Here's another month of aiming to ace my budgeting. 

But honestly, I am not doing a good job. 

I think most of us fail in terms of budgeting because we are not doing intentional spending and delaying gratification. Well, let's face it, as soon as we receive our pay, the last thing we want is deprive ourselves of a reward after a 2-week long (sometimes month-long) hard work of pleasing our bosses. 

I normally give myself a casual reward of stationery and pens as well as treating my family to a good lunch or dinner (if not at home, in a restaurant) but that's not really helpful at all, especially now that we're working on a tight budget. 

So here I am writing my low-buy list for this month, and I hope I can commit to all of them. 

NO MORE STATIONARY PURCHASES THIS MONTH

Over these years, I've accumulated so many office and school supplies that can last us 2 academic years. Did you know, I haven't purchased any single colored paper since my son enrolled in school 2 years ago? Yes, that's how much we have. 

So this month, I am not going to buy any more stationery, school or office supplies. After all, the school year ends in a month. Might as well save it up for the coming school year. 

NO MORE VINTAGE CAPS FOR NOW

We consider our small collection of New York Yankee Vintage Caps as a collection and investment. It is also a way for us to gain more brand awareness and attach our audience because they know they're buying vintage pieces from a real collector (aka US), but after we moved back to my parent's place. I realized there's no room for all of them here. 

For now, we'll try to keep it low. Not get any more New York Yankee vintage caps unless they're really a gem. 

NO OVERSPENDING ON GROCERIES

After my family and I moved back to my parent's place to help them financially, I realized how much money we spent on groceries. We tripled our expenses on food. 

Let me be clear, we're not depriving ourselves of food. However, I realized that we consume more unhealthy processed foods which cost us more instead of buying fresh produce in the marketing and cooking actual meals that are healthier. 

I realized too that after we moved back here, Edmund usually looked for unhealthy junk. In the past, I always cooked pasta, made sandwiches, pancakes from scratch, and all that jazz, but now, he's into instant noodles, chocolates, chips, etc. I know he's just a kid but I also know that if he forgets eating healthy, hearty meals, he'll crave more unhealthy foods later on. So this has got to stop. 

This month, I'll only spend and purchase mindfully. Focus on what we really need to save money and cut costs on processed foods. 

NO EATING OUT

With the new viruses coming out, no, never going to happen. We're still opting to stay at home and casually go to the park as soon as Aia's pediatrician allows us to. Not to mention, we have family outings (in a private resort) piled up this coming May, so might as well take advantage of that. 

We're into a low-cost, great time with family, more food, and sleepovers. YAY!

This low-buy challenge this month is not a way for me to deprive myself of enjoying the perks of working hard, but instead enjoying the things my family has. 

Have you ever thought of having a low-buy list? Share what it looks like. 

Ahhh! Ang init! Ito na talaga ang pinaka-mainit sa mainit. 

Di ko na talaga kinakaya, kayo ba, kamusta naman? 

Let's have a quick story. 

We had our first air conditioner when I was in Grade 2, around 6 or 7 years old at that time. It was considered a luxury by some because, let's face it, it wasn't that hot back then, and not all families could afford an air conditioner.

I was under the impression that my mom was so frugal because she always limited out air conditioner usage. We only used the air conditioner at night and, if I was lucky, every weekend during the afternoon. So I told myself, "When I have my own place, I'll make sure to have my own aircon and never turn it off!"

As I grew older, got married, and finally had a house of our own, when our budget permitted, one of the first things we bought was an air conditioner because that had been my frustration growing up. I was diagnosed with scalp dermatitis, and during hot days, my scalp would flare up, causing me to literally scratch my scalp until it bled. 

It was the worst.

From frustration, it turned into a necessity for our small family because I couldn't sleep, think, work, or even sit without my air conditioning; otherwise, my scalp would flare up, and I'd be irritated throughout the day, even with medication that would make me groggy. 

After a while, the weather worsened, the heat got stronger, and electricity bills became higher. But did I limit my air conditioner use? No. 

For our small family, aircon is our life. 

I can't sacrifice our comfort for a little amount. See how much the electric bill goes up?! I was always thinking about how much we could save if we turned off our air conditioner, but I guess if we have the correct HP of air conditioning for the size of our room combined with the correct power-saving settings, electric bills can be manageable. 

I'd rather pay for a high electric bill than a hospital bill. I had a friend who died from heatstroke a couple of days ago. The first thing I said was, "Gosh, she still has young kids." I know that there are different causes of heatstroke, but if these things can be prevented, why not, right? 

While expenses can be higher due to air conditioners, we can't compromise our health and comfort. How about you, is aircon a necessity? 

Power up your pre-holiday shopping spree with the True Value-Handyman PISO SALE, exclusively available via MetroMart app and website. From September 24-26, 2022, select items can be purchased for only  ₱1.00 when you order and get it delivered via MetroMart across select branches of True Value and Handyman. 

The tandem PISO SALE of True Value and Handyman will have various items available within a scheduled time per day, and the promo can be availed until supplies last. The selections include kitchen tools, different food storage containers, storage solutions, and more. The first 200 orders from True Value and Handyman will also get FREE Delivery when they meet the minimum order spend.

“As all Filipino families gear up for the holiday season, our MetroMart family wants to provide these amazing deals and discounts, working together with our merchants and partners. In our own way, we help bring the Christmas celebrations, plus the spirit of giving and family togetherness, to fruition.” Stefano Fazzini, CEO and co-founder of MetroMart, said.

The True Value-Handyman PISO SALE promo is applicable to New and Existing Users of MetroMart. A min. spend of ₱2,000 is required in order to avail the 1-peso sale items. Only completed checkout of orders within the sale period can avail the discounted items.

New to MetroMart? Get a ₱200 discount for a minimum order of ₱2k. Use the promo code “MMNEW” on the MetroMart app or website upon checkout. This is applicable across all stores and supermarkets for New customers, valid for one-time use until October 16, 2022.

MetroMart is the #1 online grocery delivery service in the Philippines. Our grocery partners include  S&R (with or no membership card required), Robinsons Supermarket, Landmark, The Marketplace, Shopwise, All Day Supermarket, Merrymart, Super8 Grocery Warehouse, Ever Supermarket, UltraMega Supermarket, and over 500+ specialty store retailers like Pet Express, Baby Company, Toy Kingdom, Toys”R”Us, National Book Store, Office Warehouse, Southstar Drug and AllDay Rx. Customers can order from their favorite stores on the MetroMart app and have it delivered to their door in 2 hours! For more updates on MetroMart, like and follow us on Facebook and Instagram at @metromartph. Order groceries online or download the app via https://bit.ly/DownloadNowMM

Meal preparation has always been a challenge for me as a homemaker. But I am so lucky that I married a man who has a great relationship with food. We are always open to discovering the different recipes and hacks to have a variety on my picky eater's palate. This 2022, I'm really excited to try my new discovery by San Miguel Food.

Go Veega. For vegans, try familiar comforts such as Veega’s meat-free Tapa and Tocino, which are fully cooked and completely free of animal meat and by-products. For flexitarians, there are Korean-inspired faves such as Meat-free and ready-to-eat Bulgogi and Spicy Soy Garlic Balls. You’ll never miss out on flavor with these meat-free wonders. 

Breakfast thy will be done.  Rethink about skipping breakfast with perfect breakfast mates, Purefoods Deli Breakfast Sausage and Purefoods Beef Bacon. They are so good, you”ll truly want more. And beyond breakfast, these delicious products can also be served in a lot of ways.

Create “chicken’’ na chicken meals. Make meal preparation a breeze in 2022 with freshly marinated and ready-to-cook Chicken Timplados. Prepping meals can be done in minutes with any of these easy chicken sarap variants- Magnolia Ready-to-Cook Fried Chicken, BBQ, Tocino, Teriyaki, Spicy Fried Chicken, Oriental Wings, Spicy Wings, Inasal and Roasters (marinated whole chicken) in Lemon Herb and Smoked Pepper. The menu will never be boring with the selection of variants cooked as is or leveled up with some twists.

Develop a Pasta-stic Habit. Have pasta anytime with Purefoods Spaghetti Sauce. Just reheat and toss in cooked noodles or level up with addition of some ingredients. Either way, you’ll get consistent, satisfying pasta sauce each time.

Make meal preparation and dining with the family an enjoyable food adventure, even allowing enough me time in-between with these new discoveries.

Also, check out www.homefoodie.com for recipe ideas with these products!

No matter how to age your kids will be, nothing beats the feeling of a Power Parent when they witness their baby in their most active state. I remember my own Edmund when I saw his first likot, kembot, and galaw. It gives me a sense of rush, happiness most especially during those times when everything around me seems out of control.

When active play and learning are encouraged, it stimulates the baby for their next level of development. Babies also have a natural way of expressing their needs. Emotions and thoughts are voiced through movement. Similarly, babies are also always curious. When they see adults dance and sing to music, their natural reaction is to move to the beat. Dancing promotes body coordination, motor skills, and strength. It stimulates almost every area of a baby’s brain, encouraging cognitive development growth.

An active baby is a happy, and comfortable baby. When the baby isn’t as active, it might be caused by uncomfortable triggers like rashes. That’s why Power Parents choose the NEW Pampers Pants with Rash Shield! The NEW Pampers Rash Shield protection is now powered by Lotion with ALOE! This helps babies have good skin and overall health, so they can be active and comfortable to kembot, any time of the day.

Only Pampers Pants can keep babies all-around protected from rashes because of the elevated skin health proposition, Rash Shield with ALOE ingredient, improved leak, skin protection cues, and wider diaper perception, and new fresh aloe scent. Now, the baby can dance freely and explore with Pampers’ improved protection from rashes and leaks.

Kembot The Rashes Away with the Kembot Nation!

Babies can’t help but to kembot to Pampers newest Kembot Nation jingle. Here’s a look at some of the exciting moves of the Kembot Nation and why you and your baby should join in the fun too.

Look at Mithi’s kembot moves! “Mithi can easily do the #PampersKembotNation challenge without that itchy feeling dahil sa bagong #PampersRashShield with Lotion with Aloe that's good for her skin.” Power Parent Carlo Aquino shared on Instagram.

Even Power Parent Trina Candaza approves of the kembot effect the new Pampers Pants with Rash Shield with Aloe has. “Talagang napapa Kembot ang Mithi namin tuwing naririnig ang mga paborito niyang kanta habang suot ang Pampers Rash Shield with Lotion with Aloe!”

Being a dancer really runs in the blood according to Power Parent Dianne Medina, “Just like his Daddy @rodjuncruz, mahilig talagang sumayaw si Baby Joaquin! Go anak! He can do this because of his strong #PampersRashShield!”

Hopeful Power Parent Dani Baretto-Panlillio looks forward to the many dance moves that her baby Mill will show. “At least we have a potential dancer in the family! Hehe. Love dancing and just being silly with you, Mill. She can do this because of her strong #PampersRashShield!”

Nothing is stopping these babies with their kembot moves with the added improved leak & skin protection cues of Pampers. Now, Power Parents like you can also join the Kembot Nation and maki-kembot!

Kembot your way to Lazada and Shopee now and try the NEW Pampers Pants with Rash Shield and Lotion with Aloe!

 Hello mommies! We are finally in Kindergarten.

I thought that having a 5-year-old in Kindergarten is easy-peasy because I can see so many blogger moms who seem like got it all together. Unfortunately, not all moms are on the same pace when it comes to teaching their kids.

So here's my story.

Edmund is already 5 and we're left with no choice but to enroll him in Kindergarten. We opted not to enroll him last year due to the pandemic.

Initially, we enrolled him in a private school nearby. I was very firm about enrolling him there because of several factors:

Location

I wanted to enroll Edmund in a school that is easily accessible. I am thinking that if face-to-face happened anytime soon, it'll be easier for us to go back and forth to the school.

Support

As a first-time mom, I wanted to grow in a community that provides endless support to the parents and the kids. But let's be real, it's hard to be the teacher and mother at the same time. So we need constant support not only from our hubbies but most importantly to the school administration where we will be enrolling our kids.

Price

I never thought paying for one's tuition fee would cost me much. If you will enroll your kids in kindergarten you do have various options. With our family, we opted to enroll Edmund in our Private School.

At the moment, the range of private school tuition fees is about 40 to 45K in private schools. Some of my mommy friends who opted to let their kids enroll in homeschool providers, I believe their tuition fee ranges from 18 to 20k (books are not yet provided)

Now that we surpassed the first month in Kindergarten, I couldn't think of a better takeaway but all career-driven moms like me who are still hands-on with their toddlers.

It's really a hard responsibility yet really worth it.

Our kids need 100% attention more than ever. It's really different now because, in the past, teachers spend more time with our kids and give utmost support but now, we are spending so much more than the teachers.

It's also nice to invest in beneficial gadgets that can make your life even more convenient. I found out that Edmund is a very visual person so I invested in a printer to print out all his modules and other worksheets and activity that we could work with.

Here's the thing mommies, we tend to be intimidated by moms who we think we got it all together. They have a complete gadget to support their family's needs but know that we shouldn't be intimidated by them. We can start by saving enough money to buy the money that we really need until we complete all our dream gadgets for our kids- we'll get there.

Routine is EVERYTHING. Routine for us is very necessary to be more familiar with what should be done in a day.

In our household, we normally wake up at 7 AM and then prepare for school that will be finishing at 12 PM. In the middle of the day, we take short naps, before we study in the late afternoon and then I start working at around 2 PM in the afternoon.

How about you mommies, what is your biggest takeaway in the first months of August? Let me know and let's stay connected.