Tag: money matters

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Credit Rebate from Citibank

I was surprised to see my Citibank billing statement this morning. It says there I was given a P200 credit rebate because of the purchases I made from September 19 to October 15, 2013. Wow, thanks! P200 is still P200. This definitely made me smile.

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Citibank (Cebu Pacific Citi Card, to be exact) is currently my only credit card at present. Because the hubby and I wanted to cut our credit card spending and reduce our debts in general, we ditched our other cards and retained just one each. It’s proven to be a good decision because now, we are more conscious about how we use our credit cards. Every peso borrowed using them are well-calculated. Haha.

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First Real Investment

Last month, the hubby and I took the bold step of investing through retail treasury bonds (RTBs). Don’t ask the amount. It’s just a small one that’s why we didn’t hesitate to use it for that purpose. We think it’s better than keeping it in a savings account where it earns very low interest. We still have some funds left in case of emergency so I guess we made a good decision with this one.

RTBs are a good investment. It’s the government that borrows the money so the risks are almost non-existent. I think it’s better than time deposits as it offers higher interest at a fixed rate. The investment time is longer, though, so you really have to make sure not to touch the money within the set period, say 10 years or more. Otherwise, there will be some risks.

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On Living Within Your Means

I came from a lower middle class family. Unlike other families where both parents are working, it was just my dad who had a job. My mom took care of our home, of us. It was in my early years that I fully grasped the meaning of living within your means, through the examples and practices of my parents.

Then, my mom had a budget to follow and I believed she was able to manage her spending most of the time. Maybe it’s because she knew she couldn’t overspend because it would make her children hungry and her husband disappointed. During those times when she did overspend, she was smart enough to cover for it by borrowing money from friends. A not so smart practice, but at least, she was able to feed us and we didn’t go hungry for our dad to notice.

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Saving Dilemma

I seriously need some saving tips. This year has been one of the most expensive years of my life, money-wise. I’ve spent more than what I planned on spending and I haven’t been able to save up the right amount of money I wanted to keep for the rainy days.

But all of this isn’t entirely my fault. Circumstances tested my finances and suddenly, everything went beyond my control. If there’s one thing I’d like to do for next year, that is to save, save and save. And I’m influencing the hubby to do the same for our joint finances.

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Saving Up for the Rainy Days

Here in Manila, the days are getting literally rainy. Just this morning, a heavy downpour awoken me from my deep slumber. It’s not the best way to welcome a new day, but sometimes you really can’t help it. But I digress.

Saving up for the rainy days is such a very sound advice. You really can’t tell when emergencies would happen and you need to bring out cash to cover for something. As much as we want to save up for the coming of our baby, the hubby and I can only do so much. It’s a good thing we still have two more months to prepare financially for the arrival of our baby.

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