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Money Saving Tips for My Family

Nice asked me to answer this question:

Can you share any budget or money saving tips that you find effective?

I found this very apt because of the present situation we are experiencing, not just here in the Philippines but all the over the world: food crisis, rising price of gasoline, environmental concerns, rising cases of violence among others.

On the other hand, I find this question amusing. Why? Because we have been saving, budgeting, saving, scrimping, budgeting…ok you got it, but still, no matter how much we save, nothing seems to be happening good with the budget, if there is even a budget at all.

Anyway, here are a few tips I can write about on how we try to save:

  1. Instead of frying the chicken pieces, cook these with vegetables and sauce, that way, we have more servings. Same goes with fish and other food products. Be a kitchen genius. There’s no need to buy expensive ingredients if one knows how to cook well. If not, learn to cook and avoid, asmuch as possible, eating out.
  2. Turn off all electrical appliances that are not in use.
  3. Buying of toys and other unnecessary things are not allowed. These unnecessary things are the trinkets, small things that become junk after a few weeks.
  4. Stick to the budget. The what? Yes, the budget, especially during Christmas holidays.
  5. Bring food to work, or in my eldest daughter’s case, bring cooked food for lunch.
  6. Take care of your things so these can last long.
  7. Eat at home before going anywhere. And when going somewhere, bring packed food and drinks.
  8. Ask yourself first if you really, really need a thing before purchasing. Be honest.
  9. Wait for your favorite items to go on sale, even if it means a loooong wait.Who knows, you might change your mind and not buy that thing anymore.
  10. Be simple. Feel joy and happiness without spending a dime by appreciating the wonderful things around you. In other words, walang malling, sa bahay na lang tayo.

This I can honestly say, our family can go to a mall to eat and browse, and window shop and leave the mall without spending on anything other than food, gas and parking ticket. Well, of course, that too is still spending so we would rather stay in the house or go for a nature walk.

5 Comments »

5 Responses to “Money Saving Tips for My Family”

  1. monaco on 27 May 2008 at 8:01 pm 1

    Great tips, Julie! We’ve doing more of the same lately to cut down on expenses. Eating out is down to almost zero (lutong bahay na lang), we walk to church (exercise pa!), all appliances are unpugged when not in use, and we even take public transpo (tricycle) around the village.

  2. greenbucks on 30 May 2008 at 11:34 pm 2

    Thanks, R. Should have written there, if a mother is a SAHM, better get homeschooling because it does cut a lot of costs 🙂

    Tricycle is expensive here in our place. There are FX cabs going to work pero the fare would be almost equal to the gas expenses, kaya wag na lang din. I had to cut down my working days from 3 days to two para din makatipid (gas, food, parking), we just had to make adjustments in my sked.

    Hay…ang hirap but at least I am thankful that we are surviving, kahit paano.

    Thanks for the visit.

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