10 sure-fire ways to save money for the Young Professional Pinoy
So here's a list of ways Young Professional Pinoys can creatively save money.
1. FOOD
Eat less: Yup!, Eat less! Of course it doesn’t mean starving yourself, but try to stay away from junk foods, soda, alcoholic drinks, chocolates and other none nutritious food cravings we Pinoys have embraced for years. Enough of it! Start eating more home-cooked meals like fish, soups, less rice, less oil, no junk foods... less body fat and more money saved.
Bringing your own lunch pack is a great way to save. Don’t mind status symbol. Instead pride yourself in doing something good for the environment by not using styrofoam and plastics. When you bring your own food, you don't need to get out of the office to eat in fancy restaurants or fast foods, thus less temptation.
Take advantage of your company’s free drinking water. Most offices have water dispensers available within their buildings. Make sure to bring your own mugs or bottles (make it fun or stylish) and fill them up before taking your lunch and maybe after getting out of the office. Me and my former co-workers bought ourselves some really cool Starbucks mugs. It may be pricey at first glance, but in taking advantage of the free drinking water, we surely have saved lot!
But if you really want to eat out, I suggest instead of ordering a package meal with the softdrink, why not order the basic rice and ulam only, leave out the soda. Just ask for a glass of water...it's free! Imagine the savings you'll get from drinking water instead of buying sodas. Plus it's healthier!
Nothing beats growing your food. Make use of that boring empty space in your backyard and turn it into a vegetable/fruit garden.
2. TRANSPORTATION
I know a lot of yuppies out there would loved to get their own cars. But always take in mind, maintaining a car is expensive. And for me, it's not really a good idea to shell out money for a brand new car, especially f you're just starting out, even if you‘re earning a good amount of income. You gotta check your lifestyle. For a long time, our family was fortunate to have experienced owning two automobiles at the same time, but today we got rid of the cars...doing so saves us thousands of money.
Walk or Bike! I personally love to walk., especially after a heavy meal. Instead of riding a tricycle or jeep, I just walk, and I mean a long walk...especially during the night time or any lovely day. Less transportation cost, it’s healthier plus it's eco-friendly! Just make sure the road's safe :)
Drive a scooter. It’s relatively inexpensive, practical and has better gas mileage.
Take a public transportation. It’s cheaper than car maintenance, parking expenses, insurance and gas. If you however have a car already, try not to drive everyday or better yet, share it with friends for a price of course.
3. RENT
When asked, most fresh graduates would choose to work in big cities like Makati, Ortigas and QC, making those living in nearby provinces no choice but to find a place to stay. They look for a place to rent. It may be as grand as a studio type in condos, room for rent or merely a bedspace. Before going out and searching the metro, you may opt to consider living with a relative for a small paying price. Most good natured kapamilyas will take into consideration that you're just starting a career and may be kind enough to have you stay for free.
If you have a condo big enough for you, and needed to find extra money, you may want to bring in a trusted friend or colleague and have them pay you a rent.
If, however you're someone who can easily gather a group of people, why not find an apartment and just look for people who want to stay with you. The more people you bring in, the less rent you'll pay.
When the deal between you and the landlord is you have to pay for your electricity, here are some tipid electricity tips you can try.
Unplug those appliances. Save your money from being sucked by those vampires of electricity. Open up those windows and let the morning sun and air flow so you don't have to turn on the lights and fans. December-March where the air is cool is a great time to rest your aircons and fans.
Try to be like a farmer. Go to bed when the sun sets and wake up when the sun rises. Less electricity!
4. OUT OF TOWN TRAVELS
One of the major ways to cut your expense when renting a van is to travel with more people. The more people in the van, the less transportation cost.
I you wish to travel farther and needed to travel by plane, you have to get "early bird" tickets. Cebu Pacific for example recurrently holds promotion known as Piso Fare. Exclusive of tax of course, but this discounted price really saves you thousands of cash. Subscribe to their website so you can be regularly updated with their promos. They also charge lower fees when book online during Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
Thinking of a good place to travel? Start asking your friends. You may want to ask who among them lives in Puerto Galera, Baguio, Subic or Lake Sebu. They may want to invite you to visit their province. Taking a trip with them will save you lots of cash. They'll provide the accommodation and sometimes free food. You have your own tourist guide too which can save you time from asking directions.
Why not go to free parks or free concerts?! Check out your area for listings and you might just be surprise to discover some place new.
La Mesa Eco Park for example is a very affordable place your family's surely gonna enjoy. It boasts hectares of wonderfully landscaped views, a charming lake scenery, and a wide lush of green clean air. The place has been used so many times in many tv shows. I know, we‘ve used the park so many times in my past shows. So who knows you might just be lucky and be steps closer to your fave artists in action.
5. ENTERTAINMENT
With the convenience of the world wide web, we can basically get our hands off on a lot of things for free. There are hundreds of sites that offers free movie, free music, free tv shows, you can either download or watch them right on the web.
6. REST AND RECREATION
Haircut Session. If you opt to cut your hair, why not ask a good hairstylist to your home and then invite friends who also wants a piece of the stylists’ cut. Negotiate your intended price. Do the same for a spa party.
7. EDUCATION/LEARNING
Education for free. Take advantage of your company’s free workshops and seminars or subscribe to your favorite financial blogs (like this) and get updates on them. Personal Financial Blogs for example are easy to read and simple to understand but do make sure it’s from a reliable source. GoNegosyo is a good way to start. They have been conducting free seminars during exhibits...and it is never boring! You can also download free webinars and audio reports like that of Rich Dad.
Free Books! There are thousands of free downloadable e-books in cyberspace. You can also trade books with friends. Or stay longer at your fave Powerbooks store...you can read their books there for free. I do that often!
If, however you really want the tangible stuff, I recommend buying from thrift stores like Booksale and Filbars. There are hundreds of magazines and books out there that sells a lot cheaper than those from famous bookstores. I buy my fave home interior magazines there most of the time, back issues of course. Those kind of publications that doesn't necessarily have to be read up-to-dates.
8. SHOPPING
Have you seen the movie "Confessions of a Shopaholic"? It takes strong discipline from not giving in to temptations and some good old common sense. If you don't need it, don't buy it. If you think you need it, think again.
Write a grocery and shopping list. This has been an age old tip but it really is effective. It stops you from compulsive buying and purchasing unnecessary stuff. Especially if you're on tight budget, you better force yourself to stick within the budget.
Organize a SWAP MEET between your friends, co-workers or relatives. Get rid of your unwanted clothes and trade them for free!
Shop BIG. When doing your grocery shopping, get big ticket items on stuff you will use for sure and for a long time. Stuff like powder detergents, cooking oil, shampoo…
9. INTERNET
Use the internet wisely. Wouldn't it be great to pay your monthly internet bills coming from your own internet efforts...I mean there are plenty of ways we can use the net to make money! Why not try...
EBAY: The online garage sale. Sell your old stuff. I made my first 20T net income in a years time - part time. I was selling this really old CD (something I got for free) for just a mere P10, the buyer really wanted to buy that stuff, has been looking for it for a long time and paid me P200! You see, one’s trash could be someone’s treasure.
Blogger: If you have a passion for writing, why not try blogging. I have been writing in my old traditional diary for more than 10 years already, and when I stumble on to this idea of doing a blog, I immediately got hook into it. It’s a good stress buster, you get to hone your writing skill and best of all you get to meet some real cool people who shares the same passion. In creating a blog you get a chance to SHARE and INFORM people of what’s out there. Plus when time comes your blog gets enough traffic, you also enjoy earning from it in dollars.
Neobux: If there’s a reputable paid-to-click site out there, I’m sure a lot of users will agree that Neobux is the best PTC site. I was paid 4 times already. There are hundreds of PTC sites born every day, thus more and more scam sites crawling in cyberspace, so beware and do your research before investing your time and effort.
Of course in putting up online stores or trying to take a cut of income from the web, these two online “banks” would be a great help - Alertpay and Paypal.
10. COMMUNICATIONS
Use Chikka! If you're like me who's constantly in front of a computer, it's a good time to send out those replies or just catch up with friends using chikka. Instead of phone, message them thru Chikka for free!
Cut down your cellphone plans. Who knows, you might be paying more than you’re actually using. Opt for prepaid and take advantage of the promos available. Choose a network most used by your family, friends and co-workers.
Have other great saving tips in mind? Feel free to share your ideas with us!
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