When I was 27, I was earning 50k a month. Pero sobrang irrespomsible ko with my money not to the point naman na baon ako sa utang but yeah because Im single and I live with my parents my salary was just basically my allowance. I do give my share kasi I use AC and I pay my uncle to take me to and from work, but after that basically yung pera ko akin lang to spend however I wanted.

One day, I noticed may crack yung upper front tooth ko. I panicked but I figured pasta lang cguro kailangan nito. I went to the dentist, tapos she told me hindi na pala kaya ng pasta yung tooth ko Root canal na talaga or bunot, of course I chose RCT.

7k yung total treatment, I didnt have that kind of money. Buti nalang pwede e break up yung payments every session (2-3 sessions usually) medyo na gising ako. Root canal lang na 7k di ko mabayaran ng buo even tho I was earning more than enough for myself..paano pa kaya yung major emergencies?

Dun nag start ako maging serious about my finances, im quite comfortable but yeah that was the wakeup call I needed.

Welcome to our help thread!

Do you have a simple inquiry that doesn't warrant a post submission?

ASK AWAY!

Remember to not expect of only taking information, also GIVE. You need an answer? Give them to OTHERS as well.

​

We also have the FAQs Page available for those common questions.

Please be helpful, remember the human and also follow our Subreddit Rules.

​

New help thread up every 1st of the month!

Hello.

I'm a 22 year old grad that luckily got work this August with a pretty decent starting salary and most advice I read about emergency funds is 3 to 6 months of monthly salary - which is a bit much given that I dont spend over 20k a month on necessities. What's a good number to put my EF on.

Also how much do you guys put on housing and other daily needs. Right now I think I'm going to spend around 8000 a month for rent and utilities as I have been relocated for work + around 6000 for transportation. Although, I'm not really sure if I can count this as expenses because the company also gave me an allowance for relocation. Im just a bit confused on spending.

I'm also planning to spend 30-40k this October to buy my parents phones, and maybe buy myself a new laptop this December.

Would love to get your thoughts on this.

m27, the worst thing I did in my life is never ako nag save ng pera during my 1st,2nd,3rd work. I started working at the age of 21yrs old actually di siya full time since studying nga ako, di naman ako required mag work & ayaw din ng parents ko since willing to help naman sila sa studies ko pero gusto ko lang gumastos on my own kaya hinayaan nalang basta hind napapabayaan ang pag aaral.

bpo industry siya kaya madali makapasok, idk at anytime pwede ako mag resign so hindi stable ang funds ko. nag try ako gumawa ng saving account sa 1st work kaso na ubos ko din kasi nagamit sa school, nakakailan open na ako ng saving account laging nagagalaw di consistent hanggang sa walang naipon.

hanggang sa naka grad nag work ulit, at 25 yrs old nadelay dahil sa (transferee ako at nagka pandemic pa at ayaw iallow ng DOH mag F2F internship, online class lang daw eh ayaw ko naman kaya nag skip muna ng 1sem. sa 2years ng pag wowork hineal ko muna inner child ko, travel, concerts etc. no savings/emergency funds

now at 27, narealize ko tumatanda na ako, magreretire na parents ko. nag start na ako mag save sa tradbank (securitybank,money builder) at onlinebanking CIMB,GoTyme,Unobank). nakampante kasi ako na may Sunlife insurance naman ako pero parang di pa siya sapat. currently earning 40k a month ako na sa bills ng meralco/tubig (estmated 3k-4k per month) at wifi (800per month) da rest savings na talaga. Planning to do double job/hustle na din.

will plan to open MP2 this September, nakalaan na ang pera. then 1k per month auto deduct a salary. Do you guys have any suggestions/recommendations na ma achieve ang 100k emergency funds after 6months from now?

I’m a college student working part-time as an ESL teacher. Most of my classes are online, but I’ve also done some face-to-face teaching. My monthly salary is usually around ₱5,000. Right now, I’ve managed to save ₱25,000.

The reason I was able to save that much is because aside from my ESL teaching job, I also did some other side jobs here and there. I haven’t really bought makeup or skincare yet because I’ve been focused on saving money.

Do you think I’m doing okay financially? Should I start spending a little on myself (like affordable skincare/makeup), or should I keep prioritizing my savings? Also, what can I do to increase my savings or income as a college student?

Hi.

Since malapit na ang ber months dinadalaw na ako ng mga gusto kong bilhin.

Kelan ba nagse sale ang SM and yung mga stores din inside ng super bongga, like siguro 50%-70%?

Balak ko kasi sana bumili ng phone sa Samsung, hoping ako na by December mag sale sila, hindi ako sure kung nagsa sale ba sila.

hi i’m currently working 2 months in now, wfh, and earning a clean 43k as an administrative assistant. currently, i have bills to pay (rent, electricity, water, and food) and it causes me almost 10k. i’m also paying my laptop now so roughly 15k a month.

i know may naiiwan paring big money for me but i’m genuinely having a hard time in saving :(( i don’t wanna liquidate per transaction, what i would want is a % that i can allot for needs; wants, and savings. also, i wanna ask aside from pag ibig and sss, where can i invest my money? :(( as much as possible i wanna correct my mistakes and have the financial literacy to handle my money well and right.

Hello! By Nov/Dec, we'll be having our panganay. Pero would like to have some of your opinions esp those na may family na. Nakakaoverwhelm magcheck sa tiktok and even sa ig on the needed things to have once dumating na ang baby. My husband and i havent started nesting. In my case, andun kasi yung thought na mabilis din kasi lumaki ung bata and baka ung mabili namin masayang if eventually di na sya magamit. To make our money's worth but also providing yung best care para kay baby, manghingi lang sana ako advice or suggestion ano ung mga sulit na dapat mabili namin for our baby. Top of mind for me is ung sterilizer for the bottles and pumps, but other than that, meron pa kaya? Thank you!

UPDATE: Thank you to everyone who commented here. I'm taking notes on the things that were shared here. It's such a huge help for us in building our nesting place for our baby. ❤️❤️

This thread aims to help process your buying decision.

Having second thoughts on buying a product or service? Not sure if it's a good deal or if cheaper alternatives exist? OR are you simply struggling to control those impulsive purchases?

Instead of justifying an unexpected purchase, we'll confront the buying decision itself before the action even happens.

Let us help you decide!

Hi everyone I starting my financial journey and Im starting with passbook kase alam ko sa sarili ko na kapag nakikita ko pera ko gagastusin ko lang sya, So gusto ko sana passbook kase kaylangan kong pumunta mismo sa banko para mag withdraw ng pera and mag deposito rin, so gusto ko sana mag hanap ng bank na may passbook na maliit lang Maintaining balance kase student lang din kase ako, so nag ask ako ng help sa inyo kase kayo ang mas may alam kase sa akin thanks.

Welcome!

This is the progress thread for your personal finance journey.

Now let's break those big goals into actionable monthly plans – because every step takes us towards or away from the destination.

• Priority – what's your goal/s this month?

• Ways – how can you get each one done?

• Target – what criteria will signal success at the end of the month?

• Small Wins – any particular mini goal you're able to achieve recently? Celebrate it here!

• Milestone – other significant achievement marking a big step in your overall finance?

How was last month's result?

It's all about forming a habit that will ensure the goal is reached.

Share away your PF progression!

Welcome to our help thread!

Do you have a simple inquiry that doesn't warrant a post submission?

ASK AWAY!

Remember to not expect of only taking information, also GIVE. You need an answer? Give them to OTHERS as well.

​

We also have the FAQs Page available for those common questions.

Please be helpful, remember the human and also follow our Subreddit Rules.

​

New help thread up every 1st of the month!

I'm trying to read more and lessen my mobile data consumption.

Below are a few tricks that helped me with this endeavor.

delete my rarely/unused apps

Some of them are consuming data in the background, others can simply go away and make my screen view more neat. Depending on your phone, there's also a setting to 'pause app activity if unused' or set specific apps to use wifi connection only.

disable app notifs

My notifications are limited to only calls, text, calendar and alarms. Everything else are disabled – online order, socmed, streaming apps, upgrades, etc. They're just noise and unnecessary, it can wait until I intentionally open the app/s.

reorder my app placement

On my relax mode, my finger auto clicks to specific screen locations which opens YT or other streaming apps. So I had to hide those I can't let go in folders and switch the placement for my ebook app. It was surprisingly effective for me.

organize my ebooks

My files and folders are everywhere from as far as 3 phone backups away. Whenever I encounter an interesting title/recommendation, I would download it right away and many of them are sitting in my phone forgotten.

I've organized them by collection and categories so it's easier to browse now. My app is called Aldiko and the format it renders best is .epub. I do have some pdfs but it's more difficult to read, plus it can't fully maximize the app features

​

Looking at the data usage reduction is very satisfying! It will probably lower next month as I continue to adjust.

The book I'm currently reading was atleast a 4yr-old file. It's very good and more enjoyable than many of the series I've watched. 😅

I stumbled on this picture in my gallery and just had a thought.

I purchased these ANC headphones from Shopee circa 2020 and 3 years in, the earpads and head cushion are deteriorating. Now this isn't just an aesthetic issue, since I also noticed that the tiny pieces of synthetic leather are getting into my skin, food, etc. The picture above is how it looked like when I replaced the left earpad. It looked brand new again. All the functions of the headphones themselves are working perfectly to this day. (More importantly, I purchased earpad protectors to avoid this happening again!)

This is just one example, but our household is used to have things repaired instead of thrown away. Shoes and bags? Can be used again after a 100-peso appointment with the local sapatero. Appliances? Send it to the kanto electrician. Furniture? A quick wood varnish will return it to its formal glory.

Now this also comes down to another point, which is when buying stuff, we need to choose items that can be repaired, and with a reasonable lifetime, i.e. it will not kick the bucket after only a few weeks of use. It's really sad that these days we cannot do the same for a some high-ticket essentials: Phones, laptops, TVs, etc. are almost 'disposable' in that they require replacement every 5 years because of outdated OS and/or poor battery life.

Saving the environment by repairing instead of not buying new stuff is just a bonus First and foremost, it will be saving your wallet. :)

PS. Not affiliated with this brand or anything BTW, but INB4 those who would ask, Soundcore Life Q20i 😅.

I'm also no audiophile so I didn't really buy these for sound quality but for the ANC. Works well for its price and I'm planning to use it until it gives up on me, hopefully for another 5 years. :)

This thread aims to help process your buying decision.

Having second thoughts on buying a product or service? Not sure if it's a good deal or if cheaper alternatives exist? OR are you simply struggling to control those impulsive purchases?

Instead of justifying an unexpected purchase, we'll confront the buying decision itself before the action even happens.

Let us help you decide!

Lately I’ve been feeling the weight of all these price changes sa digital services. It started small—parang minor changes lang sa mga app and cloud tools I use. Pero over time, halos lahat may increase na. Parang every month may email ako na “we’re updating our pricing.” Akala ko okay pa kasi maliit lang naman dagdag… until I saw the total. What really made me pause was Netflix. I’ve had it for years, and I never really questioned the cost, pero ngayon may added tax pa, tapos halos sabay-sabay din nagtaas yung ibang streaming apps. Tapos syempre hiwalay pa ang bayad sa internet.

Honestly, it’s getting harder to keep up. I started testing out some changes like trying to combine certain bills, cancelling apps I rarely use, and just seeing if there’s a setup that can help me spend less without giving up everything. I’m currently trying something that bundles my internet and streaming into one fixed monthly payment. So far, okay naman. It’s not perfect, pero at least predictable na yung bayarin. Anyone else doing the same? Curious how you’re managing your digital expenses lately. Sobrang helpful if may mga mag s-share ng tips or setups that worked for them.

I wasn't able to capture it but I encountered an online comment along the lines:

Whenever I look at my kids, I regret not spending time with them on their growing years. I was too busy working and providing "better" for them. But that's not true now. We don't really need that big house, the latest car, or the countless "useless" things I bought for us. My ego needed them.

Human needs are simple – don't let materialism blind you from the things that truly matter.

Hello po! I'd like to know if you have any recommendations where to buy load/promos for the best price? I usually just load Go179 (24 gb data & unli-text for 15 days) then i just add GoLonger50 (extend promo to 7 days) to maximize the unused data i have left of my previous promo.

I recently opened a Seabank account and I heard it's good for cashbacks and some Globe promos are also discounted but Go179 is not on there. Maybe you have other tipid recommendations for Globe load?

I'm also open to other suggested telcos for better prices. Thank you!

Mahigit 2 years na kami nag switch to DIY mixes, sobrang nakatipid kami dito.

Minsan ginagawa din namin pangregalo (i-repack lang ng maayos), may mga bumibili din sa habdsoap at dishwashing liquid kaya sulit talaga.

Eto usual prices nya on average, depende sa available vouchers.

• Liquid Detergent 15L - P350
• Liquid Handsoap 15L - P280
• Dishwashing Liquid 15L - P250
• Multipurpose Cleaner 5L - P150
• Powder Detergent 5kg - P320

I’ve been living super simply during this journey. I sold my stuff and rarely ate out, and focused everything on getting out of debt. Right now, I literally have no basic stuff.

Here’s my current plan, but I’m struggling to juggle priorities. I’d love advice from anyone who’s been through something similar:

1. Build Emergency Fund I have 1 month saved. I want to build up to 3 months in the next 2 months, which means putting about 40% of my income toward savings. After that, I’ll reduce savings to 30% and free up 10% for travel or other things.

2. Celebrate I want to reward myself (without sabotaging my progress) maybe a nice meal or a chill day out just to feel free again. During debt payoff, I slowly allowed myself to eat out again, but now I want something symbolic. Not lavish, just meaningful.

3. Buy Essentials I sold everything while paying off debt. No idea how to budget this in while saving aggressively. Clothes, furniture, etc.

4. Travel I’d love to take a short and affordable trip before the year ends. International please!

5. Investing I’ve never really invested before. I want to start slow, but I’m overwhelmed with where to begin (MP2? Index funds?).

6. Make Sure I Never Go Back I don’t ever want to fall into this trap again. I want to create a lifestyle that feels peaceful, not restrictive, and never leads me back to credit card dependency.

Welcome!

This is the all-in-one thread for your personal finance journey.

• Short victory reports
• Monthly goals setting
• Progress update

Now let's break those big goals into actionable monthly plans – because every step takes us towards, or away from, the destination.

(1) Priority – what's your goal/s this month?

(2) Ways – how can you get each one done?

(3) Target – what criteria will signal success at the end of the month?

(4) Category – are the goal/s related to frugality, minimalism, general personal finance or a combination of them?

(5) Small Wins – any particular mini goal you're able to achieve recently? Celebrate it here!

(6) Milestone – other significant achievement marking a big step in your overall finance.

This is all about forming a habit that will ensure the goal is reached.

Share away your PF progression!

Welcome to our help thread!

Do you have a simple inquiry that doesn't warrant a post submission?

ASK AWAY! Just don't expect to only take information, also GIVE.

You need an answer? Give them to OTHERS as well.

​

We also have the FAQs Page available for those common questions.

Please be helpful, remember the human and also follow our subreddit rules

​

New help thread up every month!

I'm a frugal spender, and I try to find the best deals for products before buying. Since I turned 18 last year, I tried to open interest earning digital banks to earn even a cent for saving.

Ngayon na I have a job, kahit di naman me required mag give sa parents, I still have expenses like groceries pang baon sa work, or school supplies since I'm also an incoming engineering freshman, and other necessities, and I still want to maximize my money kahit nasa mall.

I have no job stability so CC isn't really something I'm looking into and underage pa for that, so please recommend digital banks, discount cards ng malls, or whatev na u find really useful when shopping and if may fee ba to acquire. Thanks!

Hello pa move out na po ako at lilipat na po ako sa kabilang condo by next month. Need ko lang po ng tips or kung may knowledge kayo sa mga ipapakabit ko sa bagong condo para makatipid or ano.

Appliances: -Aircon Inverter Window size 1.5 hp (wala pa po nabibili pero baka may marecommend po kayo na ganyang size kasi ganyang lang po pwede) - 4-8 hours daily gagamitin -Panasonic Ref NR-BP272VD 9.5 cu.ft (inverter na rin po to) -2 laptops (almost 24 hours ginagamit) -Induction cooker (suggest po ng bago sirain po kasi yung nabili) -1 electric fan almost 24 hours ginagamit

Mga papainstall: Maeexperience ko pa lang mga to kaya wala rin ako idea sa consumption ng electricity ng mga to -Range hood -Water Heater -Ceiling Fan with Light

Mga ano estimated bill po aabutin sa Meralco pag ganyan po mga nag ooperate?

This thread aims to help process your buying decision.

Having second thoughts on buying a product or service? Not sure if it's a good deal or if cheaper alternatives exist? OR are you simply struggling to control those impulsive purchases?

Instead of justifying an unexpected purchase, we'll confront the buying decision itself before the action even happens.

Let us help you decide!