March is in and I have found myself reviewing our expenses in my mind. February was very busy - having a baby and having the folks over and adjusting our home life with 3 more people were not exactly the kinds of changes that we go through regularly. Not to mention living with parents again (though temporarily) and what that means among other things...
Living on 1 paycheck nowadays has not been so bad but I miss having 2. Despite having maternity benefit, it can be a bit tight especially around the period when we pay utilities. Planning ahead truly helps! Sometimes I find myself counting the days until pay dates. Having the baby for 2 weeks now has meant some additional expenses - pram (stroller), additional blankets, diapers, etc. I wish maternity benefit were more than what it is now! We originally planned to use cotton nappies once his umbilical cord fall off but the baby wets too often and that just means constant changing and more washing. I'm afraid that would cause an increase in electricity and detergent expenses.
Despite all these worries of bills and debts, I love being a mom! I breastfeed and hopefully will continue to do so until at least the baby's 6 months old. That would save us from buying formula! I'm expecting that February's spike on child care expenses would gradually calm down in the next couple of months.
Any saving tips for a new mom like me?
Feb 29, 2008
Feb 23, 2008
short hiatus because...
I gave birth to the most beautiful boy in the world! :-)
Coming back from the initial days of parenthood, I was surprised to find out that my online account's interest rate with my "significant other" bank went up to 8.25%!!! Makes me happy! :-D
Blogging will come regular over time but for now let me enjoy being a mommy.
Coming back from the initial days of parenthood, I was surprised to find out that my online account's interest rate with my "significant other" bank went up to 8.25%!!! Makes me happy! :-D
Blogging will come regular over time but for now let me enjoy being a mommy.
Feb 7, 2008
To Stock or Not To Stock
Okay, so I grew up in a house where we have stocks of things that could last us through a giant disaster. Here I am now with my own family and my mom makes a fuss about not having stocks of food in the pantry.
I keep justifying that not stocking so much gives me the opportunity to try products that might be better and cheaper. My mom thinks that it is not practical to not have supply in case my family needs something immediately, like in the event of a disaster. I think I just need to balance both our takes on the matter because both make sense.
What works for you? I'd like to get as many opinions as possible! Thanks in advance! :)
I keep justifying that not stocking so much gives me the opportunity to try products that might be better and cheaper. My mom thinks that it is not practical to not have supply in case my family needs something immediately, like in the event of a disaster. I think I just need to balance both our takes on the matter because both make sense.
What works for you? I'd like to get as many opinions as possible! Thanks in advance! :)
No Crap Month
I was watching Campbell Live this evening after such a long time and was happy that on the day I decided to watch it again the show featured a PF-related topic. They called it the No Crap Month.
They featured a family of 4 who are on their way into saving money and being financially smart. After a month the show will get an update on the family's progress. The featured couple talked about their crap (or what I call latte factors) that amount to significant $$$ in a month's time.
The website behind the idea of No Crap Month does not offer all information for free, but I still think it's worth checking out.
They featured a family of 4 who are on their way into saving money and being financially smart. After a month the show will get an update on the family's progress. The featured couple talked about their crap (or what I call latte factors) that amount to significant $$$ in a month's time.
The website behind the idea of No Crap Month does not offer all information for free, but I still think it's worth checking out.
Feb 2, 2008
The price of ensuring comfort is achieved
I’ve been busy getting my folks settled in this country and in our house. Some of the things they are used to in their own home are not exactly reflected and available in ours. There were compromises that were done to bridge the gap. Most of which meant having to get (and spend on) things.
I am a minimalist and I try to be in most ways. Just like in the kitchen - I have this wooden basket where I put some veggies and fruits together. Mom comes and says that they should be separated. So we went ahead to get a fruit bowl of some sort. She wanted to clean the porch-terrace and the entrance path to our house with a broom, but not with the wooden (and hard) push broom that we have. She didn’t like to use the dustpan and hand broom because she has to squat to clean up. We get a nice broom but she thinks it’s still not good enough. She thinks we should get an indoor broom (just like the ones we use back home) as there is no need to vacuum everyday. That is going to save us electricity (however little) but we’ll just end up having too many brooms, don’t you think?
My point is that getting the comfort level of home in another place can be costly. Those might be things we would normally take for granted but feel the absence of when in another place, but when we do find a filler (not necessarily the exact thing) we end up spending more.
Mom has been really good about being a neat freak and going about the chores that I can’t really do with efficiency at the moment. Her and dad have been very nice in giving me nightly massages that have helped me sleep better at nights AND waking up ache-free too! They cook yummylicious food of course! I love it! Although at this time I feel the sudden pour of cash out of our bank accounts to get them settled and feel comfortable, there are things that J and I enjoy by having them around. They brought with them an entire suitcase of baby clothes and things! J and I would probably have spent so much if we got our baby that much at this time. And they are gifts to their first grandchild!
Although I am defensive in saying that it’s her comfort level that we are trying to meet, I must admit that they also make sense, like having the plastic container for folded clean clothes. I’m just hesitant to accept the presence of new things in our house that would force me to be more active in doing chores. To store folded and clean clothes would mean ironing next that J and I are not particular about. I’m quite lazy eh? :)
I am a minimalist and I try to be in most ways. Just like in the kitchen - I have this wooden basket where I put some veggies and fruits together. Mom comes and says that they should be separated. So we went ahead to get a fruit bowl of some sort. She wanted to clean the porch-terrace and the entrance path to our house with a broom, but not with the wooden (and hard) push broom that we have. She didn’t like to use the dustpan and hand broom because she has to squat to clean up. We get a nice broom but she thinks it’s still not good enough. She thinks we should get an indoor broom (just like the ones we use back home) as there is no need to vacuum everyday. That is going to save us electricity (however little) but we’ll just end up having too many brooms, don’t you think?
My point is that getting the comfort level of home in another place can be costly. Those might be things we would normally take for granted but feel the absence of when in another place, but when we do find a filler (not necessarily the exact thing) we end up spending more.
Mom has been really good about being a neat freak and going about the chores that I can’t really do with efficiency at the moment. Her and dad have been very nice in giving me nightly massages that have helped me sleep better at nights AND waking up ache-free too! They cook yummylicious food of course! I love it! Although at this time I feel the sudden pour of cash out of our bank accounts to get them settled and feel comfortable, there are things that J and I enjoy by having them around. They brought with them an entire suitcase of baby clothes and things! J and I would probably have spent so much if we got our baby that much at this time. And they are gifts to their first grandchild!
Although I am defensive in saying that it’s her comfort level that we are trying to meet, I must admit that they also make sense, like having the plastic container for folded clean clothes. I’m just hesitant to accept the presence of new things in our house that would force me to be more active in doing chores. To store folded and clean clothes would mean ironing next that J and I are not particular about. I’m quite lazy eh? :)
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