The Journey Continues...

Living on a budget can be a struggle, but it’s often necessary. There are dozens of simple ways to make sure you’re not throwing away your money needlessly. Take the time to assess your spending and see where you could save a few pennies; you’ll be surprised at how fast the small things add up.

Buy online. Buying online is one of the simplest ways to save money. Websites often have deals that aren’t available in the brick-and-mortar stores. Plus, before you buy you can search for online coupon codes to make the savings stretch even further -- and sites like ebates.com even offer cash back on some purchases. You’ll also save on gas.

Cut down on entertainment costs. Instead of going to movies, rent movies. Look into renting DVDs from your local library or from services such as Redbox or Netflix that offer lower rental rates.

Also, be sure to assess your subscriptions. If you’re subscribing to a newspaper or magazine you just don’t read on a regular basis, cancel it and only purchase issues you really want to read. If you frequently buy a particular publication, subscribe to it because you’ll be getting a better deal.

Never pay unnecessary fees because they can add up quickly. Make sure you’re not paying a monthly maintenance fee on your checking account, and if you are, talk to your bank to see how you can eliminate it. Also be sure to pay your bills on time. Penalties for not paying on time can add up and hurt your monthly budget. If you don’t think you’ll be able to cover your expenses for the month, look into getting cash loans so you can pay off your bills and avoid late charges.

Assess how you’re paying insurance. Try paying your life insurance annually and your car insurance semi-annually. Most insurance companies charge you more if you’re paying monthly.

My friends and I are arranging a get-together next month and we are all looking forward to it. We saw each other a few months back but we were not able to talk much since some of us needs to leave early and some came in late. We planned a lot of things for our get-together and we really hope it will push through. We have been planning several gatherings before but most of it does not materialize so we really hope that next month’s plan will be a different story.

I remember when we were in college, one of the things we do aside from playing play station is to play poker. Especially on those nights that we have to stay up late working on our projects. We sometimes take a break and play poker to keep ourselves awake. But now that we don’t get to see each other anymore, I’ll suggest we try to play online pokies and avail of free pokies we see on the net. This could be interesting because we haven’t done this before. Maybe the free online pokies will be fun to play. I better send an email to my friends so we can start playing while waiting for the schedule of our get-together.

I’m glad it’s Friday already. That means I’ll be able to stay home and spend time with my kids. I miss them so much or I don’t get to play with them that much when I get home from work. This week has been a busy week. We have several meetings and we’re finalizing proposals for our product. Next week is going to be the same and we really hope that everything we work hard for will reap its fruits in the future.

On a lighter note, the tv series started showing this week. I watched Chuck and Glee already and we already have the episode 1 of season 2 of Fringe though I haven’t seen it yet and we’re still looking for Grey’s Anatomy. I’m so proud of Charice, her performance at the 1^st episode of glee is awesome! As for Chuck, I am again getting excited on what will happen with his adventures and spy works. Can’t wait for the next episodes next week!

Yesterday, Paul and I together with Lance went to different malls to look for a costume for Lance that he will wear next week. They will celebrate Grandparents Day next Saturday and they will perform a dance number. Boys are asked to wear black pants, white polo and knitted vest. We went to Podium first for his haircut and then went to Megamall. We saw some cute vests there but I find it too expensive since he will only wear it once. We then went to NBC tent because I am also looking for a pair of shoes for Lance and my sister said that she saw some there. Good thing we went to the tent because we found a vest there with a reasonable price. We were not able to buy the shoes though because the size is too small for Lance’s feet. We decided to go home after NBC tent, but on our way home, I remembered that Lance doesn’t have white short polo. Good thing we live near Sta Lucia so we went there as well. It was a tiring day that upon getting home, both Lance and I did not have dinner anymore and went to sleep. We’re glad though that we were able to buy the costume that he needs for school.

Me and my sister went to this place this morning. We have head that this place is famous for having Christmas decors that are nice and yet so cheap. My sis asked me to drive for her since she doesn’t know how to get to Dapitan if coming from our place. So after hearing mass and having our breakfast, off we go to Dapitan. We’re glad that we did not have difficulty getting there and that we were still able to find a good parking spot despite so many cars there. Moreso, we were happy with the items we bought because indeed they were cheap. We bought different styles of Belen to give to our uncles and aunts in the US as our way of saying thank you to them for being there for our parents. We also bought a small holy family to be given to the people who helped us when we got affected by Ondoy. We were not able to give them anything last year since we were still recovering at that time. Anyhow, if you are looking for nice Christmas decors, Dapitan Arcade is the place to visit. The sellers said now is the perfect time because items there are still cheap since it’s only September. They said that the prices will increase when it’s near Christmas time.

I need to go back to the parlor soon because I need to get a hair treatment. I have so many white hairs that it doesn’t look good anymore. I love it when I go to the parlor because that’s part of my me time. I get to read a magazine, which most of the time is about show business or sometimes there are articles on weight loss pill review, and sometimes about fashion. It relaxes me and when I’m done I feel recharged! I hope today there won’t be too many customers so I can have my hair done.

Miss Universe has been over for a few weeks already and it’s only now that I get to blog about our very own Venus Raj. She may not have won the Miss Universe title but I am still very proud of what she had accomplished and I envy her for being so sexy! Hehe! Just look at the picture, I wonder if she ever visited any Diet pill outlet to make her this slim and sexy! Congratulation again and even if you didn’t win, we are still proud of you!

I was not able to post my happy thoughts last Wednesday so here I am posting it on a Friday. Here’s what made happy this week:

1. Water collected from Laguna passed the potability test of Maynilad. Wee!!
2. Kids sleeping early tonight, I have more time to work on my deadlines.
3. Free buffet lunch care of my officemate who is celebrating her birthday today.
4. Found a treatment for my cousin’s eczema
5. Online tasks
6. Twitter and online friends
7. Payday last Tuesday, was able to pay the bills
8. Getting lots of inquiries about our product. I hope these translates to sales J
9. Kids are healthy
10. It’s weekend again!

Whenever I am stressed or have sleepless nights, expect pimples to start appearing on my face. It really bothers me because I'm busy with work lately and most of the time I am already awake at 4:00am and can't go back to sleep anymore; thus resulting to outbreaks on my face. I should check the tea tree oil for acne that my friend suggested and I hope this will at least reduce my pimples. I should also see my dermatologist soon because she might have some advice on what I should do. I hope she's not too busy tomorrow…

One of my true friends at work is handling all logistics concerns in the office. May it be repair and maintenance of the building, car plans and service cars assigned to the management team and even the government permits needed for our operations. This year, our management committee members will get their issued cars again and she’s now looking for car insurance rates that will come with whatever type of car the mancom will choose. Good thing also that she was tasked to handle this because she knows a lot about cars and I’m sure she’ll be able to do her work well. Now, I’m wondering, when will I get my service car? Maybe it’s time I ask her. :D

I was asked by a friend and colleague to be a godmother of their daughter who will be baptized next weekend. I’m thinking of a special gift to give their daughter but I haven’t decided what to give yet. I’m thinking of giving her cash because that’s what I give most of the time to my godchildren but for a change, I’m thinking of giving her gold coins so she can keep it while she’s still young and by the time she needs it, it has increased its value. I heard that one can find gold coins from usgoldbureau and they even have those rare coins that can be part of a collection. Anyhow, I really am looking forward to the baptism, it will be a double celebration because it is also the second birthday of their eldest daughter. I’m sure it will be a blast!

From the church we went to the reception where we met other online friends Jacqui, Alpha, Mich and Jody. Here’s a picture of us sans Jody and Jacqui downloaded from Abie’s flickr. I envy Abie for she doesn’t look like she gave birth. Hayz! When will I lose weight kaya? Anyhow, welcome to the Christian World Cobi! Thanks again Abie and Howell for inviting us. :)

Cash advance credit allows credit card holders to borrow actual cash money against their current credit card balance. The cash amount available to most is a small percentage of the overall credit limit but it comes in handy during those times when an unexpected expense comes up. People rarely carry cash anymore as most places accept debit and/or credit cards. There are still some services and vendors, however, who require cash payment.

In addition to the amount of the cash advance, interest and finance charges are also added to the credit card balance. The interest charges on a cash advance credit loan is often higher than it is for store purchases and there is often no interest-free period on the cash advance loan as there normally is for card holders who pay their balance in full every month. This means that interest starts accruing as soon as the transaction is made. Interest on some unsecured cards can be as high as 23%!

Cash advance credit payments are fairly easily accessible. They can be obtained over the counter at a bank or other financial institutions or at many electronic bank machines, as long as the amount requested does not exceed the actual cash advance limit. Whenever the amount requested exceeds the cash advance limit, the ATM is still able to dispense money. However, the exchange will be flagged electronically.

Cash advance credit loans can be expensive so be careful when you chose to use them. Use them only in true emergencies, such as a medical emergency. Try to avoid using them for everyday expenses. Know your cash advance limit so you do not exceed it. Try to pay back your cash advance as soon as possible. Try to use a credit card with a $0 balance and only take out the amount of cash you need. Do not give into the temptation to take out a little bit extra “just in case”.

It’s been more than 3 months since I left the gym and I really miss going there. I don’t really use other equipments especially those at the dip station but I miss using the treadmill, the weights, the elliptical and most of all I miss joining the aerobics classes and the belly dancing class because that’s where I really enjoy when I go to the gym. My membership expired already and I’m thinking if I should get a lifetime membership that’s being offered to me. I told them that I still have to think about it because I might not be able to use it all the time. So for now, I just have to walk around the neighborhood and be strict with my diet to be able to lose weight.

The kids’ birthdays are coming soon and we’re thinking of giving them a simple party and will just invite our relatives. We already inquired at McDonalds and are just hoping that we will be able to reserve a slot. I really did not plan well for this because we first thought of just celebrating it at home. If we will be able to find a slot at McDonalds, I guess it means that we should celebrate it there. Hehe! I’m sure the kids are going to love it especially if they will receive gifts which consists of toys and clothes. Later, my husband and I will visit a McDonalds branch and we hope we can get a slot. :)

We don’t have anything planned this weekend. We just stayed home, watched tv and played with the kids. Right now, here I am in front of my laptop looking for personal injury lawyers Tucson for my cousin needs it for her work. I really don’t know why she needs it but I’ll still help her anyway. The kids on the other hand are with their dad watching a show at playhouse Disney. The nannies took a day off so we’re left alone with the kids. This is one of the days that I love, to be able to spend time with my family and not think of work or anything. Tomorrow, it’s Monday again and we all go back to work. I hope everybody is enjoying their Sunday!