If you're looking for extra income, you can start looking inside your closet or up in the attic and see what you can sell. You'll never know, your garbage may be somebody else's lifelong find. Here are some tips in setting up your own garage sale.
As you may have read in my past posts, I am constantly looking for ways to increase my cash flow and save for my retirement fund. Freelance writers like me don't get the luxury of having a pension come retirement unlike corporate employees. I'm scared of what has to come, really. What do I have to call that's mine when I'm old and gray? Is waiting for support from my child and sharing mybhusband's pension my only options?
Believe it or not, I know people who do not want to have a credit card. They feel it's kinda risky to be carrying plastic money. My brother, on the other hand, isn't that confident with his finances and he doesn't want having debt that he stays away from credit card agents.
When I was still teaching in preschool six years ago, a credit card agent came to our school and offered us application forms. I filled it up and my application was immediately approved. I'm still carrying that card from the same bank. I think I reaped more rewards than risks and losses in having a credit card.
Here are a few reasons why I decided to get one:
I wanted to build credit. I needed to be credit worthy and I think this is one of the reasons why our housing and car loans got approved easily. I haven't applied for any personal loans yet because I honestly can't afford paying for one. I strive to maintain my being credit worthy by paying my bills on time and paying the whole monthly dues whenever I can.
I wanted to be able to buy plane tickets online. Yes, my husband and I love to travel but we only travel when we have extra money to spare. It is just convenient to be able to buy tickets and other products online with a credit card. Oh, I also pay for my domain renewal and site hosting with my credit card.
I wanted to enjoy the perks offered by my credit card company. I earn miles for every Php 33 pesos I spend. I also get to exchange my charge slips with SM gift cheques or Starbucks treats.
I wanted to have something I can use for emergency purchases. Thankfully, I haven't used my card yet for this purpose. Emergency purchases for me will have to include my maintenance meds and extra hospital charges.
Having a credit card is not risky. It doesn't always have to end up with you being in deep debt if you know how to handle your finances wisely.
Do you have a credit card? What are your reasons for getting one?
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I just received my complimentary personal accident insurance plan which I signed during the Sunpiology event that I attended in November last year. I am glad to have received the plan even just for a year because I really need to have one at least until my husband's new company finally grants us our health cards.
I am actually fond of insurance plans. You'll never know when an accident or a medical emergency will happen so it's best to always be ready. Besides, there are many affordable insurance plans nowadays. For those who are on a budget, a term life insurance is a good choice. Investopedia defines it as "a policy with a set duration limit on the coverage period." Once the plan matures, the investor can choose to renew it or not. Some term life insurance plans even have an amount of money that the investor can claim once the plan has matured.
It's best to look for an insurance agent to have the full details of term life insurance explained to you should you be interested to get one. Don't forget to shop around and settle with the most affordable yet with the most comprehensive package. Freebies are definitely a plus, too.
Thanks again to Sun Life Financial for this accident insurance!
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As the peso becomes stronger, the future becomes bleak for freelancers like me. Don't get me wrong, I would really love to see our economy growing and becoming steadier than before. But with limited freelance writing jobs coming from local clients, I have no choice but to accept jobs from foreign clients even when it means me working hard for less than what I've been earning a year ago when I started.
As it appears, the only thing I can do to live by the situation is to save more and to spend less. Are you fond of collecting and watching out for online coupons & promotional codes? Our friends and relatives in the US are very loyal to collecting coupons offline and online. In doing this, they get to save up to 70% on almost every purchase they do.
Picture this, Express offers Express Coupons that offer Buy 1, Get 1 Half Price on everything! By everything, they also mean jewelry and clothing. Meanwhile, Uverse Promotions has coupons that will suit Internet users. Aren't you just drooling over these great promotions? Too bad, most of the online shopping sites in the US only offer free shipping to North American territories. Even with coupons, I will still pay more for international shipping fees.
Honestly, I wish we have more establishments using these promos in the Philippines. The only promotional codes I get to use are the ones for blog hosting and domain registration. For now, I'll just brush up on my haggling skills and keep a watchful eye on sale alerts.
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Yesterday, a salesman came to visit our home to perform a demo of the product he was selling. This product, as he explained, is a vacuum cleaner and air purifier rolled into one. I already bought a small vacuum cleaner last year and it was the one that you can typically see being sold in the home TV shopping network. It only cost us Php 2,500.
Now, the salesman claims that this vacuum cleaner cum air purifier of his was better than what we were already using. First it doesn't have a dust bag. Instead, the water inside the apparatus catches all the dust that is being sucked in. I was quite impressed, as a matter of fact. I hate dust and I seldom do the cleaning around here because I get skin allergies easily.
So, anyway, he went on to demonstrate the other features that the product can do. He mopped the tiles in our living room, vacuumed the couch, brushed and sprayed the window screens, dusted the table lamp, and enveloped the room with a lovely apple scent. I almost went upstairs to get my checkbook but I was taken aback when I heard how much it would cost us. Believe it or not, it supposedly costs 140 thousand pesos.
I was disappointed beyond words. You know how it feels when you're already excited about making a purchase and then realizing that you just can't afford it? And besides, I don't think I won't buy it even if I had loads of cash. I can buy so many things with that money. I can already get the flower lamp that we were planning to buy last year when we had the renovations and so much more!
As much as I feel sorry for him for not closing the deal, I believe that we have to set our financial priorities straight. It's overpriced and we don't need it. End of rant.
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When Globe announced the availability of its G-Cash card in the last quarter of 2010, I was the first one to sign up. I was kinda excited since I already have my Smart Money card. I felt that it would be great also having a G-Cash card so that it would be easy for me to withdraw payments from some of my local online clients.
What's my verdict?
Appearance-wise, Globe G-Cash does have the better card. I actually had a good time designing my card. G-Cash cards can be used to withdraw funds from any Megalink ATM. The Smart Money card, on the other hand, can be used in BDO, Expressnet, and Megalink ATMs.
Nevertheless, it all boils down to the one that has the lower ATM transaction fee. For me, that would be Smart Money. I withdrew money once (which was only around Php 4,000) using my G-Cash Card from a Megalink ATM and 20 pesos was deducted from my account. When I withdraw using my Smart Money card, only Php 2.50 is deducted from my account for every transaction. By the way, the maximum amount per withrawal in any BDO ATM is Php 4,000. Even if I withdraw Php 10,000 from BDO ATMs, that would only cost me Php 7.50 in transaction fees.
I only used my G-Cash card once and I think I won't be using it until Globe lowers its transaction fees.
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No one won tonight's 6/55 Grand Lotto jackpot. For those who don't know, the total jackpot reached more than 600 million pesos. The whole country is going gaga over this huge pot of money. One lawmaker has proposed to limit the jackpot to 500 million pesos only so as not to encourage gambling amongst the citizens. Experts have already spoken about how hard it is to get all numbers with only 1 in 29 million chances. Yet, I still see long lines of people queuing in front of lotto outlets.
Who'll blame them for taking this chance of a lifetime? Who'll blame me for hoping to win the prize? Yes, I also cast my bet. It would be my ticket to financial security. I can even provide for my parents and our other relatives. I can save enough money for my kid's future. We can invest in more stocks and assets. We can even have the grand Branson Missouri vacation we've been dreaming of.
Oh well, enough of this dreaming. It's time to cast my bet again and see if I'll get the jackpot this Saturday. ;-)
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Do you have any idea how much an RV is nowadays? I just thought that it would be a nice family car. Ooh, I bet my boy will have lots of fun traveling with us in a recreational vehicle. A neighbor of my mom's drives one of these, although theirs is the smaller type. I would like one with a small kitchen, bedroom, and shower. Then, we'll go to a campsite and just live in the RV for a few days. Wouldn't it be nice.
I believe that only celebrities and rich people in this country can afford RVs. Not only is the maintenance expensive but you will also need to have something extra to pay for rv towing should it stall. With these in mind, I think we will only be able to afford an RV once my husband retires. Meaning, we still have more than a decade to go before we can have the RV of our dreams.
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The husband is a TV addict. I think most men are. It's really not much of a problem for me because I always give him uninterrupted TV viewing every time he's off from work. I believe he deserves it and it's the cheapest R&R, way cheaper and more practical than watching movies in the cinema.
He wants to buy the GanzKlar LCD TV that he saw in the mall last weekend. I know that he wants it real bad because he sometimes tells me that he'll buy it. My only problem is that it is so expensive! We made a deal. He can buy the new TV once we're able to sell the 29" TV we now have in the living room. He tells me it's old but it was bought only in 2006! I'm thinking of selling it online or offering it in an online auction. What do you think?
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I got my Unionbank EON Card two weeks ago and I made a trial Paypal to EON transfer last week. It was successful and uneventful and it only took 2 banking days! But you know, I think I can't use my EON card yet for withdrawing my Paypal funds. The exchange rate is way too low and I think it's not the best time to convert my hard-earned moolah.
So nowadays, I shop a lot online. Christmas is just around the corner anyway so I took advantage of buying some of our Christmas gifts online. Yep, I already ordered dozens of Arts Cow projects for friends and family. I was also able to buy new make-up and brush kits for myself. Don't worry, even without a free credit score service, I know that my credit score is still high because I don't overspend.
How about you? Haven't you tried shopping online yet?
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I had the chance to catch up with my blog hopping and net surfing yesterday and an article on gold coins and gold bullions caught my attention. I am a fan of gold but the most gold that I have had was a gold bangle given by a cousin who worked in the Middle East years ago. It was a small bangle, even smaller than my wrist, but she told us to keep it because it's worth thousands of pesos.
True enough, whenever my mom would need extra money for our expenses, the gold bangle would always be pawned at a high price. If that small gold bangle already cost thousands at that time, I can just imagine the cost of one golden bullion!
What really got me interested in reading about how to buy gold bullion coins is because I think that it could be a worthwhile investment in the long run. My husband and I are traditional investors. We save money in savings accounts. We haven't invested our money in goods, yet.
I still have a lot more to learn about investing in gold and gold IRA. I'm not much in a hurry anyway since I still have to save up so I can buy bullion coins.
What do you think about investing in gold bullion coins?
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A couple more weeks and August will be over. I can't wait for September to start because by then, I'd be allowing myself to shop for Christmas gifts. Enterprising individuals and establishments realize that Filipinos are basically on the look out for the best buys this time of the year. Mall sales and other shop-till-you-drop schemes will definitely make shoppers go crazy.
I'm not really much into shopping but I do get interested to shop when Christmas season comes close. Usually, I start to buy gifts for the kids on my list and head over to the toy store or the bookstore. Then, I head over to the men's clothing section to find some interesting pieces for my brothers. I always give them clothes as gifts for Christmas. Gifts for the other men in my list, except my husband and son, come next. I always buy gifts for my boys a few days before Christmas because I want to keep them a secret as much as possible. As for the girls in my list, well, their gifts are always kikay stuff that I randomly find in bazaars.
Is your Christmas list ready? Prepare one now if you don't and take advantage of the sale season.
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In this day and age, e-commerce should be part and parcel of every business. I'm glad that I have already successfully convinced most of my entrepreneur friends about this. Gone are the days when brand advertising is constrained to print, radio, and television. If you want ultimate business success, you would have to tap the Internet as one of your marketing media.
Insider Secrets to Google AdWords is a seminar that shares how to use Google AdWords to your business' advantage. Probably, you are wondering what Google AdWords is all about and how it can help you promote your business. Imagine an Internet user searching about something in Google, say "Manila restaurants." Once the SEARCH button is clicked, the relevant searches appear on the succeeding page,right? Do you notice the right side bar of the search page with the sponsored links in it? They're there because of Google AdWords. With Google AdWords, businesses appear in searches for keywords that are relevant to their products which translates to an effectively targeted audience.
But of course, not everyone of us are tech savvy entrepreneurs. This is why this one time event is held to help them discover the Insider Secrets to a Google-friendly Website. It will be held on June 24 and 25, 2010 at the Crowne Plaza in Robinson's Galleria. If you are a businessman and would like to expand your customer base online, you should not let this pass!
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We bought 2 split type Gree airconditoners for our home just a few days before my son's birthday. It was a mutual decision between me and my husband. We had guests coming in from the province and they stayed in my son's room. The heat was unbearable this summer that we finally had to buy a 1 hp a/c unit.
The other unit, which was a 2 hp split-type a/c by the way, was installed in our living room. Now this purchase wasn't really a priority. But the Gree salesmen in the SM Megatrade Hall offered us great deals we were not able to resist. Free installation, discounts, plus other freebies. We just considered it as an investment for our home. Besides, our guest would really be more comfy now with the a/c installed in the living room.
The electricity bill will be another story. Then again, we will only get to seldom use the a/c n the living room. I believe that our energy consumption will not be big enough to require energy auditing from the experts.
At the end of the day, we are still reminded to live within our means and never beyond what we can spend.
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For the first time, I am pissed of with my credit card company. I have been their financially responsible client since 2005 and I have never been delinquent. In February, we purchased our Bacolod airline tickets online and I used my credit card as I have always done. The amount was around 22 thousand pesos.
The following month, I forgot to pay on time because of my busy schedule. Well, actually, I did pay on time. The only problem was that I payed in a bills payment center. Naturally, the payment was posted a day after.
Lo and behold, I was charged 1,300 pesos as finance charge when the next billing statement came. I furiously called up customer service and they explained that they now charge an interest from the day I made the purchase until I had the full amount settled! It was a new policy according to them. I felt like I was robbed!
So I learned about this the hard way. I now pay my bills a week before due date to avoid the finance charge. I always pay my credit card bills in full, by the way. I make it a point to have a good credit score. That way, I won't need to find an agency that provides free credit score service to know my credit score. I know that my credit rating is good because I pay in full on time.
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I've been often asked by friends and relatives about how we loaned our home through Pag-IBIG Fund's housing loan. As much as I encourage by sharing how easy it is to secure a Pag-IBIG housing loan, I also realize that they are not as fortunate as ours in shelling out the initial downpayment.
We were lucky to have our Tita Ops who gladly loaned us money just so we can sign the Contract to Sell for the contractor to start building the house. We availed of a 2 million pesos housing loan from Pag-IBIG but the actual cash-out was only 1.6 million. If it were not for our generous aunt and wedding godmother, this home could not have been possible. We have already finished paying our tita the amount that she shelled out for our downpayment. We still have 29 years to go till our housing loan is payed, though.
A cheaper way of buying a home is by getting a foreclosed property. Pag-IBIG Fund and GSIS have a long list of foreclosed properties that they are already selling to the public. My sister-in-law's home was also a GSIS foreclosed property.
Before
2 Years After
The house looked old and ugly before they brought the property but it's now a complete opposite from what it was before. The best thing about it is that they only bought the 150 square meter house and lot in Camarines Sur for 300 thousand pesos plus! Our 2 million Cainta house and lot is just 100 square meters, mind you.
I suggest that you consider looking for a foreclosed property if you want to save up in buying a house.
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It's May once again and Sitti needs to be registered for 2010. It's our third time to be registering our car through the car registration service that's available in Greenwoods Executive Village. It's hassle-free on our part since we only need to present our old official receipt and car registration papers. Our contact does the legwork in the Land Transportation Office (LTO)and we just need to pay the amount after.
The only downside of the transaction is that we don't get to choose the cheapest car insurance for our Sitti. Still, I think it's ok considering the amount of time and effort we saved with this transaction.
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We just brought Black Beauty to our dealer's service center for its scheduled 15,000 km check-up this past weekend. As we entered our dealer's garage, the first thing that the manager asked was "Na-Ondoy ba yan?" probably because most of the cars brought to them lately suffered the great flood that Ondoy (Typhoon Ketsana) brought last September 2009.
We were lucky that we were spared from the flood. I can't bear to imagine if we weren't. The Tucson will be technically ok because the auto insurance that covers it includes a coverage for "acts of god" like floods and other disasters. Our 98 Honda City isn't. As much as I wanted to avail it, our older car is not qualified for that kind of coverage because of its age. I believe that having an "acts of god" coverage" is worth the extra money spent because we'll never know when a disaster will strike.
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I recently hooked a writing deal with a local client that gives me guaranteed monthly writing projects. It's like I'll be receiving a regular monthly pay except that I'm just a contributing writer. I really am so happy because, with that extra income, I can now start saving for myself. I'm still helping my parents send my youngest brother to college and the bulk of my freelance writing payments goes to his college fund. What's left with me is just enough to pay my credit card bills.
So, I was thinking, what could be a wise investment for that extra income. I'm not really a fan of savings accounts in banks since I know from experience that you really don't get to earn a lot from that. I am thinking of upgrading my gadgets since I heavily rely on them for work. I may buy myself the 3-in-1 printer I was eyeing since last year. I may also get a term life insurance for myself. Insurances are never a bad investment, don't you think?
My list is not yet final as I am still on the lookout for wise investments for my hard earned money. Any suggestions?
Hello, I'm Mauie! I'm a wife and a mom living in Rizal, Philippines. Aside from writing, I also serve full-time in the Media and Events Ministry of The Feast Rizal. Thank you for visiting my site! Be blessed always!
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