How To Spend More Responsibly And Stick To Your Budget

Budgeting has been quite of a struggle lately ever since Pandemic striked us a year ago. I lost my job and everything seems to be blurry and uncertain.

Kids schooling was challenged as well, my eldest daughter wasn’t able to have their much awaited moving up day. School year switched over from having face to face class to online class only.

My employer advised us that our account will close and was given only 3 weeks to wrap up everything and submit all necessary reports. Government on the other hand announced an Enhance Community Quarantine protocol were no one is allowed to go out except for doing the essentials like grocery shopping or buying medicines.

Everything turned upside down. My mom has just died then and still coping up from losing her. I was quite worried as I don’t have any savings left and no emergency funds to hold onto. I am thinking on where to get funds to pay the bills like electricity, water and internet school tuition fees for the kids, medicine expenses for the husband and our budget for everyday expenses.

Very limited people are allowed to go out to work for those establishments that need manpower like manufacturing companies, food industries, medical front liners. Others are encouraged to work from home.

Glad I was also able to utilise and claim for the loss of income or unemployment benefits as I searched on where to get funds to learn more and be able to pay our debts. I used the funds I received to buy a new set of computer package as I am determined to get a new job.

It took me almost 3 weeks to land a job online ( permament work from home arrangement) thankfully!

Our budgeting style has also changed as we adapt to the challenging economic status of the government and remaining money that we have.

1000 Philippine Peso bills

Glad I was able to stumble upon this tips in budgeting: https://www.moneymax.ph/personal-finance/articles/tips-on-saving-money

Below are some of the helpful hacks we’ve learned and apply.

  • We have jotted down all our expenses– paper and pencil style and I have created a spreadsheet tracker to avoid overspending.
  • Grocery lists – Our grocery trips has been reduced from weekly to bi weekly and ensure that we check and revised according to our needs. We also resort to do some online shopping for some items like buying home equipments, electronics, essentials like facemasks and faceshields that has been part of our budget since Pandemic.
  • Paying bills– We switched over from paying it over establishments to enrolling them over online transactions. Saved a lot on time and effort- no need to go out and saved some extra by getting points!
  • Travel fare, kids money budget– This has been converted as savings or has been used to allot to pay for internet bills.
  • Loans, amortizations– This is always taken into consideration before we splurge into buying wants to keep up paying them on time and avoid paying penalties.
  • Online bank accounts– we have created separate accounts for our bills and savings. So we can monitor properly to cash flow.
  • Budget for food– This is taking most of our budget, glad that I have a very good cook husband and knows how to budget and make our food menu without sacrificing the quality of the food and healthy for the body!

Since it would take 2-3 more years for this Pandemic to be over, we’ll surely save lot for travelling expenses! No more out of t he country trips for the meantime. We’ll probably do within the country travels or a nearby city trips without sacrificing our money, leisure and health!

BPI Foundation Reforests 170 Hectares of Land in Nueva Ecija for BPI’s 170th Anniversary

Beneficiaries from the Kalanguya and Bugkalot tribes plant the seedlings on behalf of BPI employees.

BPI Foundation, the social development arm of BPI, has started to reforest 170 hectares of land in Pantabangan, Carranglan Watershed Forest Reserve, Nueva Ecija through its Lakbay Luntian initiative as part of the Bank’s 170th-anniversary celebration in August.

“In previous years, we held nationwide volunteer activities as part of our anniversary celebrations. This year, we aligned with the Bank’s 170th anniversary theme and reinvented how we do volunteer work and give back to our communities as one BPI,” said BPI Foundation Executive Director Owen Cammayo.

Lakbay Luntian is the first-ever virtual tree planting initiative organized by BPI Foundation, in partnership with eco-social enterprise Bambuhay and Ayala Corporation’s Kasibulan Project, a long-term program on reforestation and forest protection. This is part of the Balik-Kalikasan program, which aims to preserve and restore rainforests across the country while equipping local communities with sustainable alternative livelihood and strengthening every Filipino’s commitment to protecting the environment through reforestation.

Through the collaborative efforts of BPI employees and BPI Foundation, a total of 68,000 bamboos and trees will be planted in Nueva Ecija. This will also help offset BPI’s total carbon emissions for the year 2020, while providing sustainable livelihood to 17 Indigenous People (IP) families in the area.

“Our BPI employees have shown that amid the pandemic, the bayanihan spirit remains very much alive in all of us,” said BPI President and CEO TG Limcaoco. “Remember that we have not survived 170 years by remaining still. It’s been 170 years of constant reinvention, progress, and thinking to do good for our friends, neighbors, clients, and colleagues.”

To know more about BPI Foundation and its initiatives, visit https://www.bpifoundation.org.

Playing Online Games Amidst the Pandemic and Walking Down Memory Lane

Ever since internet users skyrocketed in the 90’s, online games established its reputation as one of the concepts that made the usage of the internet successful and approachable for the general public. Now, there are more than a million websites that promote and develop online games, targeting both children and adults alike. 

Almost everyone I know (colleagues, acquaintances, relatives) have experience when it comes to online gaming. My children (aged 17 and 15) still play games online. There are many reasons why online games are so popular. With just a click, people can search up their favorite childhood game and play it on the internet. So many classics are being turned into something fresh, to keep up with the ever-changing trends in the gaming community. 

In my country, we have been quarantined for two years. Two years inside of my house made me and my family form coping mechanisms to be able to stay inside. While I started taking care of plants and gardening, my children (as I said earlier) used gaming as a way to cope. Whenever I would check on my daughter, I would see different games playing on her screen every minute of a day. As it turns out, she started playing more than 20 different games and managed to switch it up in between. All day, she has so much to do to keep her virtual worlds flourishing and well. 

I asked her one day to recommend me a game, a non-stressful one, because my work already does that for me. She suggested that I try something I am already familiar with to lessen the burden of learning new things. 

It wasn’t surprising to know that everything I wanted to have and play in my childhood could be accessed virtually. I was delighted to see that there were tons of websites that offer card games. Solitaire was one of the games I used to pass the time. It gave me a sense of nostalgia, because my friends and I used to play cards all the time back then. 

Aside from cards, I was also an avid fan of Candy Crush back then! As it turns out, I like the concept of connecting colors (LOL). Playing solitaire has been my favorite pastime even before we had a personal computer, My grandmother taught me how to play it and it’s been one of our bonding moments whenever she visits. Glad to know that solitaire.org still has it. But it was refreshing to see that they also provided other games. I tried playing new ones despite my daughter telling me to try ones I already know, and what do you know, I actually had a lot of fun!


Hidden Kitchen was one of the newer game concepts that I tried. The mechanics state that I was supposed to look for the items given, and it was indeed a challenge! It was very fun, however. Trying out new things and being back to trying out games brought me back to my childhood.

Especially now, as we are in trying times, being able to have access to online games is one of the things I consider to be a blessing. Technology has evolved so much, for just a click of my mouse, I can travel in time and have fun.

Living City Life in Los Angeles

Finding the perfect place for a home or apartment entails a lot of things to consider like the proximity and accessibility to market, school, place of work etc.  You also have to consider the good environment that would really make you at peace and of course have the convenience to relax after a long day at work.  During this time of uncertainty and pandemic, a lot of people are still looking for an investment to secure one’s future. People are now more wisely putting their money in the right basket. 

Living the city life is still one of the most practical things to do when you are still trying to make ends meet. Especially for the young adults who are starting to save up and work in the corporate world. Finding the right apartment near to your workplace saves you a lot of time, money and effort in order to concentrate and give more time for you to be productive at work.

LA Apartment

Los Angeles is a very famous destination especially for immersive fans of pop culture. In fact, many have decided to live there to pursue their dreams in the film or music industry. Although not many people make the cut, the city has been proven to have a high quality of life. It is also famous for its perfect weather, as there are only a few rainy days year-round. Moreover, there are tons of beautiful spots in LA. Whether it be a great bar, a beach, museums, and almost anything, Los Angeles most probably has it.

According to Zumper, there is an estimate of 2,429 apartments for rent in Los Angeles as of the moment. Living in LA is definitely a great investment if you ever decide to do so, although like everything, it comes with a price (quite literally). While you may enjoy the beautiful locations and spots the city of angels hold, the average rent for a 1-bedroom apartment is $2,050. 

Nevertheless, having a place in a great and comfortable city is worth spending money on. Aside from that, LA’s population is very diverse. There is no dominant race residing in the city. Moving on, Los Angeles is home to a lot of healthy lifestyle gurus. After all, it is a progressive city keeping up with the constantly changing trends so you’ll be bound to find interesting establishments. Yoga studios, gyms, vegan-friendly restaurants are all over LA and it really isn’t hard to find something you’ll like. 

One thing you should take note of is the traffic. Los Angeles is known for its jammed highways. It is especially heavy on commuter hours, and you have to work through it. There are alternatives such as bicycles and/or scooters, though. So anything is possible if you really want it!

If you are a student, Los Angeles would be a great place for you to pursue your studies. It has great schools and universities that are world-class and beneficial for your education. Your school life wouldn’t be too stressful if the environment and atmosphere is always fun. After a long lecture, walking around town would be a breather and a nice rest for your brain.

There are a lot of names for Los Angeles. The City of Angels, City of Flowers and Sunshine, La-la Land, and other cute nicknames. It’s up to you to decide what you want to call it.

Formal Suit For Men

Good impressions are important, that’s why it would be easier to make one effortlessly. In a job interview, or any other formal event, we make a huge effort not only for ourselves, but also for the perception of other people. The subconscious way of doing it? Dressing up.

A great example is attending a wedding. How do you stand out? There are a lot of men wearing the same generic black suits. Wedding suits are available almost everywhere, and you have to make a great choice. You have to look more than just for a great design. Check the quality. Will it last long? The price. Is it reasonable? And of course, the brand. Is it from allaboutsuit?

Allaboutsuit offers a wide variety of suits that are perfect for different occasions. They have a lot of collections, such as the prom collection that offers the finest styles and design.  Prom suits may be on the pricey side due to the sudden demand during prom season, but allaboutsuit offers great deals and affordable prices on their website.

Good impressions last. Take it easy and dress up nicely with suits that will tailor your personality. New visitor will get 20USD discount with code: new!

Learning how to Care for our Hearts on World Hypertension Day

Ever since Ian suffered heart failure a few years back. We have always been cautious about his health condition especially that he is also diabetic. We are always looking for further information aside from doctor’s advice so we are sure that we can take care and monitor hi health condition always.

Over 12 million Filipinos are suffering from hypertension. As the country’s leading cause of death, along with other cardiovascular diseases, hypertension remains to be a top problem among Filipinos. Over 70% of cases are uncontrolled, and 38.6% of patient populations in hospitals are attributed to hypertension. On World Hypertension Day, Sanofi together with TheAsianParent organized a FamHealthy episode via Facebook live to raise awareness about managing this lifestyle disease especially in this time of a pandemic.

With over 230 live viewers, mom vlogger Ara Casas-Tumuran moderated the session with cardiologist  Dr. Eduardo Tin Hay, and Sanofi Philippines Country lead Dr. Amal Makhloufi.

Among the topics covered is how to properly measure one’s blood pressure, which is a necessity to manage hypertension. Dr. Tin Hay shared a few tips that should be adapted for proper blood pressure measurement including not drinking caffeine and not smoking 30 minutes prior to the measurement. He also stressed the importance of getting an accurate reading, preferably as an average of two separate measurements, before getting diagnosed with hypertension.

Dr. Tin Hay also answered questions from the audience about the risks of getting vaccinated for COVID-19 when one is hypertensive. He explained the importance of referring to one’s primary care physician because cases may vary from person to person. “Having hypertension is not a contraindication for getting vaccinated. If you have hypertension, but are taking maintenance medicine, you can get vaccinated, as long as you check up with your doctor first,” said Dr. Tin Hay.

Several moms asked about risk factors, and how to properly manage hypertension. Dr. Tin Hay mentioned that the heat, especially during the summer months can greatly affect one’s blood pressure. He emphasized the need to limit the intake of salty foods and alcohol, and to exercise regularly. “Limiting your salt intake and exercising regularly can lower your blood pressure. It’s not perfect, but it could help. These small things, if you add them together, can greatly help in managing hypertension.”

Dr. Makhloufi, Country Lead for Sanofi Philippines, opened the discussion with a brief overview on hypertension, highlighting that in the Philippines, over 12 million Filipinos people are suffering from the disease. “As a global healthcare company, we are not only promoting the consistent adherence to hypertension medicines. We are also encouraging that patients and their family members adopt a more holistic approach to disease management,” shares Dr. Makhloufi. 

She also shared the programs that Sanofi has in place for hypertensive patients, like the EMPOWER Patient Support Program, where patients are provided with personalized coaching sessions by nurse educators. Additional coaching modules are also available through the BioMark app that can be downloaded by patients in Playstore or Applestore for free.

Moms from the audience were eager to ask questions about common misconceptions about hypertension and were grateful to have their questions answered by Dr. Amal Makhloufi and Dr. Tin Hay. 

Watch the replay of the webisode here: https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?v=1230483180739424&ref=watch_permalink

About Sanofi Philippines

Committed to helping Filipino families in building a healthier Philippines, Sanofi is a multinational healthcare company that promotes a holistic approach to patient care. With top of the line products innovated to provide the best for patients, and health programs that empower and educate, Sanofi continues to be the thought leader in managing lifestyle diseases and improving access to medicine.

MUST TRY: Tea Talk’s Top 10 drinks perfect for family summer bonding

Cool and refreshing treats perfect for the summer season. All season round actually. Milk teas are everywhere but let’s get to know Tea Talk’s best sellers here.

For the second time around, it is imperative for Filipinos to spend the sunny season staying in residences due to the pandemic. Instead of the usual beach and swimming escapade, we are confined in the four corners of our home. Most people have come up with ways to have fun and beat the summer heat—setting up an inflatable pool, locking up in an airconditioned room while watching movies, and of course, drinking ice-cold beverages. 

It’s a fact we could all agree on: one of the best ways to quench the thirst in this scorching heat is to drink milk tea. Having two consecutive summer seasons in lockdown, you must have ordered your favorite milk tea drinks from your usual milk tea shops. But hey, it’s time to switch it up! And we got the next best milk tea shop for you to try! 

Accentuating its special milk tea concoctions made from authentic ingredients, Tea Talk is one of the up-and-coming local milk tea shops you should check out. Avoid going stir-crazy this quarantine and spark bonding conversations with your family with Tea Talk’s summer coolers. 

We listed down the top drinks from Tea Talk for every milk tea lover:

Taro Bubble Milk 

For milk tea enthusiasts who love a mix of sweet and nutty flavors, Tea Talk’s Taro Bubble Milk is the one for you. Made with natural tea, creamy fresh milk, and sweet taro flavor, this drink will definitely give you the energy and fiber boost that you need.

Brown Sugar Boba Milk 

If you are looking for an irresistible dessert-like beverage, give Tea Talk’s Brown Sugar Boba Milk a try. With fresh milk and brown sugar syrup as its main ingredients, you can expect a sweet caramel taste, a hint of arnibal, and a mouthwatering silky texture.

Sakura Red Velvet 

If you have a sweet tooth, Tea Talk’s Sakura Red Velvet will give you a creamy velvety cheesecake goodness. Perfectly crafted Japanese-inspired milk tea, this drink is infused with real cherry extracts and mixed with creamy red velvet cheesecake and blushing pink tapioca pearls.

Matcha Milk 

Looking for a refreshing and healthy drink that will satisfy your taste buds? Have Tea Talk’s Matcha Milk. Concocted with fresh milk, natural sweeteners, and matcha flavor, one sip of this drink will get you hooked.

Tea Talk Milk Tea 

Undecided or no particular flavor preferred in mind? You could never go wrong with a cup of signature Tea Talk Milk Tea. Made with rich and creamy fresh milk and topped with tapioca pearls, this drink will give you a simple yet delicious taste to enjoy.

Oolong Milk Tea 

Up for an unfamiliar and unique drink? Tea Talk’s Oolong Milk Tea offers a light and diverse flavor with a nutty aftertaste. It’s a natural and classic iced oolong tea with rich and creamy fresh milk topped with tapioca pearls.

Thai Milk Tea 

For a classic, vanilla-like beverage, Tea Talk’s Thai Milk Tea is a go-to drink. Made in natural Thai tea flavor and milk, you will surely enjoy its silky texture and deliciously sweet and creamy taste.

Lemon Green Tea 

How about a revitalizing and healthy fruit drink? Tea Talk’s Lemon Green Tea will give you a naturally sweetened and refreshing iced drink made with lemon juice splashed with green tea goodness. You can also have it in black tea flavor.

Passion Fruit Special 

If you want a refreshing drink with tropical flavors, Tea Talk’s Passion Fruit Special is the drink for you. This beverage is a sparkling iced passion fruit tea drink oozing with natural health benefits, giving you a sweet and a hint of tangy taste.

Wintermelon Fruit Tea 

Craving for a soothing yet invigorating drink? Tea Talk’s Wintermelon Fruit Tea is an ideal choice. An iced drink made with natural lemon juice and splashed with wintermelon tea flavors, this drink will give you the right amount of sweet and fruity flavor.

What are you waiting for? Have a Happy Tea and Happy Talk experience this summer with your family and quench your thirst with Tea Talk. Find the nearest branch in your area: https://www.teatalk.ph/our-stores/

About Tea Talk 

Tea Talk is the first homegrown milk tea brand of Morong, Rizal. Launched in 2019, Tea Talk features authentic milk tea and beverages made with best quality and fresh ingredients. With its unique tasting milk tea and complementing appetizers and snacks, Tea Talk aims to bring a Happy Tea and Happy Talk experience to its customers. For more information, please visit Tea Talk’s official website at teatalk.ph. You may also like and follow Tea Talk on social media: facebook.com/teatalkmain on Facebook, instagram.com/teatalk.official on Instagram, and tiktok.com/@teatalk.main on TikTok.

Home Foodie Video Series: Kids Kitchen Camp

Kids always want to keep themselves busy all day long. Now that they are not allowed to got out for some physical activity, managing to keep them being creative at the comfort of our home is quite of a challenge as we know how they wanted to move around a lot. They gets easily bored with being stuck at only one activity and keeps doing it all over again and again. Cooking is is one of the things they enjoy doing with adult supervision of course.

It’s good to get them involve and get them involve in the kitchen. Why not check this out!

Let your little Home Foodie master chefs enjoy a hands-on Facebook cooking & baking session.

Resident Home Foodie chefs will demo two (2) scrumptious and kid-friendly recipes per day on May 25-27.

Visit our facebook.com/HomeFoodiePH page at 2pm on the said dates be a part of this online demo! Don’t forget to read the guidelines, waiver, and recipes! #Madalicious

What to Know Before Moving to Toronto

Quarantine has stripped us of the privilege of going outside. Having to stay at home made these trying times tougher than it already is. Pre-COVID, everyone just went outside and went wherever they wanted to go. Looking back, it felt strange seeing people from different places get together in a random location. It’s been two years, but travelling felt like a dream.

There are so many great spots closed off due to lockdown. Around the world, there were 1 billion fewer international tourist arrivals. People had no choice but to stay at home and follow the protocols. Luckily, there were improvements in other places. COVID-19 cases were decreasing in some countries, and soon enough, people could go outside.

Memories of walking through beautiful sceneries are nostalgic. The smell of salty air on a beach. A park’s cold breeze in the morning. These are all familiar places we could be in right now. As a child, I’ve always wanted to travel around the world. Paris, Japan, Greece, and all the other countries too many to mention. There’s just something extraordinary in knowing that there are thousands of places you can go to and explore.

One of the places I like going to are museums. History lingers in every piece of art being preserved there. Speaking of museums, the specific museum I’ve been meaning to go to is The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) in Toronto, Canada. It has a reputation for having an outstanding collection of international culture and history from different periods of time all over the world. Its appearance looks very modern, too. The building itself has sharp, geometric angles that suits the museum’s creativity and elegance.

CN Tower, Toronto Canada (photo from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CN_Tower

Since we’re here talking about Toronto, I just can’t not include the CN Tower. Standing at 553 meters, the observation areas in the tower must be striking. Imagine being there and seeing all the scenery atop the CN. Plus, it is said that the tower is a famous landmark, since it can be seen from anywhere in Ontario. Seeing a city in the night must be great. All the different lights; headlights, stoplights, signs, and the ones from buildings— they look like giant glitter scattered across a cityscape. I am really keen to looking homes for sale in Toronto and would to settle there. Who knows our future!

Moving to a place like Toronto is like a home away from home! Since I’ve been used to living the city lights and the fast moving phase of the city life, I knew it is a great place where things are pretty much the same, only the weather I think is the thing I need to adjust on as they have the four distinct season and I am only used to either rain or shine! 🙂

This is another thing I miss about travelling. Seeing normal things and romanticizing them in my head. It’s different when you’re in another place, because it’s like seeing everything for the first time. Say, you’re in Korea. You’re in a great part of town, and the sunset is all gold and oranges. When you look back, you won’t just remember a sunset. You’ll think, “I saw a beautiful Korean sunset when I visited years ago.”

Roughly 10 years ago, my family and I went to a famous aquarium in our country. It was a great outing, and I had developed an interest in marine life. Sadly, things got busy and I never got to visit an aquarium again. Going back to Toronto (I really want to visit there), there is a famous aquarium called Ripley’s Aquarium. The place is famous for an underwater tunnel with a moving sidewalk. There are literally fish everywhere, behind a glass. It must be a surreal experience.

There are so many places I want to go to. Yet here I am, stuck at home, sitting in front of a screen and writing my longing away. I swear, when this pandemic ends and everyone and everything is safe again, I will pack my bags and fly out somewhere. Being stuck at home made me regret not going out and exploring more. So when the day comes and the world is back to normal, I will cherish every moment that I spend walking outside.

Innovative Hair Accessory

Getting a haircut is all fun and games until you regret it and want your old hair back. This is common among women, myself included, because making a permanent decision isn’t always so easy. That’s why it is easier to settle for something easily reversible. A washable hair dye. A henna tattoo. And for the hair, clip in hair extensions.  It’s becoming a very popular accessory, especially among teenagers. It’s easy to apply, and at the end of the day, you can just unclip it and let your natural hair rest.


The main reason as to why these hair extensions are popular is because it’s accessible and really easy to use. The idea of having an extra chunk of hair to add more volume to yours is a happy thought to have.

Uniwigs is an online store that sells beautiful and natural wigs. Their products have a wide range of hair accessories, specializing in wigs. For a reasonable price, customers have bought Uniwigs’ products because of the high-quality material it was made from. 

These hair products are essential for a lot of people, especially for the ones working on to build their self-esteem. People experiencing hair loss may get tired from all the serums and supplements that they take for hair growth. Sometimes, a quick fix is what they need. Wigs are great substitutes for many things. While waiting for the natural hair to grow, popping on a wig for a while can boost confidence.

For some people, wigs are strange because it looks ‘unnatural’ or just different. It always depends on the brand and quality of the wig. Human hair wigs are the key for natural-looking hair. Of course, as the name suggests, the wigs are made from 100% real human hair.

All the products from Uniwigs are unique, just like how hair from every person is. It has a natural, yet somehow a “standing out” quality to it; in a good way. From wigs to hair toppers, Uniwigs has it all. 

At the end of the day, having healthy hair is what’s important. As long as you are confident with the way you look, let it be. Hair is an important part of our identity. We dye it, cut it, style it. Wigs are a representation of how much fun we could do with our own hair. And if you don’t have it, that’s what wigs are for.