Being frugal is not exactly popular whether it comes to the homestead or just one’s regular daily activities. Consumers’ minds are directed towards the “need” to acquire things as these numerous brands and products create that urgency for us to. And it is plain to see that the advertising world is very effective at it. Now here is another attempt to share how our family is able to afford some random luxuries because of our being frugal about regular things, activities in the house.
Merriam-Webster defines frugal as “characterized by or reflecting economy in the use of resources.” And it is exactly that. I have to thank my mom for raising me well especially in this arena. Two sentences that will sum up this topic:
Prioritizing is the key.
Living within our means.
Like using theselaundry balls, for instance. They do not just keep clothes from bunching together while inside the washer. They also reduce drying time by 15%. Not only will your clothes be at their best shape, you also get considerable amount of savings when you sum up all your laundry time in a year. Read the rest of this entry »
I spent the whole day yesterday in SM Cubao as it launched its 3 Day Sale. If you run a household like I do, you know just how this could very well translate to getting the best value for your money to have things taken cared of inside the house that needs replenishment or replacement. With my weekly roster of household necessities, the list can just about go on and on. Here is when I share some bits and pieces of how I manage our household in this arena.
Bought some rugs and kitchen utensils. What we have at home are all due for replacement. I also got some school supplies too for our 5 year old son who is soon to level up to Grade 1.
I checked out some clothes for the little guy. They are out for cheap too. Our son is growing so fast that he’s outgrowing a whole bunch of clothes in his closet.
One of the many good things you get when you’re a shutterbug is stumbling upon photos that you have forgotten you have ever taken. Like this unedited shot for instance. Timestamp: March 1, 2010.
My husband and I attended the ParenTin.tv Talk Series 3 last September 11, 2010 held at the Auditorium of the brand new St. Luke’s Global City. They had very interesting topics, which brought me to register. Our topics of interest were: Investing in Children’s Health and Relationship as Investment. But whoever organized that event has yet a lot to learn.
This weather disturbance might not have been as wrathful as Ondoy but it sure did some crazy tantrums as Cyclone Basyang killed 53 people to date. As much as our family is looking forward for the dry spell (El Niño) to end, we still cannot help but be weary over the coming typhoons that are set before us, as predicted by PAG-ASA, our country’s official weather forecasting arm. We have been praying that there will be no more repeat of what transpired during typhoon Ondoy. Even our little guy went asking during the times that it rained hard after Ondoy if we’re going to get flooded again.
When Cyclone Basyang (International name: Conson) hit the land last Tuesday evening, we were practically caught off guard. Although news did say that there will be an upcoming typhoon of sorts, it was not supposed to have a landfall anywhere close to the Metro. The wind went a-howling like crazy last Tuesday night and the roofs all over our neighborhood were having a frightening ensemble that threatens to do a wild flying episode for its climax. Read the rest of this entry »
Just one of the bonding moments of my boys. These are the few times that they are not roughhousing. They just love doing things together and are each other’s bestfriend. I am so proud of my husband and the kind of father he has become. His growing up with an absentee father sure did not stop him from becoming a great father to his son.
Our family day always fall on Mondays. We all slept in and called it our day off. We headed back to bed after breakfast. Father and son “Lego bonding,” while I finished a couple of chapters of Patsy Clairmont’s Kaleidoscope. Which by the way, I am going to post a review on real soon.
We left the house to hit the supermarket – the pantry needs to be replenished. I have been doing the grocery shopping by myself recently. But we figured we can all go together, even as the little guy requested to go visit the mall and play in one of the kids places there. Anyway, I was also due for follow up with the in house Dermatologist of Flawless who I saw last Saturday, in the same mall. The malls have really made things pretty convenient for consumers and I love how we save on gas just because everything is in one place already.
Before I headed to Flawless, my boys and I had our late lunch at Burgoo after grocery shopping. Jeff has been craving for Gambas lately and that’s what he ordered.
My original ArtsCow.com collection of photos that I uploaded for printing contained, give or take, 400 photos. I decided to trim it down to the online promo I am entitled to, as a new member. A hundred prints of 4R photos for only $5.99. Free shipping! That, more or less amounts to P2.70/photo or $0.06ea. Sweet!
Paying was fuss free via PayPal. I just had to try this 100pcs of 4R prints for $5.99 before I indulge to getting more photos printed. Most of which are replacements of those we lost during typhoon Ondoy, which you can read about here, here and here.
The most inconvenient it got was the waiting part. I had to wait for 23 full days before I got a notice from our local post office that I have a package waiting for me. I thought it was another book sent by Navpress or Thomas Nelson. The wait took longer than I expected. So when the package was handed to me, I was thrilled.
My husband and I first reconsidered getting a helper to assist us around the house last year when we first jumped into the homeschooling grind. But as I later went on adapting to our home schooling schedule, we held that thought in and pushed it back down until now, a year later.
Truth be told, I could really make use of a help, being the lone person who takes care of the house, home school my son, while I work from home (as a virtual assistant and blog for a living). There are days that I get pretty overwhelmed and the busyness gets the best of me, which shouldn’t be.
When Alex Dizon had us sign up for a whole day event in Zoobic Safari, I knew I just had to grab hold of the opportunity for a learning experience for the little guy. Since our son has been blogging for sometime now, he also gets to sign up. Nevermind if we had to wake up earlier than usual. It was something all of us (and not just our 5 year old tot) looked forward to.
The event coincided with the launch of Zoobic Safari’s newest attractions: The Zoobic Cave and The Forbidden Cave. The Zoobic Cave is a taxidermy museum. Real stuffed animals are showcased in this cave that mimics the natural habitat of exotic animals, complete with waterfalls and a pond. The Forbidden Cave took us through a forest with two waterfalls, a shaking hanging bridge and real aetas spitting fire.
Too cute! This is one of my photos of our little guy while we were touring around Zoobic Safari. My post about our adventure will be up soon. I’m still looking through the close to 1,000 photos I took from that excursion. I’m in the process of editing and resizing. If I could share all the photos here, I would.
Yay! The boys and I are watching Shrek Forever After in 3D this coming Wednesday. Thanks to Tinay Magtira of MegaWorld! Watching this movie clip review of Shrek’s fourth and last installment makes me look forward to it with excitement!
After the horrendous traffic the hubby and I had to put up with going to the Microsoft event last Thursday, I knew I had little choice but to beg off on the events that I was set to go to during the weekends. A lot of major streets are closed to traffic, we had to be re-routed to another street, just to end up getting a stage blockage with an ongoing miting de avance. There is no denying the election hullabaloo.
The hubby and I are praying that we will be able to conceive soon. I am already 33 years old and if it is God’s will for us to have another child, then it is going to happen. If it’s not, we’re okay with that too. But with that thought, we figured it is just wise to get ourselves checked if we are healthy enough. Especially so that I miscarried twice after I gave birth to Jed. After a few tests, I was cleared by my obstetrician. Now, it’s really up to us if we will move on to further tests to investigate what could have caused the blighted ovum and the miscarriage of both pregnancies I had in 2006 and 2007.
Nevermind if we had to wake up earlier than usual. It was something all of us (and not just our 5 year old tot) looked forward to.
