila ang pamilya nyo, eh for sure makakatanggap sila ng statement of account.
Monday, May 18, 2009
Tips that Really Add up - Continued...
Here are some more practical tips that really add up... well at least based on my own experience.
1. Have several income sources - I first read about this advice from Robert Kiyosaki but it was Bo Sanchez who made me see the light. Robert Kiyosaki kasi tends to write his advices in a vague manner or maybe I was too young then to appreciate and understand his book. Maybe I should read it again...
Anyway, when I read about this advice in one of Bo Sanchez' books, I had a hard time trying to figure out how I can apply it in my own life. You see working on a graveyard shift really takes its toll on the body and I required at least 8 hours of sleep in the daytime just to recover. Sometimes I would sleep for 10 hours straight. So kamusta naman? Ano pa magagawa ko sa isang araw to have another source of income?
I thought of putting up a small diaper distribution business, since I've been reading a lot about it and my son's biggest expense, aside from milk, is on diapers. That business flourished for a few months, but I was not able to sustain it because I was not managing it personally. I was not tracking the inventory and the sales. leaving it to my son's yaya to sell and collect payments. So I decided to stop it until I could really manage it myself.
Right now, I'm back to selling diapers although to former officemates only. I have yet to go on online selling, but if you can and have the time for it, give it a go! Sell anything online! The main goal is to supplement your lone income source, if you are employed.
Aside from selling diapers on the side, I also re-write articles for some clients. I have an oDesk account and I'm starting to get invites from buyers to work for them. Also, prior to resigning I was able to get a client from filipinowriters.com who is giving me a fairly decent compensation for writing jobs.
This blog is actually a product of my efforts to have several sources of income. Unfortunately, I have yet to earn from it. I now have some page impressions but no income from it really. The only good part about this blog is I'm meeting a lot of people still, even if I'm just here at home the whole day. Three snaps for that!
2. Compare prices - I don't buy my groceries from just one store. I make the rounds of Landmark, SM Hypermart, SM grocery, Save More, Robinson's Supermartket, etc.
You will be surprised to find out that these stores vary in prices by as much as P20 pesos per item. An example is my son's milk, Lactum. Last time I checked, Landmark sells it for P505.00. SM Hypermart sells it at P515. Mercury Drug at Shangrila Edsa sells the same milk for P503.00 A small store near my former officemate's house sells Lactum in the same packaging and size asthe others, for P502. It used to be P490 until last week. So if they raised their prices, SM, Landmark and the others are soon to follow, I'm sure.
If you're living in QC, you can also try Cherry Foodarama and Circle C. I think I saw some good prices there also.
3. Buy a fuel-efficient car - We used to have a Nissan Sentra 1991 and our monthly gas consumption back them ranges from P6,500 - 7000. Tipid pa yun because I schedule our trips so we won't be running around in circles and wasting gas. When I sensed that Neggie (that's what we called the car because she was dark grey) was starting to require a lot in terms of maintenance, I made computations to find out if we could save more with a new car... and if we can afford it!
Fortunately, we found a good deal at Kia Diliman. They offered to let us trade-in our gas gustler so we only have to add a few thousand more for the downpayment of a new Kia Picanto 2008. Hence, we have had Picoy (from Picanto) since October 2008. From P6,500 monthly, our gas bill is now only P2,500. Lamyerda galore pa kami nyan ha!
Also, with the new car, we can now use E10 instead of the regular gasoline. If like me, you are trying to incorporate some earth-saving efforts into your daily routine, this is a good thing to try. You will still get to where you need to be, but with a lower gas bill and lower carbon dioxide emission.
1. Have several income sources - I first read about this advice from Robert Kiyosaki but it was Bo Sanchez who made me see the light. Robert Kiyosaki kasi tends to write his advices in a vague manner or maybe I was too young then to appreciate and understand his book. Maybe I should read it again...
Anyway, when I read about this advice in one of Bo Sanchez' books, I had a hard time trying to figure out how I can apply it in my own life. You see working on a graveyard shift really takes its toll on the body and I required at least 8 hours of sleep in the daytime just to recover. Sometimes I would sleep for 10 hours straight. So kamusta naman? Ano pa magagawa ko sa isang araw to have another source of income?
I thought of putting up a small diaper distribution business, since I've been reading a lot about it and my son's biggest expense, aside from milk, is on diapers. That business flourished for a few months, but I was not able to sustain it because I was not managing it personally. I was not tracking the inventory and the sales. leaving it to my son's yaya to sell and collect payments. So I decided to stop it until I could really manage it myself.
Right now, I'm back to selling diapers although to former officemates only. I have yet to go on online selling, but if you can and have the time for it, give it a go! Sell anything online! The main goal is to supplement your lone income source, if you are employed.
Aside from selling diapers on the side, I also re-write articles for some clients. I have an oDesk account and I'm starting to get invites from buyers to work for them. Also, prior to resigning I was able to get a client from filipinowriters.com who is giving me a fairly decent compensation for writing jobs.
This blog is actually a product of my efforts to have several sources of income. Unfortunately, I have yet to earn from it. I now have some page impressions but no income from it really. The only good part about this blog is I'm meeting a lot of people still, even if I'm just here at home the whole day. Three snaps for that!
2. Compare prices - I don't buy my groceries from just one store. I make the rounds of Landmark, SM Hypermart, SM grocery, Save More, Robinson's Supermartket, etc.
You will be surprised to find out that these stores vary in prices by as much as P20 pesos per item. An example is my son's milk, Lactum. Last time I checked, Landmark sells it for P505.00. SM Hypermart sells it at P515. Mercury Drug at Shangrila Edsa sells the same milk for P503.00 A small store near my former officemate's house sells Lactum in the same packaging and size asthe others, for P502. It used to be P490 until last week. So if they raised their prices, SM, Landmark and the others are soon to follow, I'm sure.
If you're living in QC, you can also try Cherry Foodarama and Circle C. I think I saw some good prices there also.
3. Buy a fuel-efficient car - We used to have a Nissan Sentra 1991 and our monthly gas consumption back them ranges from P6,500 - 7000. Tipid pa yun because I schedule our trips so we won't be running around in circles and wasting gas. When I sensed that Neggie (that's what we called the car because she was dark grey) was starting to require a lot in terms of maintenance, I made computations to find out if we could save more with a new car... and if we can afford it!
Fortunately, we found a good deal at Kia Diliman. They offered to let us trade-in our gas gustler so we only have to add a few thousand more for the downpayment of a new Kia Picanto 2008. Hence, we have had Picoy (from Picanto) since October 2008. From P6,500 monthly, our gas bill is now only P2,500. Lamyerda galore pa kami nyan ha!
Also, with the new car, we can now use E10 instead of the regular gasoline. If like me, you are trying to incorporate some earth-saving efforts into your daily routine, this is a good thing to try. You will still get to where you need to be, but with a lower gas bill and lower carbon dioxide emission.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Tips that Really Add Up
This is supposed to be a blog where mothers and homemakers like me, or just women in general, can pick-up a tip or two about saving, earning extra money or handling their finances. Unfortunately, I have been too caught up with the second activity that I am not able to post as many entries as I envisioned when I started this blog. Let me correct that now by sharing some tips that really add up.
1. Buy everything in sachets or doy packs - whenever I go grocery-shopping, I make sure to compute the price of, say shampoo, in a bottle against those in sachets. I do this by comparing the contents and dividing the price by number of milliliters that a container or sachet has.
I often find out that it is much cheaper to buy shampoo in sachets than get a bottle only to throw it after we have emptied it out. If you can find a way to re-use the bottle, then good for you.
This strategy also works for fish sauce, soy sauce, vinegar, oil and even condensed or evaporated milk. I even get my son's milk in a box instead of a can and it has cost me a lot less money for the same amount of milk or even more.
2. watch TV less often - aside from depriving Meralco of a few hundred pesos, watching less TV will actually give you more time to do things that don't really require the use of electricity. Unless it's a show you really, really have to watch, don't just sit idly by the TV. Take the time to read more, play with your kid more, spruce up the house, etc. Sometimes we are just too lazy to think of other more productive things to do, and TV provides us a fast escape.
Have you heard that Tina Maristela-Ocampo's, yes she of the famed Celestina bag made of Philippine shells, family does not own a single TV set? Yup, that's what she announced when asked about her parenting skills. She credits not having a TV for her kids' love for reading, arts and other creative endeavors. Well, look at her. Look at what she has thought of. Her bags are the rage in Hollywood.
3. Eat less - how much is your grocery bill and how much of it goes to food? Now, look at yourself and your family, are they overweight? For now, let us set aside the other factors that contribute to weight gain and just focus on food. The simple equation is if you eat more than you burn, you will gain weight.
If you are a mother like me, no matter what your current weight is, I'm sure you would want to lose some weight be it a pound or 5 pounds... or more. Here is your chance to hit two birds with one stone.
4. Eat OUT Less - or better yet don't eat out at all. Brown-bag your lunch and even your snack items. Try it for at least a week and see how much you would have saved.
Back when I was still working in the same office as my husband, we would often just have food delivered. And everytime, it would cost us somewhere between P250 to 350 for a decent meal for the two of us. Multiply that amount to at least 3 times a week. How about for a full month.
The thing is, now that I'm at home and can actually buy ingredients to cook most of our meals I am finding out that P250 is more than enough for a full day's meal for me and my husband, with still some left over for his lunch at the office... and pet food.
1. Buy everything in sachets or doy packs - whenever I go grocery-shopping, I make sure to compute the price of, say shampoo, in a bottle against those in sachets. I do this by comparing the contents and dividing the price by number of milliliters that a container or sachet has.
I often find out that it is much cheaper to buy shampoo in sachets than get a bottle only to throw it after we have emptied it out. If you can find a way to re-use the bottle, then good for you.
This strategy also works for fish sauce, soy sauce, vinegar, oil and even condensed or evaporated milk. I even get my son's milk in a box instead of a can and it has cost me a lot less money for the same amount of milk or even more.
2. watch TV less often - aside from depriving Meralco of a few hundred pesos, watching less TV will actually give you more time to do things that don't really require the use of electricity. Unless it's a show you really, really have to watch, don't just sit idly by the TV. Take the time to read more, play with your kid more, spruce up the house, etc. Sometimes we are just too lazy to think of other more productive things to do, and TV provides us a fast escape.
Have you heard that Tina Maristela-Ocampo's, yes she of the famed Celestina bag made of Philippine shells, family does not own a single TV set? Yup, that's what she announced when asked about her parenting skills. She credits not having a TV for her kids' love for reading, arts and other creative endeavors. Well, look at her. Look at what she has thought of. Her bags are the rage in Hollywood.
3. Eat less - how much is your grocery bill and how much of it goes to food? Now, look at yourself and your family, are they overweight? For now, let us set aside the other factors that contribute to weight gain and just focus on food. The simple equation is if you eat more than you burn, you will gain weight.
If you are a mother like me, no matter what your current weight is, I'm sure you would want to lose some weight be it a pound or 5 pounds... or more. Here is your chance to hit two birds with one stone.
4. Eat OUT Less - or better yet don't eat out at all. Brown-bag your lunch and even your snack items. Try it for at least a week and see how much you would have saved.
Back when I was still working in the same office as my husband, we would often just have food delivered. And everytime, it would cost us somewhere between P250 to 350 for a decent meal for the two of us. Multiply that amount to at least 3 times a week. How about for a full month.
The thing is, now that I'm at home and can actually buy ingredients to cook most of our meals I am finding out that P250 is more than enough for a full day's meal for me and my husband, with still some left over for his lunch at the office... and pet food.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Dying... and leaving expenses behind.
Remember, Trinidad "Trina" Etong? The wife of Ted Failon who supposedly committed suicide because she was having financial problems.
When one dies, do their financial obligations end with them? Legally, the answer is NO. Dying is not an escape, both from obligations and expenses. The family they leave behind will be answerable for everything the dead thought they could escape from by taking their lives... or just plain dying.
In the case of Trina Etong, her husband Ted Failon would be liable for the payment of her obligations, with money coming from her estate. Not a lot of informal or personal creditors understand this, so they just choose to write-off the deceased's loans or payment obligations. Maybe it also has something to do with the Filipinos culture of empathizing with the bereaved loved ones. Good for the Etongs if that is really the case. But business creditors know the law only too well, they have lawyers to see to it that they are able to collect, dead or alive.
Anyway, the brother of my Lola died last Tuesday. Like us, his family is not well to do. I can only hope they are able to cope up with the hospital bill (he died in the hospital) and the funeral expenses. Lord knows it is costly to even just die in the Philippines. Getting a memorial plan is not a safety-net either. I got mine from Legacy Consolidated and where is my money now?
When one dies, do their financial obligations end with them? Legally, the answer is NO. Dying is not an escape, both from obligations and expenses. The family they leave behind will be answerable for everything the dead thought they could escape from by taking their lives... or just plain dying.
In the case of Trina Etong, her husband Ted Failon would be liable for the payment of her obligations, with money coming from her estate. Not a lot of informal or personal creditors understand this, so they just choose to write-off the deceased's loans or payment obligations. Maybe it also has something to do with the Filipinos culture of empathizing with the bereaved loved ones. Good for the Etongs if that is really the case. But business creditors know the law only too well, they have lawyers to see to it that they are able to collect, dead or alive.
Anyway, the brother of my Lola died last Tuesday. Like us, his family is not well to do. I can only hope they are able to cope up with the hospital bill (he died in the hospital) and the funeral expenses. Lord knows it is costly to even just die in the Philippines. Getting a memorial plan is not a safety-net either. I got mine from Legacy Consolidated and where is my money now?
Saturday, May 2, 2009
The Family that Eats Together... Saves!
Yup you read it right, "The family that eats together... saves!". Really, they do. Have you checked your electric bills lately? How much is a kilowatt per hour where you are?
My last electric bill cost me P3,200++ ($1 = P48). It is summerime here in the Philippines so a big chunk of that bill can be attributed to our constant use of electric fans and air-conditioning. But if you are counting pesos and cents like me, I'm sure you will also be wracking your brains thinking of ways to cut-back. Maybe not on fan and air-conditioner use, but on some others that you can do with out. That is what I did.
I simply cannot bear not using the fan and the air-conditioner especially during midday when it is at its hottest. I pity my 16-month old son as he drips of sweat at the slightest movement or even when just taking a nap.
Then it occured to me, we were using the microwave way too much to re-heat food. Actually, depending on the amount of food to be reheated I use either the microwave or the gas stove to heat our food. Now I'm using an American Home 800-watt microwave. So you'd probably say I'm nuts bacause the energy expended is supposed to be 800 watts per hour.
Would you reconsider your impression of me if you can monitor just how many times and minutes you use the microwave in a month? Woudn't it add up to 800 watts at some point if you continue to use it regularly?
The point is every electrical appliance we use contribute one way or the other to our electric bill. If we limit their use, wouldn't it contribute to shaving off our electric bill or enable us to enjoy our favorite appliance some more without the guilt come meter-reading time? To compensate for what we could not live without is what I'm driving at, if not to save by limiting use of electricity all together.
If families eat together when it's meal time, then we don't have to constantly re-heat whenever a family member chooses to eat at his convenient time.
Imagine the impact this would have on a typical family of four or five and each one eats on his own. You would have to re-heat at least 3 times every day. How much electricity would that eat up in a month?
Aside from the money-saving benefits, you get to limit your carbon footprint too. Carbon footprint is what is left after energy is used up. It is what causes greenhouse gases to be trapped on the earth and alter our climate. This is why we have been having torrential downpours when we are still supposed to be enjoying the heat of summer. But more on carbon footprints in my next entry.
My last electric bill cost me P3,200++ ($1 = P48). It is summerime here in the Philippines so a big chunk of that bill can be attributed to our constant use of electric fans and air-conditioning. But if you are counting pesos and cents like me, I'm sure you will also be wracking your brains thinking of ways to cut-back. Maybe not on fan and air-conditioner use, but on some others that you can do with out. That is what I did.
I simply cannot bear not using the fan and the air-conditioner especially during midday when it is at its hottest. I pity my 16-month old son as he drips of sweat at the slightest movement or even when just taking a nap.
Then it occured to me, we were using the microwave way too much to re-heat food. Actually, depending on the amount of food to be reheated I use either the microwave or the gas stove to heat our food. Now I'm using an American Home 800-watt microwave. So you'd probably say I'm nuts bacause the energy expended is supposed to be 800 watts per hour.
Would you reconsider your impression of me if you can monitor just how many times and minutes you use the microwave in a month? Woudn't it add up to 800 watts at some point if you continue to use it regularly?
The point is every electrical appliance we use contribute one way or the other to our electric bill. If we limit their use, wouldn't it contribute to shaving off our electric bill or enable us to enjoy our favorite appliance some more without the guilt come meter-reading time? To compensate for what we could not live without is what I'm driving at, if not to save by limiting use of electricity all together.
If families eat together when it's meal time, then we don't have to constantly re-heat whenever a family member chooses to eat at his convenient time.
Imagine the impact this would have on a typical family of four or five and each one eats on his own. You would have to re-heat at least 3 times every day. How much electricity would that eat up in a month?
Aside from the money-saving benefits, you get to limit your carbon footprint too. Carbon footprint is what is left after energy is used up. It is what causes greenhouse gases to be trapped on the earth and alter our climate. This is why we have been having torrential downpours when we are still supposed to be enjoying the heat of summer. But more on carbon footprints in my next entry.
Reviewstream.com: A Review
Are you an internet surfing addict or a work-at-home Mom constantly foraging for ways to earn online? Are you a certified Girl Talker? If you answered “Yes” to either question, then you have probably gone through the pages of www.reviewstream.com, or have at least heard about it.
I found out about Reviewstream through a fellow WAHM, and then read about it from the forums in Girl Talk. You see as early as I made the decision to quit my job and be a WAHM, I have started the quest to find online opportunities to earn from. I read forums, joined discussion groups, asked other WAHMs… everything! Hey, my family and I need to eat!
Anyway, based on the recommendation of other WAHMs, I went for it. Based on what’s written on their page, they pay as much as $2 per review and you can review anything you want just as long as you have used the product (e.g., a perfume or a certain toothpaste brand) or have availed of the service (like in a hotel or restaurant).
So filled with hope, I submitted my first product review, of this netbook that I’m using. Then I quickly followed it up with a review of the swim park we went to on my birthday. Unfortunately, I used different emails and according to their policies merging of accounts is not allowed. So technically, I have two accounts with them that need to earn $50 before I could request for payment. You think that would be fairly easy right, since 1 review = $2? So it’s just 25 reviews for each account? I thought the same thing!
I was so motivated by their email (to my two email accounts) saying that I have earned $2 for each review, that I drew up a mental list of which products I could review next. I quickly decided to review the Revlon Custom Creation foundation
and the mineral blush my mother gave to me, and the sunblock I bought for my son. And yes, I made sure to pick and use only one email account so I would reach my first $50 faster.
Here is the sad part, when I checked my email I got the shocking news. All three reviews earned only $.40 each for a total of $1.20. Now how that happened I do not know. I made the decision to review these products because there was a note on Reviewstream’s website saying people were asking for more reviews on make-up. So I thought I had the $6 in the bank, so to speak.
It appears that the $.40 is their bulk rate for reviews that they find “lacking” or not to their liking. I have no problems comprehending that. But I’m just wondering how they arrive at the decision of whether a review is acceptable or not. I made sure my reviews were meaty and extensive enough, because their website would not accept them in the first place if they were not. So unless they were expecting a chemical analysis on the composition of the make-up or the sunblock, I don’t think anyone can say more than I did.
Would it have been because of the grammar? Of course not! I did a grammar and spell-check in MS Word before I submitted my reviews. How about problems with the writing style? I don’t think it would be reasonable for them to expect “professionally” written reviews from non-writers. Besides all their site said is that you should write about your experience with the product or service, in correct English.
More than anything else, I am a professional writer / re-writer! Not professionally trained or educated as a writer but I do get paid some $2 for a 350-500 word article and to think I just started that gig about a month ago.
I found out about Reviewstream through a fellow WAHM, and then read about it from the forums in Girl Talk. You see as early as I made the decision to quit my job and be a WAHM, I have started the quest to find online opportunities to earn from. I read forums, joined discussion groups, asked other WAHMs… everything! Hey, my family and I need to eat!
Anyway, based on the recommendation of other WAHMs, I went for it. Based on what’s written on their page, they pay as much as $2 per review and you can review anything you want just as long as you have used the product (e.g., a perfume or a certain toothpaste brand) or have availed of the service (like in a hotel or restaurant).
So filled with hope, I submitted my first product review, of this netbook that I’m using. Then I quickly followed it up with a review of the swim park we went to on my birthday. Unfortunately, I used different emails and according to their policies merging of accounts is not allowed. So technically, I have two accounts with them that need to earn $50 before I could request for payment. You think that would be fairly easy right, since 1 review = $2? So it’s just 25 reviews for each account? I thought the same thing!
I was so motivated by their email (to my two email accounts) saying that I have earned $2 for each review, that I drew up a mental list of which products I could review next. I quickly decided to review the Revlon Custom Creation foundation
and the mineral blush my mother gave to me, and the sunblock I bought for my son. And yes, I made sure to pick and use only one email account so I would reach my first $50 faster.
Here is the sad part, when I checked my email I got the shocking news. All three reviews earned only $.40 each for a total of $1.20. Now how that happened I do not know. I made the decision to review these products because there was a note on Reviewstream’s website saying people were asking for more reviews on make-up. So I thought I had the $6 in the bank, so to speak.
It appears that the $.40 is their bulk rate for reviews that they find “lacking” or not to their liking. I have no problems comprehending that. But I’m just wondering how they arrive at the decision of whether a review is acceptable or not. I made sure my reviews were meaty and extensive enough, because their website would not accept them in the first place if they were not. So unless they were expecting a chemical analysis on the composition of the make-up or the sunblock, I don’t think anyone can say more than I did.
Would it have been because of the grammar? Of course not! I did a grammar and spell-check in MS Word before I submitted my reviews. How about problems with the writing style? I don’t think it would be reasonable for them to expect “professionally” written reviews from non-writers. Besides all their site said is that you should write about your experience with the product or service, in correct English.
More than anything else, I am a professional writer / re-writer! Not professionally trained or educated as a writer but I do get paid some $2 for a 350-500 word article and to think I just started that gig about a month ago.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Branded or Unbranded?
Up to this day, at 16 months, my son still uses a ton of diapers. Now, imagine how much a 30-piece pack of diapers cost and multiply it by say 4 weeks (assuming that 30 pieces is enough to last a week, which usually does not happen). Depending on the brand you are buying for your kid, the cost could be anywhere from P1,800 to 2000 or as much as P3000 for some really high-end brands (P48 = $1) such as Mamy Poko. Quite expensive for tushy wrappers, right? That’s branded for you.
When my son was born, like any other parent, I wanted nothing but the best baby items for him. I scoured the internet for brands other mothers highly recommended. I bought the best newborn diaper and for the next 6 months of his life I stuck to the same brand, though in a different size. Add to that my efforts to ensure that he gets all his vaccines, vitamins and well-baby check ups. In the first 6 months of my baby’s life, money was not an object. I was in love.
When we were deciding on the details of his Christening, I had to do a double take. I realized that those first 6 months did quite a number on our bank account. Sad to say, we did not have the amount we needed to hold the kind of Christening we wanted for our son. Oh, we still had our son Christened but it was enough for me to do a reality check.
I went back to the online forums for parents and that is where I was introduced to “unbranded” or generic diapers. I was amazed that there was such a thing! The best part is it cost only half of what a branded diaper would cost. I was ecstatic!
So ecstatic was I that I decided to make a business out of selling unbranded diapers to other “budgetarians” or cost-conscious mothers.
Ever since I discovered unbranded diapers, my son has used nothing but those. And they are not very different from the branded ones he has used except for the plain plastic packaging. The unbranded diapers my son uses are also cloth-like, comes in either Velcro or tape adhesive and is also as absorbent as branded ones. So why spend more when a less expensive one can do the job just as well?
When my son was born, like any other parent, I wanted nothing but the best baby items for him. I scoured the internet for brands other mothers highly recommended. I bought the best newborn diaper and for the next 6 months of his life I stuck to the same brand, though in a different size. Add to that my efforts to ensure that he gets all his vaccines, vitamins and well-baby check ups. In the first 6 months of my baby’s life, money was not an object. I was in love.
When we were deciding on the details of his Christening, I had to do a double take. I realized that those first 6 months did quite a number on our bank account. Sad to say, we did not have the amount we needed to hold the kind of Christening we wanted for our son. Oh, we still had our son Christened but it was enough for me to do a reality check.
I went back to the online forums for parents and that is where I was introduced to “unbranded” or generic diapers. I was amazed that there was such a thing! The best part is it cost only half of what a branded diaper would cost. I was ecstatic!
So ecstatic was I that I decided to make a business out of selling unbranded diapers to other “budgetarians” or cost-conscious mothers.
Ever since I discovered unbranded diapers, my son has used nothing but those. And they are not very different from the branded ones he has used except for the plain plastic packaging. The unbranded diapers my son uses are also cloth-like, comes in either Velcro or tape adhesive and is also as absorbent as branded ones. So why spend more when a less expensive one can do the job just as well?
Bon appe-CHEAP
Did you know that aside from the supposed health benefits to be derived from going the vegetarian way, it will save you a lot of money as well? Contrary to popular belief, being a “vegetarian” need not be expensive.
Although true-blue and pure-blooded vegetarians might argue that what I’m cooking is not really in accordance with the established laws of vegetarianism, the fact that my family is consuming more vegetables than what “normal” or average people would is good enough for me. Why? If you follow “eating according to your astrological sign ” (Yup, there is such a thing. Gretchen Barretto swears by it) you will know that Leos and Ariens are supposed to benefit more from eating more meats than veggies. So, we are actually going against our “predisposed diets” in the name of frugality. Hahaha!
Seriously, aside from the health benefits, (I’m sure no one will argue that veggies and fruits are good for you) serving more veggies to your family would save you a lot of money in the long run. Not only are you serving healthier meals, you are saving a good few bucks as well. Who’s not gonna be a believer with that proposition?
With the advent of the swine flu, wouldn’t you want to be munching on lettuce leaves instead of the crispy pata (deep-fried pork legs) or chicharon (pork rind)? You and I know “bawal magkasakit… kasi mahal ma-ospital” (to get sick is forbidden because hospitalization is expensive). Surely you will agree that not getting sick will surely save you a lot of money. As they say, “health is wealth”. But more than the wise adage, Filipinos know that medicines and medical care in the Philippines cost an arm and a leg, as with all others.
So what am I driving at? When I finally had a child, I started to re-think our budget. Like any other parent I wanted to make sure that we have enough money saved up for our son’s future. One of the areas wherein I saw an opportunity to save on was our meals. You see my husband and I love eating at fancy restaurants, even just for the experience. Hey, you only live once.
Before our kid, this love for eating “fancy” extended to our meals at home and at the office. We would often call for food delivery, have food bought to-go or we would prepare some fancy-smancy meals at home to take to work, which is usually meat-based meals. This dried up our savings account.
I often find my wallet empty, so on our way home we would drive by an ATM to withdraw more to hopefully last until the next payday. The thing is the money I was withdrawing was never enough, so I withdrew often. I had a budget yes, but when I find ourselves not having money in our pockets, it was very easy to simply make a withdrawal.
Then it hit me… our savings has dwindled! I whipped out my calculator and computed how much we spent for a full month of eating mindlessly. Boy, was I shocked! From then on, my husband and I have cut back on eating out. I have cut back on meat-based dishes when I’m cooking. You want to know how? The secret is ground meat.
Instead of meat-laden dishes, our meals nowadays are often stir-fried or sautéed veggies with less than ¼ kilo of ground meat just to add some flavor. You might not think much of it until I tell you that what I cook is good for lunch, dinner and my husband’s baon (packed meal), so that means I have a lot of veggies for a small amount of ground meat.
Why not try it for a week and see how much you would save?
Although true-blue and pure-blooded vegetarians might argue that what I’m cooking is not really in accordance with the established laws of vegetarianism, the fact that my family is consuming more vegetables than what “normal” or average people would is good enough for me. Why? If you follow “eating according to your astrological sign ” (Yup, there is such a thing. Gretchen Barretto swears by it) you will know that Leos and Ariens are supposed to benefit more from eating more meats than veggies. So, we are actually going against our “predisposed diets” in the name of frugality. Hahaha!
Seriously, aside from the health benefits, (I’m sure no one will argue that veggies and fruits are good for you) serving more veggies to your family would save you a lot of money in the long run. Not only are you serving healthier meals, you are saving a good few bucks as well. Who’s not gonna be a believer with that proposition?
With the advent of the swine flu, wouldn’t you want to be munching on lettuce leaves instead of the crispy pata (deep-fried pork legs) or chicharon (pork rind)? You and I know “bawal magkasakit… kasi mahal ma-ospital” (to get sick is forbidden because hospitalization is expensive). Surely you will agree that not getting sick will surely save you a lot of money. As they say, “health is wealth”. But more than the wise adage, Filipinos know that medicines and medical care in the Philippines cost an arm and a leg, as with all others.
So what am I driving at? When I finally had a child, I started to re-think our budget. Like any other parent I wanted to make sure that we have enough money saved up for our son’s future. One of the areas wherein I saw an opportunity to save on was our meals. You see my husband and I love eating at fancy restaurants, even just for the experience. Hey, you only live once.
Before our kid, this love for eating “fancy” extended to our meals at home and at the office. We would often call for food delivery, have food bought to-go or we would prepare some fancy-smancy meals at home to take to work, which is usually meat-based meals. This dried up our savings account.
I often find my wallet empty, so on our way home we would drive by an ATM to withdraw more to hopefully last until the next payday. The thing is the money I was withdrawing was never enough, so I withdrew often. I had a budget yes, but when I find ourselves not having money in our pockets, it was very easy to simply make a withdrawal.
Then it hit me… our savings has dwindled! I whipped out my calculator and computed how much we spent for a full month of eating mindlessly. Boy, was I shocked! From then on, my husband and I have cut back on eating out. I have cut back on meat-based dishes when I’m cooking. You want to know how? The secret is ground meat.
Instead of meat-laden dishes, our meals nowadays are often stir-fried or sautéed veggies with less than ¼ kilo of ground meat just to add some flavor. You might not think much of it until I tell you that what I cook is good for lunch, dinner and my husband’s baon (packed meal), so that means I have a lot of veggies for a small amount of ground meat.
Why not try it for a week and see how much you would save?
Show Me the Money!!!
Are you reeling after paying up your credit cards balances, monthly rent, utility bills, cellphone bills and God knows what other bills you have to pay come 15th and 30th of each month? Do you want to shout at the top of your lungs, “SHOW ME THE MONEY!” (ala Cuba Gooding or better yet, Tom Cruise)?
Well, a lot of people are no strangers to this predicament. Approximately 70% of Filipinos live below poverty level and are sure to be living from paycheck to paycheck, taking out personal loans or even 5/6 just to make it to the next pay period. But did you know that even people who earn well have a mountain of money problems? Of course they do! Because the amount of money one earns is not a determinant of being debt free or having the peace of mind that they would have saved enough for the rainy days (which have started, but that’s for another topic).
Money management is what will determine if a person will live comfortably throughout his life or if he will have to find work even after retirement at 65.
That is the central theme of this blog, Money Whys and How-tos. I have lived 36 full years and 15 years of those I was “handling” money I earned from companies which hired me. I have had money, lost money, saved it, invested it, spent it, managed it for my husband (this I still do up to this day) and I can say I have chalked up enough experience with money to know whereof I speak… or blog about.
I have read books by Suze Orman, Rick Edelman, Robert Kiyosaki, Bo Sanchez, Rhonda Byrne, Francisco Colayco, Michael Losier, Wayne Cordeiro and others who have written anything about money… how to grow it, how to attract it, how not to lose it… I have also gone through a lot of reference materials, magazine articles, bank newsletters, websites on money, online forums and everything else that seem to offer sound advice on money or finances. So, believe me I know what I’m talking about.
I’ve read all these materials because I had a personal goal. I wanted to be “rich”. I wanted to have “a lot of money” at my disposal. Unfortunately, being “rich” or having “a lot of money” is subjective. No one can tell another person that he is already rich or has enough… or a lot of money. This is a determination one makes personally.
But that is jumping the gun. Let us leave the scholarly discourse on values for later posts. For the first few entries let me share with you some lessons I have learned on how to make the most of your money. After all, we are heavily into a recession, everyone could use a saving tip or two. So until the next post.
Well, a lot of people are no strangers to this predicament. Approximately 70% of Filipinos live below poverty level and are sure to be living from paycheck to paycheck, taking out personal loans or even 5/6 just to make it to the next pay period. But did you know that even people who earn well have a mountain of money problems? Of course they do! Because the amount of money one earns is not a determinant of being debt free or having the peace of mind that they would have saved enough for the rainy days (which have started, but that’s for another topic).
Money management is what will determine if a person will live comfortably throughout his life or if he will have to find work even after retirement at 65.
That is the central theme of this blog, Money Whys and How-tos. I have lived 36 full years and 15 years of those I was “handling” money I earned from companies which hired me. I have had money, lost money, saved it, invested it, spent it, managed it for my husband (this I still do up to this day) and I can say I have chalked up enough experience with money to know whereof I speak… or blog about.
I have read books by Suze Orman, Rick Edelman, Robert Kiyosaki, Bo Sanchez, Rhonda Byrne, Francisco Colayco, Michael Losier, Wayne Cordeiro and others who have written anything about money… how to grow it, how to attract it, how not to lose it… I have also gone through a lot of reference materials, magazine articles, bank newsletters, websites on money, online forums and everything else that seem to offer sound advice on money or finances. So, believe me I know what I’m talking about.
I’ve read all these materials because I had a personal goal. I wanted to be “rich”. I wanted to have “a lot of money” at my disposal. Unfortunately, being “rich” or having “a lot of money” is subjective. No one can tell another person that he is already rich or has enough… or a lot of money. This is a determination one makes personally.
But that is jumping the gun. Let us leave the scholarly discourse on values for later posts. For the first few entries let me share with you some lessons I have learned on how to make the most of your money. After all, we are heavily into a recession, everyone could use a saving tip or two. So until the next post.
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