Santi's

Passed by Santi's to buy some yogurt and look what I found :)  We usually buy this brand because it has less sugar than others.  Blueberry is the preferred flavor at home because it's the "King of Fruits." This batch expires on November 9.

Saturday’s Supermarket Sale

Today, Yaya knocked on my door to say that my baby is down to his last bottle of milk.  So I had to make an unscheduled trip to the supermarket.  These are what I found today:

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S&R

Tide Powder 10kg bag with pail is selling at PhP743.95.  I always hoard on this whenever it’s on sale because I buy for a huge household.   I simply shouldn’t miss out on savings like this.  For the record, I normally buy this 10kg bag (without pail) at Landmark for a little over PhP800.

Hubby and I love the fresh scent of Coast and Irish Spring.  Hooray, it’s marked down!  At 229.95 for a 6-pack, each bar costs PhP38.23.  Not bad for a bar of soap that’s made in the USA.

Rustans

It was quite a surprise to find a number of good deals here.  Normally, I only buy here out of emergency / scarcity.  Based on my observation, prices here are usually around 5% higher than the rest. But don’t dismiss this store when they’re on sale.  Savings can also be found here.  Check out their publication.  Oh dear, it’s dated Oct 16 – 25, 2015.  Pronto, pronto, rush to your nearest branch.  I encircled the deals which were more relevant for our household and the prices are honest-to-goodness lower than Landmark and S & R.

Thanks for dropping by.  ‘Til the next shopping trip.

Savvy Shopper

I confess, I love grocery shopping.  Ever since I was young, my grandma would always take me with her to the grocery.  And yes, I get rewarded with lots of goodies after the trip.  So now decades after, the supermarket still gives me happy vibes. 

As a mom and wife, it’s my duty to make sure that the house is running like a well-oiled machine.  That means the ref is full, clothes are washed, the house is spic and span.  Now there are costs associated with all these, so here I am sharing some good deals I encounter at the grocery.  You might want to avail of them and maximize your budget without compromising quality.

This week these are my best buys for Oct 15, 2016:

Paul’s Milk – Buy One, Get One (BOGO)

It’s made in Australia and won’t expire until Dec 3, 2015.  So that comes out at PhP38.48 per liter.  I buy for a big family, so the savings amount to quite a sum for me.  Found this in Landmark.

Baby Wipes – Buy One, Get One (BOGO)

If you have a baby/ toddler, you’ll definitely need this.  This is such a steal at PhP64.98, found it at S&R.  These wipes are much thicker and smell better than Nursy (cheapest brand I've found to date).  Actually I've already availed of this deal since last month.  Hope they don’t run out of stock any time soon.

Next shopping trip will be in about 10 – 14 days.   Follow me and stay tuned on the next deal.  

Waste Market Recyclable Fair

Young as she is at 6 years old, my daughter is already very business minded.  She’s always thinking of ways how to earn an extra buck or two.  This is a trait of hers that I want to nurture, because she can’t live off Daddy & Mommy forever.  She’ll need to spread her own wings some day and I want her to be ready. 

My family and I are very fortunate to be living in a village.  So we regularly get memos/announcements/invitations to village projects, events and activities.  Last March, I came across a flyer about the Waste Market Recyclable Fair.  It was a chance for us to dispose our junk and get paid.  They accepted almost anything and paid for it by the kilo.  My daughter was very excited when I told her about it.  We had a couple of weeks to prepare. So we went around the house and started looking for things we could dispose.  We found old magazines, newspaper, some busted electronics (i.e. lamps, laptop, cordless phone, analog mobile phones, etc.)  plastic bottles, and so on.  Since it was our first time, we had no inkling how it would go and just brought all our junk to the designated venue and had it weighed.  Trash that was not sorted was classified as assorted trash and sold at a measly P1/kg.  Personally, we didn’t “earn” much for 2 carloads of trash.  Anyhow, I just charged that to experience.  Besides, my daughter was very happy to be bringing home a couple of hundred pesos.

To my pleasant surprise, this Waste Fair was actually a quarterly event in the village.  So we were ready for it this time around (June 2015).   As soon as the announcement came, my daughter immediately reminded the maids to start saving trash that could be recycled.  Before long we had empty boxes, tissue paper cores, newspaper, bottles, etc. all sorted out and ready for disposal.  So on our second try, we raised the same amount for half a carload of trash. 

This Waste Market Fair is really something I look forward to. More than just letting my daughter experience how to “earn” real money, it’s also a way for us to recycle.  It’s our little way of giving the earth a chance to breathe.  Yes, I’m still hoping that my children will enjoy a healthy, green earth decades from now and not a dump.  Let’s live sustainably.

Best Summer Ever!

Summer of 2015 was truly epic for our family.  Hubby and I brought the kids to Japan and USA.  Since the trip was somewhat heavy on the wallet, Hubby and I were determined to stretch our peso/dollar/yen to the fullest.  Here are a few tips which might prove to be helpful for you as you plan your own adventure.

- Discounted tickets from the travel fair. 

Although we didn’t get the cheapest deal possible, I’m still quite pleased that we were able to slash at least 10% off our air fare with a free stopover in Japan to boot.  We flew JAL all the way.  Our itinerary was Manila – Narita, Narita – LA, LA – Narita and Narita – Manila and this is what makes it so worth it.  Normally, the Narita – LA/ LA – Narita route is code shared and is flown by an American airline.  Honestly, I prefer the service of flight stewards in Asian carriers.  Moreover, the aircrafts are also way more comfortable compared to their Western counterparts. 

Other airlines to consider for your US trip would be EVA Air and PAL.  Singapore Airlines also get top ratings from me, but tickets tend to be pricey. 

- Go WIFI. 

Should you need to stay in touch with people at home, in the office, etc.  You don’t need to spend a ton on Global Roaming.  You can rent pocket WIFI.  It will make overseas communication much more affordable.

- Do your research. 

Thank goodness Hubby checked the Sanrio Puroland website.  By doing so, we were able to save 10% off on our entrance fee.  10% may not sound like much, but a penny saved is a penny earned.  We also compared rates of Tokyo Disneyland and Disneyland Anaheim.  Tokyo Disney came at around P3k per person, whereas Disney Anaheim was priced at almost P5k per head.  Given that the kids won’t be able to walk the entire park in one day, we chose the less expensive one.  Although Tokyo Disney was cheaper, in no way was it inferior to Anaheim.

- Use your credit card WISELY.

Your credit card might allow you free access to the airport lounge.  Do you have a dual currency card?  If your card can bill you in USD and PHP, make sure you charge your purchases in the US.

This way you can earn points and spread out your expenses a little bit.  Those points can amount to free GC’s/ other rewards, and waiver of the annual fee.  Plus, you also get a fair forex rate for your purchase. Do remember though to spend only within your means.  Please do not get carried away.  Credit card interest rates are probably the highest.  If your credit card is not dual currency, know when to use them. Some stores can already convert and bill you in peso at the time of purchase.  These are usually excellent deals.  You get almost market to market rates.  Stay up to date with the forex, so you can compare.

- Know your options. 

The carrier was quite strict with the luggage weight.  Two out of three luggage went beyond the 23 kilo allowance.  Although we were allowed 7 pieces of luggage, they were quite strict with the weight of each, so we either pay a P6000 penalty, or buy a new luggage to accommodate the extra load.  It’s good the ground personnel was kind enough to point us to a store that sold empty boxes.  So we just assembled our little balikbayan box on the spot at the Narita airport.  That saved us thousands of pesos.

How was your summer vacay this year?  Do share with us your pointers as well.  I’d love to learn about your ideas too.

Never Scrimp on Health Care

Just recently, I had a very bad cough.  It was dry and the phlegm was very stubborn.  Practical person that I am, I decided to self medicate with an OTC mucolytic.  Mistake #1, instead of the usual medicine our pedia/family doctor would prescribe, I bought the one on sale.  So after 2 days with no improvement in my condition, hubby insisted that I visit the doctor.  We mutually decided to visit a different ENT, since the last one collected a somewhat hefty fee for a 5 minute consultation.  So we shopped from the hospital’s information desk and found a doctor that charged a more reasonable rate.  This was mistake #2.  Doctor X diagnosed my cough as allergic rhinitis and prescribed a whole gamut of medicines.  I bought all the meds on her Rx.  However, after 2 nights with no improvement, hubby brought me to the more expensive ENT for a second opinion.  He gave the same diagnosis, but now reduced my meds from 5 kinds to 3.  Good thing, hubby thought of exchanging the old meds for the new ones just prescribed.  That saved a lot.  So from here, you can compute that by trying to “save” on health care, we’ve even ended up spending almost double on the wrong meds, and wrong doctor. 

But the battle with my cough was not yet over. I was still coughing a lot, especially at night.  There was little improvement.  Nonetheless, I still say Doctor #2 was better than the first one.  No matter how small, at least the medicines on his list brought some form of relief.  This time our pedia/family doctor suggested that I see a pulmo.  We didn’t want to take chances on our medical practitioner this time so  hubby checked with friends/family for recommendations.  We finally decided on one, and yes his services weren’t cheap, but I’d say he’s very thorough indeed.  Haha, this time my Rx list was for 8 different drugs.  Hello hello pharmacy, I’d like to exchange some more meds.  By now we’ve almost spent 5 digits on this stubborn rhinitis, sinusitis and bronchitis illness.  Argh.

I remember what happened to hubby the last time he also had a terrible allergy.  He first consulted a friend who’d usually give his services free.  Unfortunately, his prescription didn’t work.  Thank goodness for health cards, he was able to visit other practitioners free of charge.  The second doctor’s diagnosis didn’t work either, but at least we didn’t have to pay for that consultation.  He was quite impressed with the systematic approach of the third one.  This time the meds prescribed were effective and eventually corrected his condition. 

So bottom line, my take home from all these would be, don’t scrimp and gamble on your health.   Health is wealth, don’t experiment on doctors and medicines.  You’ll definitely end up spending more through trial and error.  By seeing the right doctor, you save not just money but also an even more valuable asset, time.  Make your med expenses lighter on the pocket through other means, like maybe by using a health card, claiming SSS/ Philhealth benefits, insurance, or maybe even just simply availing of 0% installment terms on a  credit card.  Also do make sure that you keep your receipts, most pharmacies would allow you to exchange your medicine within 48 – 72 hours.

That’s it for now everyone.  Take care and stay healthy J

Memo #2 – Remember to use credit cards.

Before you heed this piece of advice, please first make sure that you are not:

-          -  An impulsive buyer

-          -  Prone to overspending

-          -  Living above your means

-          -  In debt

If you don’t fall into any one of the categories above, then swipe away.  I charge everything I can mainly because:

1.  Credit cards earn points.  Yes, we’ve enjoyed gift certificates worth tens of thousands from all the points we’ve racked up over the years.  We furnished our daughter’s nursery mostly through points.

2.  0% instalment plans.  Even if you can pay for your purchase lump sum, this makes everything lighter.  It allows you to enjoy your purchase without having to pay in full...yet.  It also means more money in your account on month end.  That’s money you can invest, enjoy, and grow before surrendering it.

3.  Credit terms.  Credit cards give you a window of approximately 30 days before you actually have to pay up.  I remember a purchase I charged on my card.   It was something that I intended to resell.  I was able to resell and collect payment on the item before my statement even arrived.

4.  Discounts and privileges.  Lately, most banks have been very aggressive in marketing their credit cards.  I keep around 3 cards for different purposes.  It could be annual fee waivers, discounts with various establishments, and rebates on your purchases.  Eventually, all these will add up.