Undecorate

Something to further fuel my decorating obsession.
Undecorate by Christiane Lemieux - Excerpt

reading the fine print

I think i've mentioned something about insurance on this blog before.  recently though, i received an offer to invest in a life insurance policy that will also invest mutual funds on my behalf.  anyway, i knew enough about pre-need industries to refrain from signing the policy on the spot.  here's what i learned after i took home the papers and did a bit of reading, as well as questioning my dad:

1. the life insurance individuals usually get is for accidental death.  so guess what? if you die from some sort of cancer, from giving birth, etc--you're not protected!!!  depending on the details of your policy, you might not even be covered if you were murdered! i currently hold an accident and hospitalization insurance; at least they offer something like 2.5% of the premium if i do get murdered, provided that it is proven that i didn't provoke my being so. good to know, huh?

2. the hospitalization that your insurance policy covers doesn't include pregnancies or psych illnesses, among others.  so if i have risky pregnancies, i won't be covered.  well, at least they do cover cancers and other illnesses in this part.

3.  take a look at the asterisks! the first one notes that even if you agreed to pay a certain amount for, say, 10 years, there is a possibility you would be required to keep contributing for longer, should the funds not perform well at the time.  so right now, i'm computing in my head that i will contribute a little under Php 200,000 for this certain offer that i got. but in truth, i could end up paying more!  my dad has availed of many insurance policies--he got one which he supposedly had to pay over 20 years but because the funds didn't mature or something enough, it was extended to 30 years :S  of course, let's hope that this won't happen.  because if it doesn't then you would have availed of a bargain. see, my annual accident and hospitalization insurance costs me around P 2,400.  but if i pay, say, P110,000 for life insurance with pension and live up to the age of 88, i would've been paying P1,700 a year for the same coverage. that means you saved P700 a year for 65 years.  and they would give you a little bit monthly when you retire (although it won't amount to the contributions you made)

4.  regarding the mutual funds and other stock thingies (sorry, i'm not familiar with the technical jargon), there is ABSOLUTELY NO guarantee.  so even if the proposal illustrates the 4%, 8%, 10% interest, there is a chance that your investment could go up--but it can also go down, really really low.  however, if providence is on your side, things could also go really well for you.  when a certain insurance company became public here in the country, they offered the clients the chance to become stockholders.  they did really well at the time, and my dad ended up earning a lot!  but if you haven't been living a rock in the last 5 years, you will also have heard of the recession and how many insurance companies have gone broke, leaving their clients broke-r.

5. investing in an insurance policy is exactly like investing in the stock market--only put out what you're willing to lose. 'cause baby, it might not come back to you.  however, sometimes calculated risks really do pay off big time.  

6.  think about your financial goals.  that P 20,000 a year could be used for insurance and mutual fund investments, yes.  but giving up that portion of your salary could also prevent you from attaining your other goals which would have otherwise helped you move up.  also, when you avail of these packages, you're also paying for agents to manage your money.  but if you think you can do a better job of it and make it grow more, then why put it there?  i have an uncle who is an incredibly savvy businessman.  he doesn't have insurance--he channels the money towards his businesses instead, and that's why he gets richer every day.

7.  live within your means.  sure, you can pay for insurance.  but remember, they won't cover you if you die of starvation from trying to save up for that annual fee.

8.  assess your needs and responsibilities.  does your work put you at risk of accidents more than the average person?  are you responsible for supporting anyone?  if you answered yes, then i think investing in a good life insurance policy would be advantageous.  if no, well, maybe faith is enough of an insurance/assurance.

so, it's completely up to you whatever you decide.  i only hope this serves to enlighten you a little bit more, as it did me, and i hope that whatever you choose does work out great for you in the end :D toodles!

ate tin is getting married!!!!

i am so0o0ooooo excited! but i might have to wait for a year and a half more :( i can't wait to help with the planning and everything, to be a bridesmaid and, of course, to see the bride and groom. haaaaaaaaay!

anyway, she and i have been talking about wedding details all week long.  she showed me this great site which contains, among other things, this video of coco rocha.  note to self: get a really good wedding videographer.

Coco + James // Teaser from Americana Cinema on Vimeo.

whatever it takes

this girl is living my life!!! well, almost (i think my daughter and i will do other artsy fartsy stuff and not cook this much).  when am i gonna have the luxury of time (not to mention my own house in a serene neighborhood, and a husband and kids to match)?!? 

Martha's Vineyard photo taken from La Tartine Gourmande

anyway, i recently moved out...of the room i shared with two of my sisters. hahahaha. kala niyo kung ano, no?! if i had moved out of my parents' house, i assure you, i would've made a spectacle of it.  i think family members above the age of 20 should never be forced to reside in the same space for too long--unless you're trying to pool enough energy to create a nuclear explosion. 

so, i've been staying three nights at the guest room thus far.  never mind that the door has no lock and doesn't even close properly.  i'm not really after physical privacy or isolation, after all, although that tends to help one achieve some peace and quiet in her brain. it has been such a long time since i've had that, actually.  when i still stayed at the dorm, i could get that.  i could easily turn to face the wall while lying on the top bunk, and my roommates will respect my need for solitude.  here at home, trespassing is the name of the game.  i recall that there were times when i was in my lighter stages of sleeping when my mom would burst into the room asking about yet another trivial issue and, although i wish it weren't so, it has already become my instinct to answer her while half asleep.  so i do appreciate that the leash has been lengthened, albeit by a short amount.  beggars would do wise not to be too choosy.

you might be asking, "why didn't i transfer to the separate room sooner?"  well, i had considered that option countless times but refused to do so, even if my sisters' light night TV-watching caused me irreversible damage in the form of dark undereye circles.  i did this because i also didn't want to further increase the carbon footprint of the Martin household.  however, i have come to a decision that the situation deserved drastic measures.  but don't fret, dear Gaea!  i'm still doing my best to minimize the effect of my moving out on the deterioration of the earth and consumption of its resources.

for instance, whatever i can do downstairs, where the lights are already turned on, i do so before even entering my room.  and, i also only turn on the AC when i'm about to sleep, and make sure it goes off at 5am, even though i usually wake up at 630.  i also unplug all appliances when not in use.  what's good about being alone, though, is having no distractions--hence, i am able to finish whatever it is i'm doing, whether it's writing in my journal or editing Jovy's book, at a much more efficient pace.

and what is the connection of all this rambling to the blog? well, moolah, of course. being the wannabe adult that i am, i'm bent on paying my parents for the extra electric consumption that will be caused by this step towards preserving my sanity, er...towards independence, i mean.  i'm praying to the heavens above that it doesn't set me back too much because i still have a lot of things to pay for too: future studies/projects/gadgets i'll be needing for said projects, sustenance, future independent living, and hwa rang do, among many others.  i realized that if i factor in the hwa rang do classes (a recent addition thanks to my choir-mate), the interior designer's fee that i offered to pay half of, and the additional lodging expenses, i will only have saved around 40% of my salary!  and i also realized that it's almost impossible for me to move out of the house on my current income alone.

but i'm not gonna let all these roadblocks stop me.  i think it is extremely important for myself to experience being fully self-supporting, no matter the heights i need to scale just to do so.  there are so many singles out there who don't contribute to the household and end up even burdening their old folks, and i don't want to be part of that group.  i remember asking some people why they hadn't moved out yet--almost all of whom answered that it was too magastos.  no offense you guys but, seriously? that is a lame-ass, selfish reason which i have no intention of using EVER.  my goal is to move out between the age of 25 and 28 and, unless, by some misfortune, my family needs me to stay at home (i.e. someone gets sick and i have to be the glorified katulong), i'm sticking to that goal no matter what. 

Photo Credit: Charlie Schuck/Getty Images

PS - what i do miss about sharing a room with my sisters are the spontaneous, giddy conversations.  admittedly, there have been less and less of those, but i still want that in my life.  maybe i'll have to visit the other room every now and then :D

PPS - i'm always on the hunt for future apartment options so if you have any suggestions, that would be super!  i don't mind flatmates either, as long as the space wasn't designed for hobbits.

Pampanga roadtrip part 1: recession depression

my dad, mom, brother, and i went to Pampanga yesterday.  it's been a while since we went out of town--excluding the biannual trips to Cauayan--perhaps because the three of them have been quite focused on Charlie's education the last few years.  anyway, we were supposed to have lunch at C, which is this authentic Italian restaurant that foodies and socialites galore like to visit.  if you're asking me whether my family and i can be categorized into either, well, i wouldn't know myself.  now, here's a note to all of you planning to have lunch at a specific place--make sure you find out what the operating hours are! as luck would have it, the restaurant opens at 5pm on Mondays.  we had to settle for lunch at the nearby Marquee mall instead. 

 

before we went to Marquee, we dropped by the Mimosa Golf Club in Clark, which my dad has shares of.  it had been a long time since we last stayed there; i still remember how my siblings and i eagerly anticipated summer, if only so we could stay for a night or two at one of the villas in Mimosa.  well, when we got there, i realized that the place had changed drastically since our last visit a decade ago.  gone are the pristine white walls of the villas, some of which are now left in various states of dilapidation and disrepair.  and find out later that the various pools near the villas have also been removed and the only swimming facility left is the one in the main hotel.  no more sight of the kids' playhouse where the best UFO catcher in the country was either (you get as many chances as you need to claim a prize).  my dad says that when Erap took over the reigns, blinded by greed, he mandated that the government take over the estate's casinos.  naturally, like everything else the government handles, the management of the casino went awry (probably thanks to the leeches) and shares plummeted from P1.8 M to P300,000 in a span of a year.  it wasn't even a year since my old man bought his share for P1.2 before this happened.  now, he's stuck paying dues every month, hoping that the stock will go up so he can sell it to someone else with, if not a profit or at cost then, at the least, minimal loss.  here's another note: unless you have tons of cash, don't invest in luxury stocks. (sorry, i don't know the exact term).  it's safer to invest in shares of companies supplying basic needs, although less risk also means less profit. it's really up to you though.

after the detour, we went to Marquee where we had lunch at the foodcourt, of all places! Lucia's sisig or something, which apparently is the specialty sisig in the place.  we had sisig, chicharong bulaklak (yumyum), adobong kangkong, ang liempong manok (the last one is from Bacolod Chicken Inasal though).  my mom kept teasing that my dad saved a huge amount at lunch today, so we pigged out all day to compensate for it.

dessert at FIC Summer Cafe: my mom had raspberry rapture, i had the chocolate mint chip ice cream with, weirdly enough, berries

 

Charlie and dad both had yogurt

before we went home, we ate at Cinnabon.  my parents had coffe mocha with the tiny tiny cinnamon rolls.  charlie and i had pecanbons--mine in caramel, his was chocolate.

later that day, ate cla treated us to dinner at Italianni's in the relatively new hangout place, Centris.  we also had yogurt at Tutti Frutti where, once again, my dad cooked up one of his many business intentions--this time, to open a self-serve yogurt place somewhere in Ateneo.  my sister and i are game for it (we'll quit our jobs), although i want more plain flavors i.e. greek, french vanilla, while they all want the fruity, outlandish ones.  i swear, my business idea will click better. hahahahaha.

spending on what matters

whoa, it's been a while since a serious post on this site, huh? i've been so busy that writing about frugality has completely left my mind.  although this is so, i like to think that i managed to maintain my xprodigal philosophy amidst the chaos.

that being said, i must admit that i've spent so much in the recent month! huhuhu.  but i am proud to say, nevertheless, that all those expenses more or less were on things and events that really matter to me and my goal.  i think there are many types of frugality--one of which is really just about spending as little money as possible, but the other being about watching what you spend on and only shelling out on things that really matter to you.

for me, what matters right now is helping other people (and not just spoonfeeding them, but helping them help themselves), spending time with my family and friends and letting them know i care about them, and achieving my dream and mission of spreading His word through art.  so when it's a really good cause that i know will go a long way, when it's a little something something that will enable me to have quality bonding time with my loved ones, or when it's for my artistic/evangelistic pursuits, that's when i spend.  because that is the entire purpose of money anyway--not to be stored in a bank to earn interest or used to buy stocks in the market.  it's not even to buy a perfect pair of comfortable yet oh-so-beautiful shoes.  simply put, money is just supposed to make this world a better place.

so, what matters to you?!?  and how can your wad of cash benefit this universe?

Values as true wealth

i read a wonderful article about Warren Buffett's son, Peter, discussing the greatest gift his father (one of the richest men in the world) ave him.  hint: it ain't money.  it was the way they raised him and the values they taught him.

- his parents didn't give him everything he wanted, even though they could have
- they showed him the different situations other people were in
- they encouraged him to find and pursue his own passion, rather than insisting he follow in his father's footsteps
- they taught him to take pride in his own accomplishments, rather than depending on those of his father's to give him a sense of self-respect
- they taught him the importance of iving back to the world

"Economic prosperity may come and go; that's just how it is," he writes in the book. "But values are the steady currency that earn us the all-important rewards."

spending other people's money

i got into yet another semi-heated debate with my parents last week on our way to the movies (Clash of the Titans). the reason: when to spend and when to save.

i forgot how it started; all i remember was that, all of a sudden, my dad was further corrupting my brother's set of values by saying that he should spend/buy when others are paying, but save/scrimp when he's using his own money.

naturally, i had to give everyone within a kilometer radius my two cents worth.  see, the main difference with me and my brother is the person/s who raised us.  my mother almost single-handedly raised my three older sisters and myself, whereas my dad was more hands-on when he finally had the XY offspring.  now, my dad is a good man, truly one of the best in my life.  but good men have their flaws too, and my father is no exception.  i'm afraid, now that he is nearing retirement and no longer needs to pay for the matriculation of five children (just one left), he has become lax with his spending habits.  yes, he is entitled to the fruits of his labor, God knows he has been working his ass off ever since he was a little pauper in Isabela.  but i fear that his new paradigms on money matters are not something you would want to pass onto a 16-year old. 

see, i was raised by my stingy mother and, early on, i learned the value of money and hard work if i wanted any of the former.  even as a child, i felt ashamed to ask for anything, knowing that asking my mom for that new Barbie doll in Duty Free would earn me a painful pinch in the groin, and i would have to endure the humiliation of crying like a girl AND not getting a toy, while my cousins played with theirs.

i realized that i had to work hard if i wanted anything.  my aunt told me that when i was really really young, i once tried to pass around envelopes in my father's clinic.  the envelopes were marked "Abuloy para kay Kat".  i don't even recall doing that!! i only found that out sometime in October 2008, when I was in Chicago and visited that aunt of mine.  i guess i thought abuloy was another word for donations. haha.  my dad then predicted that i would grow up to be independent.  and i did.

during early elementary, i would spend summers hanging out at my dad's clinic in Isabela, selling snacks i made with my cousins to the waiting patients.  one year, i sold perfume for my aunt and ended up spraying some on my eye when i was supposed to spritz some on my dad's nurse--i ended up with an eyepatch for three days! everybody called me "sharp shooter".  in sixth grade, i was introduced to the art of beading and jewelry making and, from then until my mid-college years, i was making trinkets and selling them, or giving them as gifts instead of buying the more expensive but less pretty ones.  when i grew tired of the beadwork, i capitalized on my knack for English by teaching Koreans to speak it, and teaching them well, if i may brag.

it was hard work, yes, but i am proud to have learned to not depend on others for material things and, even better, to have the means to help out those who aren't as financially independent yet.

well, that was how my mom raised me.  but now my dad comes in and practically tells charlie "spend all our hard-earned money; just don't waste yours!"  it's only another way of saying he had best depend on my parents instead of learning to respect how difficult it is to earn such and thereby using it wisely.  i don't want my brother to become the annoying dude who keeps asking everyone "libre" and who engages in toxic, wasteful spending, just because it isn't his money he's wasting anyway.  we already have enough of them in the government!

my motto is to only spend what's necessary, and be extra careful when spending other people's cash too (what if they're in a financial crisis right now and are just too shy to back out on a promised treat,etc.?).  and as for your own, i wouldn't recommend wasting it all either, just because it's yours and you worked hard for it, but i would say spend on what you believe is right and well-deserved.

what do you think? what's your spending paradigm? i'd love to hear from you.

GOO: Gluttony, Obesity, and the Outback

so, i guess my dad pitied me a bit and we ended up having dinner at Outback in Libis with my Tita Jona and cousin Sheina instead of at Shangri-La.  also, ate Con offered to split the bill, which was good for me! anyway, she needed to make 10 transactions on her HSBC card this month so she can get a free Timex watch. cool huh? and the best part is, there's no minimum! so i advised her to go to the grocery every now and then, and buy something worth a P100. haha.

during dinner, Charlie kept teasing me that he'd get all the expensive dishes to maximize the (rare) treat from yours truly.  good thing he didn't, although we did order a bunch of desserts. yummy!  ate Cla ordered a drink though. take note people: if you want to save on dinner, skip the shakes and other juices.  they're the items in the menu with the highest mark-ups! my dad's Coke Zero in a can cost something like P106, while ate's four seasons shake cost P150.  of course, feel free to splurge every now and then, especially if it's something you've never tried before.  denying yourself all the time is never good, trust me.  i know someone who does so, and now she either regrets it or blames everyone else for her doing so.  or both.  but remember, gluttony is a sin. hahaha. and it makes you fat and unhealthy and then that gives you low self-esteem and a bunch of other problems. moderation is key.  just think of the Spice Girls singing "Too Much" and you'll have a much easier time of keeping your intake in check.

if i have to hear people complain how fat they are one more time, i might go berserk!  i have a confession to make. one of my top pet peeves is gluttony.  i think the obesity crisis that has beset a huge part of the world is due to gluttony and selfishness. and frankly, i am annoyed that there are so many diets or exercise routines or counseling sessions devoted to this.  if people would just know when to stop and give the rest of their food to the needy, they wouldn't be having this problem anymore! they'd be helping other people and themselves in the process.  but the problem is, we live in a world that teaches us to want, want, want and to buy, buy, buy.  so, hear me out when i say "drop that 10th cookie!"

oops, sorry for the ranting.  i don't hate people who are overweight, mind you.  some of the kindest people i know are.  being overweight is not purely a problem of the gluttons too--many people experience it.  people with hormonal problems, people who were just born with those set of genes, the list goes on.  but there are some people, not all, who are overweight because they overeat.  i hope you hear me out.  the next time you're on the verge of getting that shake probably loaded with corn syrup, or the next time you order something because it looks yummy, even though you're already full, think of all the people who are starving in our country and across the globe.  your not eating surely won't do them any good, but maybe you can pool your savings and figure out a way to help them out.

i come across a lot of people everyday who say they don't have enough resources to help the impoverished.  but i believe that that is never true, not even for the lowliest and humblest of us.  we just need to ask ourselves what on earth we are here for.  are we here to have fun, to eat, play, and be merry all the time?  or are we here to lend each other a helping hand, and find happiness in that?  your stomach will only be full for some time.  but your heart and your soul can be full for a lifetime.

happy birthday dad!!

it is my dad's birthday today :)

i have decided to treat the family to dinner (dad's choice of resto) as a gift to him.  after all, there isn't much that i can give my dad--he's way richer than me and can afford to buy what he likes anyway.  but he does enjoy eating and, although he can and usually does pick up the tab, i figured it would make him feel special if someone else offered to do so, just for a change.

so, when i greeted him a while ago and told him dinner would be my treat, he immediately said he wanted to eat in Shangri-La (the hotel, not the mall). Yikes!! I'm sure dinner will cost me at least half my monthly salary. huhuhu.  but hey, it's worth it!!  if i think it's an investment to buy a P4k pair of black pumps from Naturalizer, then i'm sure as hell that spending double that for my family is a wise choice.

boy, i sure am glad that i'm quite prudent when it comes to my lifestyle--i know i can actually afford to treat my family to seafood buffet at Heat or somewhere without getting buried in credit card debt.  stick with me to help find a balance between fabulosity and frugality.  'til next time!