Money Matters: Five (5) Ways To Save P500K in 10 Months To Pay Off Our Policy Loans!

By: Mhe-anne L. Ojeda - Isidro

My hubby Red has little tolerance for having debt. So when we discovered last June 1, 2015 that our policy loans of P500K remain unpaid, he suggested that we use our current Holiday Savings Fund (the P200s, P100s and all loose coins collected into a small yellow tin can and deposited on our joint passbook savings account every 15th and 30th of each month) to pay off the loans and refrain from taking trips abroad in the meantime. I said, No way (silently)! 

Don't get me wrong. Though not required, I want us to repay the policy loans (so that the cash surrender value of the ten (10) policies I got when I was still single, will not be reduced by the amount of the loan plus interest). But I still want us to enjoy a good life while doing so. I want us to be able to take our Summer and anniversary vacations in September while paying off the loans from June 2015 until March 2016. But I know this means we should save money by changing our lifestyles, cutting our cost every chance we get, and keeping track of our spending to find ways to reduce or eliminate unnecessary expenses. 

Here are the  Five (5) Ways we are adopting to Save Money to pay off policy loans in the next 10 months...

1. Our Savings Bottles Plan. This is very similar to how we build up our Holiday Fund Savings Account with a little twist. I have five (5) containers - the P200 bills still go into the yellow tin can for our holiday fund, the P100 bills are collected for policy loans payment, the P10 coins go into Red & Mhe's bottle for anything that we want to buy guilt free, P5 coins are collected for fun entertainment, and the P1 coins for eating out. I know that the amount is not much, but it adds up quickly and we are still able to live a good life while trying to pay off our debt.

2. "No IMAX movies". Red is a sucker for movies and he wants to watch movies every Friday on IMAX which cost P450 each (or P400 with our Tap To Pay Card). This means that we spend P4000 every single month on combo movies with snack. We decided to just watch movies at condo on our 42' inches TV with skycable and utilize snacks from the fridge.

3. "Don't Buy Just Because It's On Sale". This ones for me! I love to buy new clothes or shoes whenever I see the word SALE and this translate into spending  about P4000 to  P5000 on a monthly basis even though the clothes or shoes are on huge discount. 

4. Adopt a Hearty Receipt System. Just because I have two (2) heart-shaped boxes where we keep the receipts for GROCERY and OTHER lifestyle expenses (while hubby continue to keep other receipts). This way we will know where our money is going and make adjustments where needed. Since a huge chunk of our budget goes to food, we decided that we will eat at home more often.

5. Buy Bread at French Baker At 8:30PM. Red loves bread, and I am lucky to learn that French Baker at Cash & Carry sells all their breads at 50% off, thirty (30) minutes before closing time on a daily basis. But you must line up by 8pm to ensure that you get the breads that you really want. Hubby loves bonnet raisins and cinnamon rolls so I line up at least once a week.

This list will  surely grow as I am on the look out for some more frugal ways to save some money. With this five (5) ways, we were able to pay the first policy loan amounting to P54,000 last June 29. Yeahey!

21 on 21 and 21 Names I Call My Amazing Hubby!

by: Mhe-anne L. Ojeda - Isidro

It's Out! My Husband Has 21 Other Aliases (read on...)

We are celebrating our 21 months of marital bliss today, June 21. Luckily this day coincides with Father's Day celebration, a choice opportunity to shower some love and presents and more love to the man in my life I call "honey" . But since my hubby Raymond is very difficult to buy gifts for, I am letting him (and everyone) know instead, that he is amazing and I am so grateful for all the things he does that made my life so much happier (& easier).  

So honey, here are 21 reasons why I say that the best "HUBBY" in the world belongs to me. Time for name calling ---

1. You are a Big Hugger. 
Thank you for always putting your big arms around me, 
for your welcoming embrace, and for finding time to snuggle against me
on a daily basis!

2. You are a Caretaker in every sense of the word.You care for me enough to just let me rest while you take care of the house' messy chores and the dirty dishes!

3. You are a Motivator. You encourage me to set goals and you motivate and support me until I tick it off my list. But when do we hit the gym? lol

4. You are an Elegant Driver(in this photo!).
But we both know you don't always dress like that, reason you love motorcycles. 
Anyhow, thank you so much for driving me safely and patiently to all my appointments and that what matters most!

5. You are my cheapest Laundromat. Thank you for always loving to do the laundry every week! You get the job done fast, clothes are clean and smell good, and payment is cheap - a kiss and a hug! 

6. You are my Superhero.Is your name Iron man because you are always behind the ironing board? 

7. You are A "Baby Sitter". 
You never fail put me to sleep on your arms at night !

8. You are my Interior Designer. You never tire moving the furniture around the condo, for a new look -- daily!

9. You are my Fashion Adviser.You just know what clothes or shoes to buy for me!

10.You are a Monster Tickler. 
Who's crying during our tickling sessions? lol
Thank you for your sense of humor and for always being up for a good laugh!

11. You are my Protector.Thank you for carrying heavy stuff, opening soda bottles with your strength, opening the door for me, getting that umbrella out when I get out of the car to protect me from the sun and the rain. And oh, I almost forgot, thank you for always reminding me of my supplements.

12. You are My Tall, Twin Sister. 
Being the only girl in the family, I have never been able to wear 
matching shirt, matching short, and flower in the ears with anyone else before. 
With you, all those are possible big time!

13. You are an enthusiastic Story Teller.What's the latest news on Kathryn Bernardo? lol

14. You are the Total Entertainer. You can sing, you can play the guitar, you can compose songs, and you can dance - sweet and very sweet! 

15.You are a Great Playmate!
Thank you for fun play time, giggling and joking around.
Makes it easier to handle the serious -not-so-fun stuff!

16. You are an Artist in the Kitchen. Such a great cook. Thank you for surprising me with a ready-to-eat breakfast you lovingly prepared!

17. You are my Savvy Handyman, a do - it- yourself repairman, plumber, electrician, carpenter and even a gardener! 

18.You are an awesome Travel Companion.
Be it a road trip, staycation, backpacking adventures,
business trips or our annual Summer and Anniversary travels,
you never tire being with me and carrying the luggage!

19. You are a True Leader by being the servant in our home.You lead by your selfless service and always taking the first move (at throwing the trash, doing the dishes, etc. lol).

20. You are my Best Friend.Thank you for giving up your job and becoming interested with mine, so you can help me. You always see to it that we spend time together,talk about things and have fun together like good friends do.

21. You are my King of Pops 
(that's coming from your daughter or grand daughter me! lol)
                           Thank you for being such a sweet dude with a sweet tooth!                                                            

HAPPY FATHERS' DAY HONEY!! 
And HAPPY FATHER'S DAY to ALL wonderful husbands, dads, and brothers out there.

*all photos are taken by Alain and Azon Tagpuno.

2015 Wedding Anniversary Travel: Spending Summer in Singapore, Johor, KL and Melaka in Malaysia

Mhe-anne L. Ojeda - Isidro

This has all our motif colors - red, yellow, blue and white

Our second wedding anniversary is not until September 21, 2015, but just the same we (and even our friends) are already in celebratory mood! (see those "2" signs!! lol)

"V" sign with Japanese colleague at the Forever Living Global Rally

Cotton is the traditional symbol for two years of marital bliss, while China is its modern counterpart. Here are Five (5) Ideas how we incorporated our second year anniversary symbols during our summer trip to Singapore and Malaysia from April 18-26, 2015!

Day 1 - Manila to Johor Bahru, Malaysia

1. Wear Identical Cotton Shirts for 9 - days. Not only it makes it easier to pack paired wardrobe, couple tees are trendy and catchy at that! Believe me! I easily spotted my hubby among the throng of people during the trip lol! 

Day 2 - Johor Bahru, Malaysia

Day  3 - Johor Bahru to KL

Day 4 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Besides, cotton is the best fabric for summer according to human touch of chemistry, as it allows better air circulation to avoid fungal breeding, light weight so heat just passes through and prevents allergic reaction. 

Day 5 - Melaka, Malaysia

Day 6 - Singapore Merlion Tour

Day 7 - Singapore Sentosa

Day 8 - Singapore Heritage Tour

Day 8 - Singapore to Manila

2. Visit Sights That Reflects "2" like Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the tallest twin tower building in the world! These two (2) towers  have double - eight (88) floors and feature a double - decker skybridge connecting  the two - towers on the 41st and 42nd floor, which is the highest 2-story bridge in the world!

Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

3. Cotton Bath Towels and Bathrobes. Oh well, summer is not summer without water, lots of water! That means there's a lot of opportunities to use cotton bath towels and bath robes.

Legoland Water Park has the bring your own towel (or you rent)
so we brought our own cotton bath towels!

Dorsett Hotel has an outdoor pool and provided us with white
and orange cotton bath towels and white cotton bathrobes

4. Cotton Pillow Cases. Summer travel is all about accommodations and those comfy white cotton pillows and pillow cases are part of our basic must - haves for choosing boutique hotels in Singapore and Malaysia.

Dorsett Room at Dorsett Hotel in Chinatown

Venus Boutique Hotel has white and lavender cotton pillow cases

5. Anything China. The place and not "china" plates! But I am playing with words here since the theme is not limited to material, right? And since we have not booked a trip to China, we see to it that we stay at "Chinatown" while in Singapore, eat "Chinese" dishes and spot anything "China" like a picture with a Chinese boy while at the MRT station.

Red just love this Chinese boy picture at the MRT station in Chinatown

We stayed in Chinatown for the four days that we were in Singapore, and it was definitely the best choice as we were so close to everything "cheap but great" - be it "hawker foods", "culture", "history", "picturesque temples & mosques", "quirky shops" and "24 - hour eateries"!

I Heart KL sign at the KL City Gallery near  Merdeka Square

So the long (that's Red) and short (that's me) of it, is that we are in love, and we heart celebrating our second year of togetherness in a big way twice this year (in Summer and in September)!

9 Reasons Why Dumaguete is a Great Babymoon Destination!

By; Mhe-anne L. O. Isidro

We have scheduled our November 24-26 trip to Dumaguete long before that happy faint purple line showed up on the pregnancy kit last November 21. And since I didn't have (yet) the morning sickness (thanks to my Forever Baby Regimen), we went ahead with our Babymoon (the time alone hurrah with my hubby, baby daddy) trip without a guilt. Like the nine (9) sweet months of pregnancy, I have nine (9) Reasons Why I would recommend Dumaguete for those taking  Babymoon trips (which ideally should be during the second trimester for those who are nauseated much).

1. Dumaguete is only an hour - nonstop flight from Manila and served by several airlines. Cebu Pacific has a 3 o'clock flight so I prefer this so we do not have to wake up early or brave through traffic in the morning. Also the terminal of Cebu Pacific is Terminal 3 which has a covered parking area for those bringing their own car and parking for several nights.
I checked in online the night before and was able to get an aisle seat for me for those (frequent) bathroom trips and a window seat for hubby - the middle seat was not taken.

We Are Having A Baby!

By: Mhe-anne L. O. Isidro

The faint line on the pregnancy test with a confirmation from my prospective client - turned - my personal OB-GYNE Dra. Bel Miranda that I am five (5) weeks pregnant was the reason for those smiles! Yes, our Forever Baby Regimen works and we are soon having a baby! 

Paper Anniversary Gift: Some Cool Way To Give Cash Money!

By: Mhe-anne Ojeda - Isidro

Money is made of paper, the traditional material for a first wedding anniversary. But simply giving money to your spouse or to a happy couple celebrating their first year of marital bliss maybe seen as un-romantic, un-cool, effortless or sometimes even unethical. However, our recent first wedding anniversary (September 21) proved that there is definitely a way around this and you can use your ingenuity so that giving "cash money" would truly be appreciated as romantic and thoughtful, just like giving any other paper or clock gifts. Besides, Paper Money are not only valuable, but are also colorful, informative and attractive. Here are some ways to give "money" as first anniversary gift that worked for us, without feeling "awkward" or being tag as "unimaginative": 

1. Slipped some foreign currencies inside the anniversary card just like what our God parents, Doug and Janice Mc Allister did! They are based in the US and have traveled to Canada and were generous enough to think of us on our first anniversary by sending us an anniversary card with some US and Canadian Dollars (made of paper, right?) slipped inside. The card with a lovely note is in itself a thoughtful paper gift, but the US bucks are truly appreciated as we could put them to good use (bucks for Phuket, Thailand!), while the Canadian dollars are perfect addition to our paper money collection (check idea #5)! 

2. Travel to Vietnam and make your spouse feel like a millionaire. My hubby was all smiles when I gave him Vietnamese Dong (VND) while we were in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam from September 17, 21-23, 2014. The word dong means Chinese bronze coins which were used as Vietnam's currency since 1978.  As 1000 Dong is equivalent to P 2.11 Philippine Peso, Red definitely was a millionaire with millions of Dongs at his disposal. And since prices in Vietnam are so cheap, Red can afford to buy me anything I want, whether a fancy dinner or a starred accommodations on the evening of our anniversary! 

3. Give Your Spouse Currency of Your Anniversary Destination and Give Him The Money Talks. Cambodian Riel (KHR) is the official currency of Cambodia and comes in 50, 100, 200, 500, 1,000, 5,000, 10,000, 50,000 and 100,000 denominations. The exchange rate is 4,000 Riels to a US $1. The US Dollars are widely accepted in Cambodia so the use of Cambodian Riels is limited to fractional US Dollar amount or small purchases less than a dollar, since US coins are not in circulation in this Khmer country. The Cambodian Riels are my fave paper money because they are not only colorful and vibrant but also very informative of Cambodian heritage since most denominations feature wat (or temples) or Cambodian monument - 100 Riel - Independence Commemoration Tower (Phnom Penh); 500 Riel - Angkor Wat Temple Complex; 1,000 Riel - Angkor Tom Temple;
20,000 Riels - Bayon Temple and 50,000 Riel - portrait of Cambodian King, Norodom Sihanouk Varman with Preah Vihear Temple, etc. Since I kept some Riels as souvenirs from my last travel to Phnom Penh, I gave hubby those Cambodian Riels and his first Cambodian lessons as my anniversary gift! The effort was much appreciated and it makes our visit to the Angkor Wat complex and Phnom Penh last September 18-21, 2014 more meaningful to him because of his advance lessons!

4. Wallet Surprise. When we arrived in Taipei, Taiwan, I noticed that my hubby's wallet was really old and worn out, (enough to be shy about it whenever he pulls it out. lol). So while going around Danshui Night Market, I was able to sneak out from him and bought him a new one. While hubby sleeps, I threw his old wallet to the garbage bin and put in his new wallet his IDs, driver's license, ATM cards and of course some New Taiwanese Dollars, the official currency of Taiwan since 1949. The exchange rate to Philippine Peso is 1 NT: PHP 1.48 so it is very easy to calculate our spending. Red was pleasantly surprised when he woke up and can't stopped saying that "his wallet has NTs, not empty"! (get the joke?)

5. Make A Couple Paper Money Collection Scrapbook. Since Red and I started a travel tradition to celebrate our wedding anniversary, I made our Couple World Money Collection where I saved small bills or notes we used or will be using from all the countries we visited and will be visiting for our anniversaries. The collection will be a great reminder of the good times when 'money' literally buy us happiness!

First Anniversary Travel: Finding LOVE in Taipei!

By: Mhe-anne L. Ojeda - Isidro

What better way to show LOVE than with a LOVE sign! So while touring around Taipei, Taiwan, we have bonded together in LOVE quite literally and these printed photos are part of our "paper" anniversary gifts for our firs wedding anniversary.

TAIPEI 101 - Xinyi District, Taipei Taiwan

The drizzle  and sudden blizzard couldn't stop us (and others) from snapping selfie photos at the LOVE sculpture found outside the Taipei 101. This LOVE design is by American artist Robert Indiana which was reproduced in variety of formats and languages and recreated in many places around the world. As everyone needs LOVE, we truly enjoyed taking our photos by the LOVE sign.

BItan Scenic Area - Xindian District, New Taipei City

Bitan Scenic Area is a popular attraction for couples in Taiwan because of the great view of the mountain and the lake - like Xindian river where they can ride pedal boats. The place is quite romantic not only because lovers can do an 'H-H-W-W' or holding hands while walking along the river or while crossing the 75 year old suspension bridge, but also because of the Bitan's Wall that features personalized bricks art work like "100% LOVE", "I LOVE YOU Forever", and different expressions of LOVE (of the individual donors I presumed).

Taipei Zoo - Wenshan, Taipei, Taiwan

Alright we are LOVE - ful couple that we noticed even this LOVE word on Mc Donalds drink cups while at the Taipei Zoo!

Public Art - Metro Taipei

And it's really TIME FOR LOVE in Taiwan. as even the public art in several Metro Taipei stations feature LOVE and Hearts as themes of murals and artworks.