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?