Insurance, again

It's the time of the year when we are being charged again for our premiums on our insurance plans. Truth be told, I need a good insurance agent who would remind me about these deadlines and would explain to me things like cd annuity rates in laymen's terms, since they are very confusing for me most of the time.

In any case, I make sure my insurance is up to date.  With tragedies occurring left and right, we really do not know what is in store for us.  My husband and I would like our kids to be well provided for in case something untoward happens to us.  I hope not, though, not while they are small and still cannot fend for themselves but of course I really cannot tell.  That's why we religiously pay our dues to make sure they wouldn't be destitute in case of such situations.

Holidays in the Metro

For some reason, Christmas this year just doesn't feel as joyous as the previous years. Maybe it's because Christmas Day and New Year's Day fall on Sundays, which mean that there is practically no additional free day. Quite a bummer actually. While I love my work and actually like being able to don my discount scrubs and get into the OR, there are really times that you just want to take it easy.

Well, I guess we can still enjoy ourselves as a family and within Metro Manila.  My son got a couple of tickets for a "train ride" at Active Fun so we'll probably find time to go there.  There's a deal on Ace Water Spa that I might just avail of (click on this link to join cashcashpinoy if you're not a member yet).  I also saw a deal on Hotel H20 that I would like but the inclusive dates do not include the next few days.

I am so glad there are just so many choices today, hence staying in the Metro for BOTH work and play seems like a good idea!

Online Christmas shopping!

It really is not easy to shop for Christmas gifts when you just do not have the time to do so. I'm now doing a lot of my shopping online. While it may not be the cheapest way to do shopping, it may actually save me more in the long run since I am saving time and gasoline, not to mention my effort. I shop online, order the things I'm interested in, pay for it online, and it gets sent to my doorstep! Hassle free!

Of course, not everything can be bought online.  There is also the matter of expiring gift certificates which I have to use soon, so I'll probably still buy some gifts at the mall.

But it does make things so much easier, and I'm not panicking, because I know that when there are time constraints, I can actually still have gifts ready for the people I would like to give them to.

Why I'm choosing to commute this season

My car was rear ended by a bus last Saturday during a bad traffic jam. My husband got angry with me for not reporting the matter to the police. I reasoned that at the time I did not think that it would help. Anyway, the car was not damaged much, just a little paint was chipped off and I really hate the hassle of going to a police station. But later, I realized that I may need some auto estimating for damages that may not be so obvious. After the incident, I get a general warning sign whenever I try to use the car. I haven't figured out what's wrong, but my husband's guessing that the accident probably damaged my rear lights. Sigh. That means we have to spend for essentially, an accident that was not my fault. Grrrrrrr! Good thing I have insurance. I do believe in karma and if the driver continues with this sort of attitude, he'll meet his match in somebody much less forgiving than I am.

In the meantime, I'll probably just commute.  Pre Christmas traffic is really really bad and riding the MRT would be much faster anyway.  And of course, I don't want to risk another incident like that.

Short getaway for us

Our little family took advantage of the long "Undas" weekend to take a short breather from our daily routines. It's not often that we get such a chance. We simply went to nearby Tagaytay via a short 1 and a half hour drive. We simply borrowed a relatives' house, did our own cooking. Our kids loved playing in the playground (free!) and it was so much more fun when it was cold. They were able to run about in the village's deserted streets, which we don't get to do back in the city. How much did we shell out for such a trip? Let me put it this way, the money spent for the food for 5 adults and 2 kids for the 4 day 3 night trip would have lasted us only 1 night in wood cabins and log beds. And did we enjoy ourselves? Tremendously! There are ways of having a great time without spending a lot!

No prohibited drugs

It seems like a no-brainer that one should not get involved with prohibited drugs -- to put it bluntly, they do bad things to your body at a high price and you develop a dependence to it. Getting out of it is not easy too, there are simply not too many drug rehab treatment centers around, and you do need to have some resources in order to stay there for the time it takes to try to clear off the drug habit AND not work at the same time. So, it sometimes is a puzzle on why some people would willingly enter into the "drug trap", as I would like to call it. Maybe it's the thrill? Or is it an escape from reality? It might be difficult to get a person to say why he went into the habit in the first place. As a parent, I would like my kids to be secure enough, happy enough, and knowledgeable enough about the consequences in order that they won't fall into it. Correction: it's our duty to make sure that they don't. Because you lose so much when you become a drug dependent.

Live a little

I feel bad that we do not have the budget yet to buy the things that we WANT. I know we should be thankful that we can now more or less finance out needs like food, clothing and shelter, but luxuries and wants like an all terrain with atv power steering, new cellphones and laptops and gadgets like Ipads are still not practical for us at this point. I'd like to think that we should sometimes "live a little" and enjoy the finer things in life, however, for people like us who watch over the budget like a hawk, it's crucial not to spend too much on wants, especially when the "needs" will have to be compromised. Do not deprive yourself. While you may not be able to afford the high end toys and gadgets, small pleasures like eating in a nice restaurant once in while is a nice treat to make you feel good about yourself. I believe ti also gives you a boost so you get more energy working. A little splurge now and then makes for a better frame of mind. Just do not overdo it.

Online shopping for Christmas

Christmas is knocking on our doors, so some people have started on their Christmas lists. Now, more and more people are turning to online shopping as an alternative way to buy presents as people have less and less time to go shopping in the malls. I like that, actually! It's a lazy person's (like me) way to shop. You do not have to go to a mall, park (which becomes even more difficult at this time of the year), look all day for the perfect gift, line up at the cashier. In a lot of circumstances, you actually save on money if you factor in the money you have to pay for gasoline, parking, and time spent away from doing other things. Another benefit of online shopping is that you can buy gifts for your loved ones residing abroad. Red Envelope is a good site with a great gift selection. There are also discounts available only to online purchasers, of course you have to know how to redeem coupons on RedEnvelope in order to get the benefits. As for the local setting, there are now several options available. You can either shop at multiply, ebay or sulit. Technology certainly has made shopping for gifts so much easier!

Who's using my computer?

One of the reasons why I could not log on as often as I want to (and hence update my blogs) is because a little person has been elbowing me out for position in front of my laptop. I'm pretty proud of him, actually, because he was able to google video games. Good thing he plays games like Angry Birds and some puzzle games which are not only safe but I think quite beneficial to him as he was able to think. I wonder if there would come a time when he'd look at the call of duty modern warfare 3 reviews but I'm hoping not now yet, after all, he's only 6 years old. This is the time when my defective laptop is an advantage. The laptop sometimes stops when he uses it (there's some subtle positioning that you should do so it doesn't shut down) so it kinda limits his use. And he can't turn it on because the power switch is broken. I have to use a screwdriver to turn it on. So if your computer has some small problems and you have small kids who might compete with you for computer use, this might even be an advantage!

Partners

I think that in a marriage, husband and wife should remember that they are partners in life. That everything they do now impacts the whole family unit, whether it's just the couple, or if there are already kids, even the kids. That's why we have to check on our strengths and weaknesses so that we can let the "expert" do what he/she does best. For example, I have very little knowledge about matters pertaining to cars. I do not even see the difference between a saturn outlook custom floor mats or an ordinary cheap mat, but my husband, while he is not really a mechanic could do simple repairs and critique the job of repair people. So car and handyman duties are his. On the other hand, I'm supposed to be the thriftier person, so I am in charge of the budget. Things like that. We try to do the best that we can as a couple so that our whole family can benefit.

Get a good photographer for your wedding

Ask any couple who has gotten married on what they would advise people to spend on and many would say that you should get a good photographer. And it certainly makes sense. Memories of that special day captured by a seasoned raleigh wedding photographer would make better keepsakes than random shots by amateurs. Morever, your guests are there to celebrate the occasion with you, so that should be their main focus -- enjoying your moment, and not be the ones to document the said occasion. Hired photographers can better capture the essence of the wedding without being distracted since that IS their job. So if you're planning a wedding, this is one area you should not scrimp on -- getting a good photographer. If you need to save, just get a labor only package and get the photo files; do away with the other parts of the photo package for now--you can get back to making a good photobook later.

Partners in marriage

I've been a bad blogger lately. There are just so many things happening lately that I could simply not keep up. Between an increased practice workload and increasingly hard-to-keep-up-with kids, there are just so many things I want to do but can't. I'm glad that my husband is a great partner, as we basically are a tag team in trying to keep up with our family's needs. And, of course, being different in some aspects help. For example, my husband is the handyman. Ask my about casters and I'll draw a blank stare. Ask my husband and you'll get a more decent answer. But ask me about what diapers are in supply and I can give you a straight answer...he can't. I guess one of the secrets of having a marriage that works is to have a healthy partnership. It can't work if only one person is the one doing everything and the other does nothing. I am not dictating what you should do with your marriage. The idea is that each partner has his/her own strengths and weaknesses and each should try to work together in maximizing strengths and minimizing the shortcomings in order to have a successful family life.

Trust issues with nannies

In one of my mailing lists, an online aquaintance was very disappointed with a helper that she thought was trustworthy but had stolen small amounts of money from her. It's really difficult to totally trust people these days. But then it's also difficult to do everything ourselves because, let's face it, we are only human and cannot do everything ourselves.

 One of my worries is leaving my kids with just the nannies. Our present nannies seem to be good and trustworthy, but with my online aquaintance's experience, somehow I get a bit scared. That's one of the reasons why we are still living here at my mother's, so that our kids will have grandma watching over them. Although of course this could not be a permanent arrangement. We know that someday we do have to move out. I'm thinking if security cameras would be a good enough measure if the nannies are home with the kiddies while me and hubby are away?

 Oh well, I guess there is no perfect setup. We just have to adjust to whatever situation we find us in. Good luck to us.

Thrifty kid?

This month was such a busy one for me. Last week was especially busy as I was preparing for my son's birthday. No, it wasn't a big celebration, just dinner but it turned out to be a bigger production than I thought it would be.

I like to think that we raised a kid who was also practical. We asked him if he wants a bigger celebration next year, since he will be turning 7 by then. He said yes, he wants McDonald's, lots of balloons and birthday party invitations for his guests. When I asked who he wants as guests, well, he basically just invited my family and my in-laws. We could bring to the toy store and leave without buying anything coz he's not the type who would bug you to buy him a toy. Thank goodness!

Good vacation

Everybody has a different view of a good vacation. Some people love looking at historical sites, touring old churches, buildings and landmarks. Some prefer the great outdoors, perhaps the beach with various water activities, some prefer hiking or mountaineering. Other people would prefer modern delights like amusement parks or for the older sets, maybe a casino. Still others prefer to relax in a luxurious hotel with the staff holding Concierge Jobs looking after their every need. Others prefer shopping till they drop. That's why it's sometimes difficult to find a good vacation spot that would cater to everybody. Because everybody's idea of fun is different. I guess for a family vacation, it's best to look for a place that may have activities that would cater to everybody. I guess that's why places like Subic are popular -- because they have a little bit of something for everybody -- the adventurous, the shopaholic, the nature tripper, the beach lover, the gambler etc. ...and of course, it's easier to have a vacation with fewer people. :)

Still technically homeless

Almost all Pinoys dream of one day owning their own hearth and home. But sadly, it's a difficult dream to achieve. I've been looking at ads, and if I find something that's suitable for our small family, it's out of our financial reach, even if I check city payday loans, PAG-IBIG loans or bank loans. Sigh.  If I find something that's within reach, I'd find that it's located far away from the city, far from our work and our kid's school.  Still not a practical option since we'll be spending a lot for gasoline (whose prices seem to be always moving UP) and toll (and they now impose MORE taxes.  Tsk tsk tsk.

So now, living with relatives, while needing to have to swallow some pride and to give up on decision making, is still the best option for now. Although if we find a place that's within our financial capacity and with a reasonable location, we'll get it.

I want to record TV programs but how?

I sometimes wish that we had one of these digital converters! It will be very useful for us. My brother used our VHS before, using old tapes over and over again, but now, our recorder/player has broken down and I don't know any place where it can be repaired.

My husband loves some TV shows like NCIS and some TV specials but he doesn't get to watch them. For several reasons -- the kids hog the TV, my little boy has to do his homework or study for his test, the program plays at an inconvenient time.

My kids also like certain cartoons, but I would really like to limit them to just a few shows and of course, if homework and tests are going to be done, TV will have to be deferred. We tried looking for DVDs of his favorite shows, but they don't seem to be available locally AND they are really expensive.

Maybe it will be more affordable in the months or years to come.  We'll wait for the time when we can finally afford them.  (Or if somebody has an idea where to buy this cheaply, please tell me.)