SISTERS BOND

Yesterday, my two sister came over. My Ate Susan picked up Tintin, my niece (she's living with me) and Marie my little sister, we had some blogging lessons. I had her adsense approved already so all we do now is teach her to start blogging.

She was hesitant at first because she dont know where to start and she had no idea what to blog about. All she want to do here actually is to check on her facebook and chat with whoever online friends she have. I told her, you are wasting your time with that. Why dont you just make a photoblog of yourself. Upload your pictures on your blog and then put your adsense to it and tell everyone about your photo album online!!!

So she logged on blogger.com and created her first photo blog. I will put it here when shes done with it because until now all she had made was a title and a URL for her blog. no contents yet. But I'm pretty sure she will make it.

AN OLD FRIEND.

I had a chat with a friend yesterdey thru facebook. He's a high school friend. I told him I got the adsense approval already and of course he was also happy to hear about it. He said he wants to start blogging also and asked me how to do it.

So I told him to start with a google account. After a few minutes of no reply on our chatbox, he finally said Im done with a gmail account now whats next? I said, start a blog. I recommended Blogger.com. "How about adsense?" he asked. I told him to apply via indyarocks.com because thats where i got approved. He didnt get what I mean at once because he havent applied for it until now. However, here is his blog I want to share with my readers because he is really good in writing and I admire him for having lots of words in his head. Hes got a great future in blogging. Kudos to you dencii, and welcome to blogosphere!!!

TROUBLED

I started to learn this blogging thing since last december 2009. Hoping to earn passively. Aiming to be financially free and praying to be of help to my husband in raising our kids. I never had a job since I graduated college. But we started a business though. An Internet Cafe. I dont have any idea about blogging then so I get into online games and social networks instead of earning that early from blogging.

Now its been 2 months and im still learning. I get to explore the net. learning from my classmates in an online Internet Marketing Workshop. I still dont have the google adsense approval but im not quitting on re applying again. Everytime I receive a rejection, I immediately make another email account and sign up again.

I've been into affiliate marketing, pay-to-click ads, referral programs, etc. The good thing about this is that all are FREE signing up. A lot better than joining the real Networking Business where you get to be a member by paying a certain amount. 

I'm not also a good writer. I'm not good in grammars and all. I just go and hit the keyboard and write and everytime i saw some red zigzag line under a word or a sentence I just ignore them! lol! but this wont make me stop blogging. I can copy and paste some articles from other people anyway. but i dont like to do them all the time. I still want my  blogs to be more informative on my own little way of research and opinions.

Of all my three feeling active blogs, this blog is the only 100% pure mine because of my inputs. i've been promoting my Personal Finance Blog on social networks but until this morning where I saw another personal finance blog that i became insecure. and started questioning myself, "Am I doing the right thing on my blog?" Well, I love my blog of course because its my first superwoman themed blog. but content-wise and experience wise, I feel like im not the person who should be blogging about personal finance since I myself dont know how to manage my personal finance either. Or should I just think of it on the other side where I know nothing about personal finance and will make this blog to research more about it, learn from it, apply it, and share it to the world? That line feels better.

My dog blog is.. well.. my husbands. He is the one who is into dogs actually. so that is just going to be my sales blog of our puppies online...

So this blog, this is mine, showing the real me. my thoughts, my life, my everything that I can share the world with (so general noh? world agad hehe). and even if no one would read this, i would still continue this blog for this is my journal and with or witout earnings im keeping it...

LOWERING THE MONTHLY GROCERY BILL

By: D Beart 

Do you ever wonder how in the world you spend so much on groceries? If so, you are not alone. Each day millions of people just like you are scouring the internet for tips and tricks to lowering the monthly grocery bill. Groceries are astronomical and there is one sure fire way to achieve this that is almost too simple to be true! But it is!

The trick is to NEED LESS. When you grocery shop you are actually being subjected to so many subliminal sales messages and marketing pressures that you spend more actually believing you saved money some how. Buy one get one free, bulk loads of food that are cheaper and sales or coupons, end cap impulse buys and new or special deals are everywhere. They are hard to resist because they are capitalizing on your desire to save money but in the long run you are actually spending more. If you go to the grocery store, armed with a list of items that you actually need and commit to it, you can easily feed a family of 4 for much less than you spend now.

The other thing that costs tons of money is the convenience factor. Packaged foods, perfect for sending to school with the kids are up to ten times more per unit price than a whole bag of off brand chips and some Ziploc baggies. It might not be as easy, but the extra 60 seconds it takes to pack up some goodies for a kid’s lunch can be worth hundreds of dollars spread out over a year’s time. The same goes for meal deals that make dinnertime a snap. They might be easier, but you are paying for those easy to open cans and bags nutritionally and otherwise.

Another way to lower your grocery bill is to idealize a per meal budget. If you decide that spending $10 a day on food for your family is enough then try to shop when you have some extra time to make that so. You may find that tuna sandwiches for lunch and some chicken drumsticks with macaroni and cheese for dinner can cost much less. If you spend too much per meal you are essentially spending just as much as it takes to eat out three times a day. When you consider $10 a day for food, that means it is only costing about two and half bucks per person to eat for an entire day (based on a family of 4). That isn’t really that expensive.

Coupons can also save a heap of money. More than likely you have tried all the grocery shopping sites that help you to get groceries for free when you mix coupons with sales and rebates, but you don’t even have to do that. Clipping coupons, scanning ads and timing your shopping to a tee can be time consuming and your time is money as well. Just be sure that when you clip a coupon it is for an item you really need, already like or prefer to have in your pantry. Often coupons are available on items that are overstocked or that aren’t moving through the stores well hoping people will be excited by the thought of getting a dollar off. Additionally, many grocery stores actually raise the price of something before it goes on sale or before a coupon comes out. If you clip the coupon for items you use everyday anyways you will at least know that your dollar has been saved. If possible shop during times that offer double coupons.

Another way to save money is to be frugal when it comes to meats. Realize that just because something is cheaper per pound doesn’t mean it will cost you less. Likely the grease or bones will cause you to need twice as much in order to make a meal. It is better to pay ten to twenty cents more per pound for healthy, lean means that won’t disappear into a pile of grease. Additionally, if you can hit grocery stores early in the morning, many of the meats that are about to past date are available and can be had for half the cost. When it comes to meats you can spend a lot of money and shopping around from store to store and watching ads is important. If you can stock up on these staple items when they are on sale buying an extra freezer will eventually pay for itself.

The last bit of advice is to reevaluate your needs versus wants. What is really important to you? Would you rather have name brand shampoo or laundry detergent or can you curve spending in these areas to accommodate otherwise. Do you really need 20 cans of soup that will take up space in the cabinets and will your family really eat a 30 pound bag of potatoes before they sprout roots. So much of what you buy is probably wasted which is just as good as throwing money in the trash. While having a stocked fridge and pantry feels good, it really is unnecessary. When many of us shop thinking we need something the reality is we have plenty of food around the house to prepare some creative and well balanced meals for our family. Wanting things and needing things are not the same and lowering the monthly grocery bill can be as simple as taking inventory on your emotional spending while at the grocery store.

Realize that just because something is cheaper per pound doesn’t mean it will cost you less. Likely the grease or bones will cause you to need twice as much in order to make a meal.

David Beart runs the Professors House. Our family based site covers everything from finances to raising children, health, nutrition and marriage advice.

Source: http://www.articledashboard.com/Article/Lowering-the-Monthly-Grocery-Bill/1365460

HOME BUDGET SOFTWARE

In trying to make your life much easier financially, you have to focus on advise from professionals who have helped those get out of debt and live within their means. So there is a few steps that a software that some people have used has been able to help them focus on the importance of their personal financials. Here are a few steps that the software will help in; first you will know how you spend your money. What it will do is start with evaluating your current expenses and how much money you have left to spend.
The next step is it will help you become a better money manager by helping you categorize all your transactions and quickly spot areas that you are spending money quicker than other areas. It will show all of your total expenses and income in charts and graphs that make sense. Next, it will help you set up budget goals and help you achieve them. This means it will track you budget progress anywhere or anytime even on your phone. And finally, it alerts you if your accounts are getting low or available credit you have to help from not overspending. Moneystrands is a great money system program to help you live within your means.

check out HOME BUDGET SOFTWARE it will definitely help you a lot!!!

PARALYZED

yeah.. i feel like paralyzed today. its been a week since i gave birth and i still cant help my husband in the store. i still cant walk that much. something is aching inside of me whenever i took a step. maybe its really a part of it but i really wanna help everybody. and im not used to staying in out room the whole day and will just come out when i need to pee or poop or eat and thats all. its pretty boring though i have the laptop here with me and of course baby ashly. but productivity wise, im so useless...

husband didnt sleep last night. he stayed awake calling the globe hotline because their system is down and there are a lot of customers waiting for their loads to arrive. he is so dead tired. 

and i cant do anything about it.....

:(

WHAT DOES RICH WOMAN STAND FOR?

As I was browsing the net for more infos on personal finance, I bumped into this website called "RICH WOMAN". I wasn't aware that Robert Kiyosaki, the Rich Dad Poor Dad author also has a powerful best-selling author wife - Kim Kiyosaki. I am so greatful to have found this out and there is so much to learn on this website about being financially free. I immediately signed up and did some clicking and reading on the site. Its very informative and uplifting to achieve your goals. 

Check this out @ http://www.richwoman.com 

What is a Rich Woman? I often hear women say, “I’m rich in spirit,” “I’m rich in family and friends,” “My life experiences make me rich.” I agree with each of these interpretations. However, I don’t agree with this comment: “I lead a very rich life, but I have no money.”

The Rich Woman philosophy supports all the above statements, except the last one. You can argue about it, which is fine, but it’s just not the Rich Woman philosophy. When we talk about Rich Woman, we talk openly about money, investing, cash flow, and taking charge of your financial life.

Why? Because the bottom line is that money has tremendous power. It has the power to set us free, but it also has the power to enslave us. Money enslaves us by keeping us in an unhealthy relationship because of the money, sending us to a job that we don’t like every day for the paycheck, or causing us to deny ourselves things important to us because we lack the money to buy them. Rich Woman is about setting women free.

In the Rich Woman point of view,
a woman cannot be free until she is financially free.

Financial independence begins with a rich mindset. A Rich Woman has a healthy attitude towards money. She doesn’t make excuses if she doesn’t have it. She doesn’t vilify those who do have it. Money, by itself, is not good or bad, it’s just money. How people use their money is most often what causes controversy.

I define money very simply. Money is freedom. It allows me to do what it is I truly want to do. It allows me to give my gifts and my talents as I was meant to give them.

Money is a very powerful tool, and when women take charge of their money, they take charge of their lives – and magic happens.

GOOD MORNING.

i had the best morning today this year so far because he kissed me three times and hugged me. that seldom happens. my husband is not the showy kinda guy. he never say i love you that much and we are not the "holding hands while walking" type of couple. we are not the itsy bitsy sweetsie lovers. but this morning, what just happened was amazing. so little gestures that really means a lot.. a lot more than a thousand iloveyous and hours of holding hands...

i really am so forever will be in love with my husband..

How to Get the Best Dog Pen

By Mark Gladstone

If you desire to supply ample space to your dog where he can run all over and play without running into you each time. Dog owners who would look into acquiring this are people that do not have sufficient space in their backyard or those who do not have a fence to secure their property. In both these situations, you can go ahead and get your puppy his own pen.

Nearly all of the designs are produced from tough components that will stand the wear and tear of time as well as the habitual attack of the pet if he feels like it. A majority of these pens are also effortless to put away, just fold them up and everything should be prepared for storage.

It is possible to pick ones that offer a large enough room to your dog or just get one for a relatively small puppy. It is possible to select the kind of dog pen according to your wants, for example, you'll be able to get a dog pen meant for the outside the house and you are able to also find a puppy pen intended only for indoors.

The majority of of these dog pens are going to be created from long lasting fabric that contains various patterns. These are excellent for keeping in your puppies during times when you really don't want them to become running all over the property. Just make certain that you simply check out the price so that you will recognize what to expect.

As soon as your puppy gets used to the dog pen, he'll immediately go in it whenever you ask him to. It's going to turn into a sign of security for your pet and he may even stop barking so much while inside and just learn to get pleasure from it.

Most of the time, you need to be capable to have the pen assembled yourself. You have all the parts you require and you must put it together. It's uncomplicated to set up and you're able to move it about on your own without having any headaches.

To discover more useful stuff on getting one of these products, go to this site: Puppy Pen. If you have a larger dog, go here: Dog Pen. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mark_Gladstone

MASTER PERSONAL FINANCE BASICS

By Ariel Pryor 


Managing your money effectively provides incredible rewards in your life, including more free time to pursue your interests, better means to help your loved ones, travel etc. Yet I am constantly surprised at how many people have not been taught the rudiments of finance, the personal finance basics that if followed undoubtedly lead to increase and wealth. Let's cover some of these personal finance basics that will serve you well as you begin your life of healthy financial management.

The first rule of personal finance and most basic precept that must be absorbed for successful money management is to believe that managing your money is important and deserves focus and energy. You are capable of managing your own money, and making sound financial decisions with your own given common sense. Finance and money management is not magic, it is not so complicated as necessitating a high paid expert to tell you how to spend your money. Develop your own common sense money instincts and then follow them over the advice of any others, ultimately you are responsible for your personal finances.

The next personal finance rule is to focus on spending less than you make and earning more than you do today. Personal finance basics are all about discipline, and setting yourself on a long term track for growth with sound financial habits. Set yourself up for success with a constant focus on reducing your monthly spending and increasing how much you make. This should be a constant, lifelong, focus and worth of your effort. Learn the use of budgeting and projecting as tools to help you understand your financial present, past, and future.

The next basic rule of personal finances that will lead to your success is to make understanding how money works important in your life. Dedicate a little time in your life to understand the various financial instruments, investment tools, and successful business practices that exist today. In creating wealth you will have extra savings in need of investment and you should know what the options are available to you. Mastery of personal finance basics will lead you to more advanced financing techniques, constantly expand your capabilities.

Finally, it is essential to give back, and learn the power of giving. A tried and tested staple of personal finance is the incredible rewards of giving. Create excess in your life and then freely help those in your life you can, when you can, with money, charitable donations or other tools. Why it works, this article on the basics of personal finances is too short to cover, but giving 10% of what you make each month will bring back much more.

In summary, master the personal finance basics, your life depends on it.

Ariel Pryor is a consumer credit expert who helps people with Bad Credit to find financing with loans and or credit options despite their credit history. Let me help you get back on track to wealth building, check out Bad Credit Loans. Let me help rebuild and get back to the financial rewards you deserve. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ariel_Pryor

EMERGENCY FUND

Everyone should have an emergency fund. Advisers suggest having enough savings in an easily accessible account to cover your living expenses for three to six months. This financial safety net will give you peace of mind about how you'll meet your most basic financial obligations in the event of illness, job loss, or other serious emergency. The fund can also be used for unplanned expenses such as major house or car repairs, or medical costs not covered by insurance.

Now that you have a budget in place, you can easily calculate how much money you'd need to cover your basic, no-frills living expenses if you had a sudden loss income. Write down your goal for your emergency fund and decide on an amount to contribute to each month, using the "pay yourself first" rule. If you may, keep the fund in a separate account, so you are less tempted to dip into it. Since emergency fund might be needed without notice, they should be kept in liquid accounts  that are easy to cash in quickly.

Decide on a percentage of your income to designate as savings. Planners suggests 10 percent, but if 8 or 5 percent is all you can handle, start with that. Set up a separate savings account.

If you feel forced to dip into your savings in an emergency, consider it a loan. If you can't pay it all back at once, set up a repayment plan and pay yourself as though it were a regular bill. Otherwise, you may never replenish your savings.

THE FOURTH DAY

hello.

i already gave birth! yey!!! thats why i wasnt able to blog for a few days. i gave birth to a healthy baby girl last february 11, 2010 at 9:26AM Philippine time. Her name is LOIS ASHLY F. DE GUZMAN. Named after her lolos (Lory and Luis). She is so lovely and adorable. She got daddys nose. and i think her lips was mine. and lolo lorys beautiful dimples. skin is as white as lola sary and as sensitive too. i cant tell bout her eyes yet. but the shape of her head looks like her ate emilys when she was that young.

today is her fourth day old. im having a hard time breastfeeding her. i believe i have plenty of milk because my bewbs is very hard and sore. but when she sips, its so excruciating! i feel like my nipple is going to fall off! i've been biting a lot of towels whenever shes going to suck up my milk. so i decided to use a breast pump and just bottle feed her with my milk.

and here is my new lovely angel..

DUE DATE

today is my due date. but my baby didn't come out. i cant wait to see her already. i have an appointment to my OB-GYNE tomorrow. she said that if i dont gave birth today, she will schedule another ultrasound for my baby tomorrow. so im gonna see my baby again and hopefully i can record her in a video this time. i also hope that i could make emily to come inside so she would see her baby sister.

BDO VIRTUAL CARD

My Husband received a BDO VIRTUAL CARD today. I really have no idea what this card is all about. The courier said that it is a credit card. So I researched this over the net and found this on the BDO Website under the Credit Cards Section

BDO Virtual Card
Ready to shop ONLINE!

Now, online shopping is just a click away with the BDO Virtual Card – with added benefits suited to your online purchasing needs.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is BDO Virtual Card?
BDO Virtual Card is a virtual credit line for use in virtual environments like the Internet. You’re given a credit line that’s part of your BDO credit card credit limit. You’re also assigned a different card number to protect your regular card number and credit line. 

How does the use of BDO Virtual Card protect me?
Your BDO Virtual Card has a different card number from your regular credit card number so you don’t use your existing credit card data in the Internet preventing data interception or misuse. You also have a smaller credit line. This limits your exposure as the full regular credit line will not be compromised. 

What is my BDO Virtual Card credit limit and how does it work?
Your BDO Virtual Card’s credit limit is only a sub-limit of your BDO credit card account. This virtual credit line is the maximum amount that you can use for your internet transactions. Each time you use your virtual credit line, you also reduce your BDO credit card’s available regular credit limit. Being only a sub-limit of your regular credit limit, your line availability for internet use depends on your available regular credit limit. If your regular credit limit has been maxed out, you can no longer use your virtual credit line until your available regular credit limit frees up.

Your virtual credit line is the same every month even if the internet transactions in the previous months are not paid in full, for as long as your regular credit card has an available credit limit.

It is initially pre-assigned but you have the option to have it reduced or increased according to your online purchasing needs. Simply call the BDO Customer Contact Center at 631-8000 to request for an increase/decrease in your virtual credit line. 

 

Will I be given a card for my account?
You will be given a reference card. This will help you remember your virtual card number as you transact online. Your BDO Virtual Card is only a reference card and may not be used to make purchases in regular stores where a credit card plastic is required to be presented for payment.

The BDO Virtual Card may not be used for “Dual Mode” transactions meaning transactions where items purchased over the internet that subsequently require presentment of a physical credit card bearing the same account number as the virtual card used to make the online purchase. 

How much is the annual fee for the BDO Virtual Card?
Your BDO Virtual Card is FREE with your regular BDO MasterCard credit card. So long as you keep your BDO credit card active and in good standing, your BDO Virtual Card remains active as well. 

Will I earn loyalty points for my transactions with my BDO Virtual Card?
Yes, you will continue to earn loyalty points in the same spend-to-point value as your regular BDO MasterCard credit card. 

How will I be billed for my BDO Virtual Card transactions?
Your BDO Virtual Card transactions will be reflected in your regular monthly billing statement. All your transactions will be billed in Philippine Pesos. However, If your regular BDO credit card a Dual Currency card, you will receive separate billing statements for your local and international transactions. All your transactions in currencies other than Philippine Peso will be billed in US Dollars and will be reflected in your Dollar Monthly Billing Statement. This is separate from your transactions in the local currency billed in Philippine Peso and reflected in your Peso Monthly Billing Statement. Your Dollar Monthly Billing Statement will have the same statement cut-off as your Peso Monthly Billing Statement. 

What will I do if my BDO Virtual Card reference card gets lost or stolen?
Simply call the BDO Customer Contact Center at 631-8000 so your virtual card account may be blocked immediately. You will be given a new virtual card account number and reference card. 

 

 

SOURCE: https://www.clg.bdo.com.ph/CLG/site/cc-virtual.html

CREDIT CARD

From Wikipedia.org - A credit card is part of a system of payments named after the small plastic card issued to users of the system. It is a card entitling its holder to buy goods and services based on the holder's promise to pay for these goods and services.The issuer of the card grants a line of credit to the consumer (or the user) from which the user can borrow money for payment to a merchant or as a cash advance to the user. Usage of the term "credit card" to imply a credit card account is a metonym.

I have two credit cards. One is my BDO Shopmore Mastercard which is for my personal use and the other one is a supplementary card from my husband that is for our emergency household needs. Whenever I get to use these two cards, I make it a point that I'll be able to pay the outstanding balance after I received the bill in order to save from the finance charge that the bank could get from me if I paid only the minimum payment required.

My husbands card has a renewal fee of 2,400 this year. We inquired about how we can remove that renewal fee ( if there is a way of waving it) Good thing that they offer a free renewal fee if you purchased an amount of 5000 from January - February for this year. So we used the card to buy Emilys milk, some medicines, diapers, and groceries. We immediately informed the bank about the amount that we purchased and then when they verified it, our application in waving the renewal fee is approved.... another way of minimizing the spending and maximizing the use of credit cards wisely...

NEW PUPPIES - PUG

we have a new puppy!!!

From Dogs and Puppies from a Responsible Breeder in the Philippines

From Dogs and Puppies from a Responsible Breeder in the Philippines

From Dogs and Puppies from a Responsible Breeder in the Philippines

FAMILY DAY

Today is Emilys family day event in school. It is held at La Consolacion College Gym - Manila.

2 CM

i went to my OB-GYNE today and she said that i am 2 CM already. she advised to go to the mall tomorrow and take a walk haha! tomorrow is emilys "Family Day". Hope i could still make it up to the end without spoiling my daughters first school event with us around.

there's a special prize for the most number of family members to come. sadly, im not expecting to get the prize because my parents wont be able to come. only nhil me, and tintin will come. we are all going to wear yellow shirts.

BLOGGING.

I decided to start blogging basically to just earn dollars.. I dont have any idea what to blog. I googled a lot about blogging, internet marketing and anything related to earning money online. I enrolled in an Online Internet Marketing Workshop to gain more knowledge and realized to take this blogging and internet marketing seriously.

I applied for an adsense account a number of times but i havent had the approval that i've been wishing for since i started blogging. I had a few blogs already in different topics which includes dog breeding, personal finance, gospels, and internet marketing. I am on my 40th week of pregnancy and im still awake at 2am here in the Philippines. Blogging.

FIRST RULE.

PAY YOURSELF FIRST. This is the first rule in personal finance. In preparing your spending plan, make savings an expense category, with a set amount that you pay to yourself monthly when you pay your bills. Don’t plan your savings around what’s left over when you paid everything else. Chances are, there won’t be anything there.

If you are in your twenties or thirties, give yourself the biggest gift you can by paying yourself first with every salary. Treat yourself to secure a retirement – one where you’ll be able to afford to buy yourself someday. 


This is the one thing you can do right now. The most painless way to do that is to make it automatic: deposit an amount directly to your account right after you received your salary then get busy with your other bills and you wont even see the money you're putting away. Out of sight, out of mind, IT WORKS!

THE SPENDING PLAN

In other words – BUDGET. Some thinks that they can reach their financial goals without a spending plan. These are the ones who are most likely disappointed. Creating a spending plan is the most basic step anyone can take towards making their money work, regardless of how high or low is their income a month.

Many of us don’t really realize that we are spending more than what we earn until we are deeply in debt. Spending without knowing how much money we have would cause a major problem.We should decide earlier on how we put our money into use instead of wasting it unconsciously. Without a spending plan, we are letting our money to control us instead of us controlling our money.                                                      

Budgeting and tracking our expense shows us where our money goes and make us see how our expenditures go up over time. We must track our expenditures so we can make conscious decisions about how to spend or invest our money. This is the difference between never having enough money and being able to afford the things that are really important to you like paying off a credit card, saving for a house or buying a brand new car. 

Another side benefit of budgeting is that it can improve your relationship with your spouse or partner. Money matters are the single largest cause of marital breakdown so budgeting, financial goals and working together toward those goals can have positive effect on your relationship.

KEEPING TRACK OF YOUR MONEY

1.       WRITE IT DOWN.
Always have a little notebook on your bag to record all your savings and expenses. Most of us have troubles for the things that we forget to register. Keep this little notebook with you wherever you go and jot down all your transactions every day.  This is just a little chore that can be done while you are in a supermarket waiting in line or inside a taxi cab on your way home. Or you can even do it in front of the computer every night and record your day’s savings and spending.

2.       ROUND IT OFF
When you shop in a department store using your credit card or ATM card, try rounding off when doing your record, say you shop for 2,316. Record your spending as 2,400. You’ll be off when you reconcile with your bank statement. Some people do it the other way around like depositing an amount of 5,000 but recording only 4,500 on their little notebook and live their lives on the 4,500 and forgetting the hidden 500. This method of hiding can save you on spending more.

3.       USE WHAT WORKS FOR YOU.
There are actually a lot of methods for keeping track of your monthly finances with or without this little notebook or your checkbook. Just decide what’s best for your skills and interests. Some uses labeled envelopes for utility bills, savings, food, etc. when they get their salary, they segregate their money on these envelopes. Others prefer the more traditional checkbook/bankbook method like “deposits, withdrawal, and balance”

THE NET WORTH STATEMENT

Your net worth is the difference between all the things of value that you own and all the debts you awe or in financial terms it is your assets minus your liabilities. When calculating your net worth each item should be in their fair market value.

The net worth statement gives you a snapshot of your financial condition at this moment in time. This will tell you whether you owe more than you own or vice versa. Exercise this once a year. Use it as a starting point, a baseline against which to measure future progress and as a tool to identify your weaknesses then seek solutions. If you find that your liabilities are greater than your assets then it is time to put yourself on a diet

SETTING UP YOUR FINANCIAL GOALS.

Save up for anything particular. Start by asking yourself, “What is important to me? List down everything that matters to you and then organize it in order of priority.

Make a list of everything like owning a home, having a family, buy a car, and donate in a foundation for the homeless. Establishing goals and priorities will help make those lists easier. Once you’ve committed to going for one of your goals, you’re spending and saving choices will become automatic.

There are three types of goals:

A SHORT TERM GOAL is something you want to do within the next year. It might be paying off a credit card balance or saving up money so you can pay cash for your holiday gifts this year, instead of charging everything. Maybe you want to splurge on a brand new cell phone or a digital camera.

A MIDTERM GOAL is something with three to five year time horizon. Buying a new car, saving for a trip, or having a particular amount on your savings account.

A LONG TERM GOAL covers a major expense such as buying a house and lot, education for the kids, and your own financial security in retirement. Buying a home should be on top of your list.

LET'S GET IT STARTED

An average high school graduate lacks fundamental money management skills and basic understanding of earning, spending and saving money. These are not taught in our schools and parents aren’t teaching these to their children as well. That leaves it up to you to teach yourself about personal finance principles if you don’t want to stumble through your life by trial and error

Your twenties are the best time to develop good personal finance behavior before you get into debt that you have to pay off or make other financial failures that you’d spend years recovering from. Thirties is still not too late to turn your financial life around if you’re walking on the wrong path.

Controlling your money is way better than letting your money control you. Watch your investments grow and feel how rewarding it is to see your financial goals and dreams becoming a reality.