On Economic Outpatient Care and Relatives Who Ask for Money Habitually

I first heard the term economic outpatient care (EOC) in the book “The Millionaire Next Door” by authors Thomas J. Stanley and William D. Danko. There’s actually an entire chapter in the book devoted to it. EOC refers to the affluent parents’ act of giving money (on a regular basis) to their adult children (who normally have jobs of their own). The authors believe that EOC tends to encourage laziness among the recipients and instill a false sense of security in them. Apparently, instead of empowering them, they are weakened by this financial practice.

I have seen and I know of working adults who continue to receive money from their well-off parents. This could be in the form of cash gift and most of the time, debt (the kind that is intentionally unpaid or forgotten to be paid). From what I have noticed, the recipients tend to use up the money on luxuries instead of growing it through savings or investments. Sad, but true.

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City of Dreams Prevailing Amid Troubling Times for the Gaming Industry

When the City of Dreams was unveiled in 2013 by co-owners James Packer and Lawrence Ho, the $1 billion luxury integrated resort was somewhat of a gamble even for a duo with as much experience in the gambling industry as them. Packer and Ho, after all, are the co-chairs of the reputable Melco Casino Group, which has opened casino resorts across the world with great success.

The billionaires are aiming to create the next Macau in the Paranaque region of Manila – a region that’s already home to Resorts World and several other casinos. But so far, the financials released by the casino suggest that Packer and Ho have masterminded a successful resort with a varied appeal to many different markets. You see, what Packer and Ho have executed well is the City of Dreams’ appeal to families, gamers, foodies and sports fans.

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Weekend Story: Family Road Trip + Budget Shopping Finds

Last weekend was spent bonding with family. Mame and my two sisters joined the hubby and I for the weekend. We drove to Bacoor on Saturday night after attending the 6PM anticipated mass at St. Michael the Archangel Shrine. We got caught in heavy traffic along Macapagal Blvd. We were starving when we got to Bacoor so we stopped by Ume-ya, our fave Japanese resto for a late dinner.

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On Sunday, we woke up early to get ready for our family road trip to Sta. Rosa City in Laguna. My sister Jodie wanted to check out the bustling Paseo de Sta. Rosa and Nuvali commercial centers there. It was actually her first time to visit these places.

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Weekend Story: Eat. Sleep. Play. Repeat.

Last weekend was easy and fun. The hubby and I drove to Bacoor as early as Friday night and went back to Manila early morning today to face yet another work week.

Our Saturday was spent at home eating, sleeping, playing, and repeating the cycle to our heart’s delight. We reserved Sunday for going out when we went to church to hear the morning mass and drove straight to S&R Alabang and ATC after to eat and do some needed retail therapy.

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Weekend Story: Zark’s Burgers + Homecooking + Brisk Walking

Last long weekend, we had two house guests in Bacoor – my brother Danison and my SIL Albie. We all left Manila for Bacoor on Saturday afternoon. We also had a quick trip to Switch- The Archer’s Place branch on Taft Avenue-La Salle to pick up the hubby’s iPhone 6 replacement unit. His old one’s front cam had pink lines appearing on the screen so he took it to Switch for check-up and repair two weeks ago. It turned out that the pink lines were a defect and since the phone was still under warranty, it underwent a test and the result said it was qualified for a replacement.

While at the Switch shop, I remembered the original branch of Zark’s Burgers was just around the area and immediately asked my three companions to go there for merienda after. It was our first time to try their burger and we were very satisfied with our individual orders. I had Shaq (Php135) from the Minor League burger line-up and it had two of my fave things: crispy bacon and deep-fried onion strings. By adding Php35, I already got fries and drinks to go with my very delicious and meaty burger (the raves online about Zark’s Burgers are indeed true!). Good deal, right?

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Early Retirement Goal

If I had a choice, I would be a stay-at-home wife. Don’t get me wrong. I love my job. I also love the idea of working to earn a living. It’s just that the idea of homemaking and doing a plethora of things on the side at my own pace seems very appealing to me. (I say the lesser pressure from the outside world, the better!) And I can only do all that by quitting work. But the question is, am I ready for it? Am I ready to give up my job –my primary source of income– at this time? The answer is a big NO.

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Image Source: http://www.gijobs.com/plan-retirement-civilian-world/

That’s why making an early retirement goal sounds like a great idea to me right now. I used to imagine myself retiring at age 45 but recently, I have decided to move it to age 50 (that’s exactly 19 years from now). I would still be young and healthy (I guess) by then and my savings and investments should be enough to tide me over until I start receiving my GSIS pension 15 years after at age 65. (That is, if I could complete the required 15 years of government service as I’m still on my 10th at present.)

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