my life, my joy, my dreams
Given our financial capacity at present, I think it’s only appropriate that we bought a tiny house. The mortgage payments are lower and the insurance premiums are smaller as compared to those of a big property.
I love having a tiny house. It’s easy to clean and easy to maintain. If something gets broken, we could easily have it repaired or replaced. Like when we had our built-in cabinet organizer updated, we didn’t spend much because it’s just a small one, too.
Last weekend was special. The hubby didn’t have classes yet so we were able to drive to Bacoor on Friday night. On our way home, we stopped over at Banquetta (by Mercato Centrale Group, located just behind CCP) for a quick dinner. I wasn’t very impressed, though. There was very few selection of food and the crowd wasn’t as big as the one at Midnight Mercato in BGC.
Continue reading “Weekend Story: Banquetta, Otterbox, California Pizza Kitchen and Walking at Night”
You’ve heard it before. Living within your means is good. But living below your means is better. I have been living within my means for as long as I can remember. And I found out it’s doable. But living below my means???
Source: As indicated in the image.
When I started having solid “financial goals” this year, I thought about trying to live below what my income can afford. You see, the hubby and I keep our salaries to ourselves and we just share in our household expenses, mortgage payments, and other bills. (This setup is subject to change any time we I deem it necessary.) The exact percentages I cannot divulge here, but let’s just say he’s a real gentleman.
Note: I started my self-imposed shopping ban on January 1, 2014. I made it official online through this post, and called it a “shopping fast.” I also shared there the reasons why I took the challenge and laid down some rules to guide me while on it.
Shopping Fast: January Report
Shopping Fast: February Report
Shopping Fast: March Report
Shopping Fast: April Report
The only thing that was added to my closet during the beautiful month of May was a pair of Sanuk sandals which my generous husband paid for. Soon, I’ll think of what to do with my excess stuff as I become more serious in living a minimalist life. For now, I will have to keep the things given to me and use them for my convenience.
As much as I prefer to spend my weekends at home just cooking, baking, organizing, sleeping or doing other fun stuff, there are times when I have to go with the flow of activities my husband or his family has in mind. Like last weekend, for instance. My PILs both took a weekend-off and they decided to join us in Bacoor for the weekend. My SIL (one and only sibling of my husband) tagged along, too. It was two straight days of going out and doing things that families commonly do.
my PILs at the Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage Shrine
On Saturday, we traveled all the way to Antipolo to visit the Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage Shrine. It’s been a tradition for my PILs to go there before a scheduled trip to their province (they’re flying to Bohol on May 12 for their annual month-long vacay). After attending the morning mass, the brunch at McDo and the buying of suman and kasuy, we headed to Bacoor already. Before going to our marital home, we had a late lunch at Shakey’s first. We were too exhausted from our long trip that when we reached home, we all decided to doze off. Haha.
Now, more than ever, things are getting clearer to me. It seems like I now know what I really want. Just like my practice to live a simple and uncomplicated life, minimalism is a perspective/philosophy that can be done and applied to one’s life. However, it’s more serious and requires discipline and sustenance.
From de-cluttering and conserving resources to changing one’s money practices and overall lifestyle for the better, minimalism has so much to offer. It’s a growing lifestyle that has given a lot of people (they call themselves “minimalists”) greater happiness, meaning, fulfillment and control of their lives.