It’s the Christmas season once again. Christmas is a big cultural and religious event as Christians all over the world celebrate the birth of Jesus. It is about celebrating love and joy with families, friends and loved ones. But, it has also become a huge commercial phenomenon as people spend so much money on gifts, parties and new things. Although Christmas celebrations and parties may be different this year compared to the previous years because of the new normal, it is still easy to fall prey to consumerism. To avoid starting the new year with piles of debt, here are a few tips on how to avoid overspending this holiday season.
1. Set up a Christmas budget and stick to it.
First of all, you should have created a plan even before the Christmas season even began. Plan on how much you can afford to spend on gifts, food, events, travel, decorations, clothing, etc. Once you have it, by all means stick to it. Don’t be tempted to buy a more expensive gift for your loved one just because it’s Christmas. If it is way above your budget, it simply means you cannot afford it.
2. Track your spending.
The easiest way to make sure you are spending within your budget is to track your expenses. Write down everything you are spending on a daily basis. Just record all the items you have spent and compare them to your budget. Do this on a daily basis. It will take some time and effort on your part but it will serve as a reminder to help you stay on track.
3. Be creative with your gift giving.
You don’t need to spend a fortune for your gifts. Be creative. There are so many Christmas gift ideas for less. You can give them something handmade or cook for them. It is kind of cliche but it’s the thought that counts. What is important is that you remember them during this holiday season.
4. Look for Deals.
Most stores over holidays deals this Christmas season. Buy these items because they are normally offered on discounted rates.
5. Pay cash.
Never ever use your credit card if you think you won’t be able to pay the full amount due in January. Instead, always pay cash so as to not get carried away with your purchases. Don’t be a victim of paying more than your actual purchase by paying fees and interests in your credit card.
6. Don’t overspend on yourself.
Once you are done with your Christmas shopping, go home. Don’t expose yourself to temptation by lingering in the store. The displays are there to lure you into buying them. By going home, you are preventing yourself from buying unnecessary things.
7. Entertain for less.
If you plan on hosting a Christmas party, skip those costly dinner parties by telling your guests to do potluck. Don’t put the burden of preparing for all the food yourself. And besides, until this pandemic is over; it is still not advisable to hold gatherings most especially if it is done indoors.
8. Get better deals after Christmas.
If you can postpone giving yourself or even other people a gift after Christmas, then by all means do so. Stores normally start selling items on discounts the day after Christmas because they need to clear their inventory for new ones for the coming year. By shopping after the holidays, you will get larger discounts for the items that you want.
First Published in Pinoy Smart Living on 12.04.2018
One of the simple joys of life is to be able to eat the food you love when you want them. However, with the prices of consumer goods, including food items, ever increasing; it has become harder and harder to eat delicious and healthy food at home. Instead, most of us have resorted to fast food fare which can be unhealthy for us physically but also budget-wise. So what are ways to stretch your food budget without depriving yourself of the foods you love to eat and making sure that you and your family are still eating healthy?
How do you survive grocery-shopping with a limited budget? Photo by leonie wise on Unsplash
Here are some tips that can help you stretch your food budget:
1. Plan Your Meals
The best and surest way to maximize your food budget is to plan what you are going to eat ahead of time. The easiest way to do this is to plan at least 2 main dishes and plan the rest of your side dishes and snacks around those dishes. Your 2 main dishes will serve as your menu’s theme for the week.
Here are other benefits of planning your meals ahead of time.
Choose a healthier recipe for a dish or dishes you love.
Include dishes that you and your whole family loves.
Add new dishes that you want to try out.
Include new ingredients that you are interested in.
Think up cheaper options for expensive ingredients.
Identify food items that your family loves so you can include them as your pantry staples.
Create a shopping list that follows your meal plans and budget.
The best benefit of having a meal plan is that you do not waste food. Sometimes you buy items that end up just sitting in your fridge or pantry because you don’t know what to do with them. With a meal plan, every ingredient you buy has a purpose and you will definitely use them.
Your meal plan is what you will be eating for the entire week, so make sure to have at least 2 options so you don’t tire of just eating the same dish every day. After shopping for your ingredients, start washing and chopping and store your food items in the fridge so you can easily take them out to cook.
2. Prepare Your Meals
To save even more money and time; you can also cook your meals ahead and portion them separately for each day of the week before you store them in the fridge. Then just take them out of the fridge and reheat when its time to eat. This is a great way to help make preparing baon easier each day since you don’t have to cook everything, each time. Some people prep their whole week’s meal and then prepare bento boxes daily for themselves and their kids to take to work and school using the precooked and prepared dishes.
Some people have taken meal preparation to the next level by preparing meal ingredients ahead of time and freezing them so they last for months at a time. Each night, they transfer the next day’s meals from the freezer to the fridge to thaw a bit so they can cook and/or reheat the next day.
You don’t have to go to this extreme though. You can start small by planning for each week. Once you have several dishes that you can shop for and prepare without even writing down the ingredients and measurements, then you can eventually plan your meals for a whole month.
Having soup in your menu is a great way to maximize your ingredients and enjoy a hearty meal. Photo by Jade Aucamp on Unsplash
3. Don’t Shop When You’re Hungry
A surefire way to reduce your spending is to eat at home before you go shopping. Studies show that shopping while hungry makes people buy more than what they need. They end up buying things they don’t really need because they were just attractive to them visually.
In the case of grocery shopping, this means that you will buy food that you won’t eat and you will waste more food instead. This would also bust a whole in your budget. So make sure you eat at home first, or you eat your lunch or dinner first before you go inside the grocery store.
Not only will you have more energy to shop but you will also avoid trying to rush through your shopping so you can get a meal afterwards. So shop when you have already eaten so that you also have the energy and patience to read labels and compare prices, if necessary.
The same rule applies when you’re planning to go on a night out. Bar drinks are usually expensive. So invite your friends over to your house instead for a pre-bar session. Ask them to bring a bottle of their favorite drink and sip away. This way, you avoid the cost of expensive bar beverages while still enjoying your favorites. You can even mix your own drinks and create new ones.
Just make sure that you and your friends don’t get too tipsy or you might not even get to go out. Or, you might find yourselves deciding not to go out and chatting the night away instead. That would really mean a big chunk of savings for all of you.
4. Stick to Your Shopping List
Most of us have the habit of just popping into a grocery store “just to see” what can interest us. This often leads to buying items mindlessly just because we found them cute or we suddenly are inspired to have a use for them in the future which we immediately forget as soon as we have paid for the item. And then we wonder where our budget got ruined.
After you have done your meal planning, then go shopping but remember to eat first. When you are armed with a list of what you need to buy you are less likely to buy indiscriminately. Of course, it does happen that we keep our shopping list in our side pocket and we forget to take it out as we browse the isles while shopping.
So even before you go inside the store, take out your shopping list and use it. That is to say, STICK TO YOUR SHOPPING LIST and you sure will be able to stretch your food budget.
5. Buy In-Store Brands
You might have noticed the in-store brands in the same shelf as your usual food items. We mostly just pass by them and reach out for our favorite brands instead.
If you’re on a tight budget it’s helpful to check out the in-store items as they are cheaper and more often than not, they contain the same ingredients as popular brands.
In-store brands also get their ingredients from the same suppliers as popular brands. They’re just packaged and branded for the store’s label. So be sure to check out in-store brands, the next time you spot them in the supermarket isle.
That said, there are some exceptions when it comes to your shopping list. That’s what we’ll explain next.
Tomatoes in season? Include spaghetti or pizza in your menu or make some fancy treats. Photo by Kasumi Loffler from Pexels
6. Eat and Buy in Season
When planning your meal, be sure to include food items that are in season. Remember your lesson on supply and demand: the greater the supply and the lower the demand, the lower the price tends to fall.
Vegetables and fruits in season tend to be in lower demand because people see them all around which makes them also lower in price. So make sure to know what fruits and vegetables are in season and use them as your main ingredients in your meal plans.
Buying produce in season helps you stick to your shopping list but it is also a reason to buy more of these items. Another reason to buy more of an item is if they are on sale, in which case, you can BUY IN BULK but make sure to observe these rules.
The item is in your shopping list.
If not in your shopping list, then substitute it for an item in your shopping list.
If not in your shopping list, make sure that you can store it well so that you can use it for your next meal plan.
The expiry date is not too soon (for canned and packaged goods) and you can use it up before the expiry date.
Buying in season and in bulk is one sure way to eat more and still stick to your budget.
Beans are a great addition to your soups and salads to maximize nutrition. Photo by Trần Toàn on Unsplash
7. Focus on Density
While you try to stretch your budget, make sure that you are still eating healthily. A great way to do this is to make sure that your meals include food items that can be used for a lot of different dishes but are also low-priced. This means you get the maximum amount of nutrition from these foods for a minimum cost.
These foods can be part of your pantry staples and may include the following:
Rice – incredibly filling and can be added to soups and stews
Dry beans – also filling and doubles in size when cooked, also a great source of protein
Eggs – can be used for different dishes and a good source of protein
Sweet potatoes – comes in different varieties and can be used alone or as a substitute for other items in many dishes
Peanut butter – a good source of protein and can be used to add flavor to different dishes including sauces and dips and even smoothies
You will find many more high-calorie but low-priced food items as you go along your food budgeting journey so make sure to read the labels as you browse the isles and ask around when you go to markets. It is also a good practice to buy from local fruits and vegetable vendors peddling their produce in your area. You not only help them generate income, you also get local produce at a better price than in the supermarket.
Sunday markets offer more fresh produce and more variety than groceries. Photo by Min An from Pexels
8. Shop at Sunday Markets
To further stretch your food budget, it is a good idea to shop directly from the source of the fruits and vegetables. You are lucky if you live near a farm as you can buy from the farmer directly but if you live in the city, the next best thing is to shop for your produce at the Sunday Market.
There are a lot of vendors in these markets so you have the option to look for those who can offer you the best price for the items you need. Here are some more benefits of shopping at Sunday markets.
Fresher products than in grocery stores.
More variety of produce than in grocery stores.
Learn about your produce from the vendors themselves.
Get to know your local farmers.
Get organic produce for a lower price than in grocery stores.
Become a suki of a vendor and enjoy discounts.
Another benefit is of course, you get some exercise as you lug your purchases around.
Got a favorite comfort food? Teach yourself how to make it. Photo by Creative Free Stock from Pexels
9. Get Cooking
We love sitting at a table to enjoy our “comfort food”, the food which is familiar to us since childhood and which we tend to crave every now and then. But most of us only enjoy these kinds of food when we go to a restaurant and when our mom cooks them for us. Well, why not get the recipe from your mom and learn how to cook them yourself?
Your mom would love to show you how it’s done and you get major points for bonding time with her. And when you’ve perfected her recipe, you can modify it to your own liking and learn more recipes from her too. Once you’ve started cooking on your own, you’ll gain more confidence and you can come up with recipes of your own.
Learning how to cook also means you spend less money eating outside. You can even take your favorite dishes as baon to work. That’s another way to stretch your food budget.
How to get started? There are tons of videos online to help you with knife skills, simple recipes for beginners and so on. Tune up your research skills and start learning.
Instead of using meat, learn to use spices to amp up flavor in your dishes. Photo by Mareefe from Pexels
10. Go Meat-less
Ever heard of “meatless Mondays”? The idea is to eat healthier by eating dishes with no meat during Mondays. Well, you can take this idea and run with it to stretch out your food budget.
Instead of just going meatless one day of the week, you can EAT MEAT ONLY ONE DAY OF THE WEEK.
We all know how much pricier meat products are compared to fruits and vegetables. So try to plan for dishes that require no meat in them and if they do, then use less meat and bulk up the dish with items that can substitute for meat. Here are some of them.
Tofu – the most popular of all, you can marinate it in any sauce and it soaks up the flavor. It also comes in different textures: tempeh, seitan, and TVP (textured vegetable protein). TVP is available and very affordable in your local palengke.
Mushrooms – they are filling and has that meaty “umami” flavor.
Jackfruit – if you like the texture of pulled pork, this is a good substitute; also good for lechon kawali.
Banana hearts – use this to make lumpiang shanghai, burgers, pulled pork and even lechon kawali.
Potatoes – soaks up sauces like tofu and can be fried and mashed.
Beans and legumes – cook them, add a bit of spice and shape into burgers or nuggets.
Cauliflower – ever heard of vegetarian buffalo wings?
Eggplant – can be mashed or fried into slices and soaks up sauces well.
The great thing about experimenting with substitutions is that you will be able to discover more and you get to try new ingredients while still ensuring that you eat healthy.
Those are our top tips for stretching your food budget while eating healthy. Start with a small tweak to your eating habits and you’ll start feeling better physically as well as financially.
Did you know that New York has been named one of the world’s most expensive cities to travel? It tops as the most expensive city for hotel accommodation and for an evening out based on the food and drink expenses of an average tourist. If you want to visit the Big Apple but it is out of your price range, don’t worry. It is still possible to enjoy NYC and see its top attractions even with a limited budget. Here is our top 10 tips to travel to New York on a budget:
1. Book Alternative Accommodation
The median price for a hotel accommodation in New York is US$350 a night. Thus, when booking your accommodation, it is advisable to get it as a part of a trip package when you buy your airline tickets. Most of the time, a package is cheaper than individual planning because travel agencies buy their booking in bulk thus, they are entitled to corporate discounts.
If a package is still way above your budget, then consider booking alternative accommodations such as hostels, bed and breakfast or apartment rentals.
2. Buy Broadway tickets at TKTS
Broadway has become synonymous with New York City. A visit to NYC would not be complete without watching a broadway show. Tickets to a popular broadway show on average would cost about $100 to $200. Sometimes, it could even go up to as high as US$600, depending on the popularity of the show.
The TKTS booth on Times Square.
The good news is that there is a way to experience a broadway musical or play without spending too much. TKTS booths sell same-day theatre tickets at discounted prices, mostly about 20% to 50% off regular prices. By purchasing your tickets at TKTS, you are also supporting the Theatre Development Fund, a non-profit organization for the arts.
3. Cross the Brooklyn Bridge
The Brooklyn bridge is one of the most popular bridges in the United States. It is also one of the most famous landmarks in NYC. It connects the boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn. Constructed in 1869, it was the first steel-wire suspension bridge ever constructed.
Crossing the Brooklyn bridge will give you a spectacular view of the river, the Manhattan skyline and of course, the Statue of Liberty. It will take you approximately 25-30 minutes to cross the bridge using the pedestrian walkway.
4. Eat Dinner During Happy Hour or Try a NYC Food Truck
Happy Hour is famous in NYC. With almost 10,000 restaurants to choose from, some restaurants offer Happy Hour seven days a week to stay competitive. Dining out in New York can be very expensive but during Happy Hours, food and drinks are being offered for less. Happy Hour normally starts at 5:00 in the afternoon and ends at 9:00 at night.
5. Join a Free Walking Tour
If you want to know more about the neighborhood, history, landmarks and of course the food, but cannot afford to join a tour group, then you can join the guided pay-what-you like walking tours being offered around the city. The walking tour themselves are actually for free, you just need to give a tip to your tour guide depending on how satisfied you are with the tour.
6. Shop Wisely
When it comes to shopping in NYC, the choices are endless. But before you start your shopping spree on the plush shops on Fifth Avenue or the upscale boutiques on Soho, there are plenty of cheap alternative shopping places in NYC.
With countless shops in almost every corner of the city, you will surely find ongoing promotional sales or discounts at any time. If you are looking for deep discounts on designer brands, you can go to Woodbury Commons, an outlet mall an hour away from NYC. For even more affordable merchandise and some vintage finds, you can also go to open air flea markets that can be found in some areas in the city every weekend.
7. Stroll in the Park
New York City has 1,700 parks within the five boroughs, the most famous of which is the Central Park. There are so many things to do in the parks without spending a penny. You can do outdoor sports like biking, roller skating or wall climbing. You can play basketball or soccer. There are free concerts or movies. You can visit the zoo, ride a boat, or go kayaking or opt to just sit, relax, have a picnic and simply take a break from the hustle and bustle of city life.
Click here for a list of all the NYC parks and schedule of activities.
8. Take the Staten Island Ferry
The Staten Island Ferry is a FREE commuter ferry that shuttles back and forth from the Whitehall Ferry Terminal in lower Manhattan and the St George Terminal in Staten Island. You will get the best view of the Statue of Liberty, Ellis island and lower Manhattan from the ferry. Ferries run every 30 minutes at 24 hours a day.
The best way to go around the city is to acquaint yourself with the subway. It is the largest rapid system in the world connecting the whole city in 472 stations. It is fast and also economical because it has a flat rate and it runs 24/7. You can choose to pay-per-ride or if you are going to be in the city for a couple of days and plan on traveling a lot, you are better off getting an unlimited metro card. On average, it will cost you half the price for short rides to about 10 times cheaper for long rides, depending on what kind of ticket you have.
Click here for more information on fares, maps and schedules.
10. Visit Pay-What-You-Wish Museums
New York City is home to many world-class museums and galleries. If you are an art or history lover, you can see and visit as many museums as you want over and over again because there are days or certain hours of the day, mostly evening wherein entrance is free of charge. In most cases, there is a suggested admission price. The suggested admission is simply just that, it is just a suggestion. You have the option to pay their suggested amount or you can just give any amount as donation for your entry fee.
Click here for a list of museums in New York and their schedules.
If you are a New Yorker or a seasoned traveller to New York, are there other tips that you can add to the list?
Just a reminder, the threat to coronavirus is still there. So please take precautionary measures when traveling. Avoid contact with people who display symptoms of pneumonia or common cold. Wash your hands frequently with soap and water. Avoid touching the eyes, nose and mouth and eating with unwashed hands. Wear face masks. And the most important of all, make sure your immune system is strong enough to fight the virus.
First published in Pinoy Smart Living on 06.28.2018.
If your closet is crowded because of too many clothes and you’re not wearing most of them, then it’s time to clean out your closet and get a new wardrobe. If you’ve just graduated from college and need clothes to go to work, or you’ve lost weight and your old clothes don’t fit you anymore, or if you just want to look differently to align with your future goals, then a new wardrobe is a good idea.
Here are some tips to get you started on getting a new wardrobe.
1. Review Your Lifestyle
Take a look at your daily schedule and see what activities you often do. Do you exercise daily? Then you need some exercise clothes. Does your office require corporate attire?
Then to dress for success, you will need some tops, bottoms and a blazer or a suit for your daily work. Assess the kind of clothes that you need for daily activities as these will be the items that you will need to invest in first.
Of course, you will need to put in your list some clothes for activities like going out to dinner with friends or for swimming or clothes for the airport if you travel a lot. Consider the types of footwear that you will need to go with each clothing category too.
2. Declutter Your Closet
Now that you have an assessment of what clothes you need to for your lifestyle, it’s time to do the same for your closet. Sort them out according to the different activities that you use them for. Then for each category, decide which ones you can keep for your new wardrobe and which ones to toss, sell or give away.
You will need to be ruthless about deciding which clothes to actually keep and let go of because this is the only way you can make room for new items in your closet. If you want to achieve the lifestyle that you truly want, then you can start by dressing for success. Tailoring your closet staples to your goals is a good first step.
3. Create a Plan
Clearing out your close space should help you declutter your mind as well. Then it’s time to sit down with a pen, paper and a calculator and create a plan.
First, review the clothes you are keeping and list down what clothing items you need to buy in order to complete your ward robe. If you’re aiming for a promotion to girl boss, consider these tips on power dressing must-haves. If you’re just starting out to build your wardrobe, then check if you already have the basic pieces in your closet or check out the must have’s for a man’s wardrobe or a woman’s wardrobe.
Next, you will need to create a budget for the new clothes you will buy. Figure out what each item of clothing costs and how much you will need in total to buy them all. Remember to look for good quality items so that they will last for a long time. Your wardrobe is an investment after all. Then, see how much of your budget you can save for new clothes each month.
4. Go Shopping
Once you’ve figured out your shopping list and your budget, you can set your plan of attack. You can decide to save until you can buy all of the items you need in one go. Or you can buy one to two items each month.
A good tip is to shop in different stores instead of the ones you used to go to. This way, you can see different clothing styles and even sharpen your fashion sense as to what combinations of styles you can do for your own wardrobe. Consider these tips on how to look expensive on a budget.
Remember to buy the ones you need at the moment first and save up on buying the others items that you will need for a later season.
5. Organize Your New Wardrobe
Now that you have new clothes in your closet, it’s time to organize your closet again. This time, display all the clothing items that you will use daily. You can mix and match them or color coordinate them if you want. You can also start pairing them up with the accessories and shoes and bags that you have.
There will be clothes that you won’t use as yet so store them neatly so you that easily take them out when you’re ready to wear them for the next season.
Once you’ve completed your wardrobe staples, then go ahead and enjoy the experience. In the future, if you decide to change your style and create your own, then you will have an easier time in making the transition.
We hope these wardrobe tips help you get ready to work on your goals every day. We would love to hear about your wardrobe transformations too. If you already have a wardrobe , then check out these tips on how to organize your wardrobe.
First published on Pinoy Smart Living 07.27.2019. Original photo by Alyssa Strohmann on Unsplash.
