Saving Tricks for Housewives
- By Moneymax
- August 15, 2014
The pressure of handling household finances well on top of juggling domestic chores makes every housewife roll their eyes – every day. That’s one amazing multitasking magic all housewives do for their family. Most of the time, you would think, setting aside for their family’s future (or even for tomorrow) could be tricky during this time. Here’s how to help all these women of wonders on their daily battle with finances: Unplug when not in use. This may be computers, electric fans, television, cell phone or laptop chargers, microwave ovens, or rice cookers. You may not literally save money, but you’ll be cutting off unnecessary costs from your electricity bill. It also pays to turn off the lights when no one is in the room, and use natural sunlight instead. Cook big. Others might probably tell you you’re wasting money, and you should always cook just enough for you and your family. However, that logic isn’t going to help your money-saving strategy. This is possible if you manage to find the best place to buy cheap bulk food. Then, you can cook a lot. Serve only what’s good enough for everyone and proceed to save the rest for other days. You’ll be saved from needing to run down to the store to buy ingredients after every day or so and the hassle of thinking of another menu to cook for supper. Small is good. You don’t have to beat yourself up over having a “small savings.” Savings is savings, and it’s better to have a little and some, rather than…
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Money-Saving Tips for Entrepreneurs
- By Moneymax
- August 12, 2014
Venturing into a business requires you a great deal of money for capital. That’s really how it works at first. But you can regain what you have invested when the time comes that your business runs smoothly on its course. Here are some tips on how you can cut costs and save money! Work from home. When your start-up develops and your pool of employees starts to grow, an office where you can all work is indeed mandatory. However, in your team, there may be roles and responsibilities that do not require the person to stay all day in the office. For some types of jobs, working from home can be more efficient. Remote working reduces travel costs and stress among your employees, which improves work-life balance. It also provides eco-friendly benefits. Imagine how much gas you can save when you don’t have to drive just to get to work. You can also save on utility bills and office supplies. Maximize applications and remote-working software. Talk with your employees even when all of you are located in different places. Use chat and videoconference programs when working remotely. You may take advantage of technology and find alternatives in making your start-up come to life. Read More: 6 Big Challenges Startups Must Prepare for in the First Three Years Take advantage of free software. There is a lot of available software you can use; you don’t have to spend a lot of cash just to get an access to software you need for the business. Why not make use of free or cheaper…
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Guidelines on Buying Used Cars
- By Moneymax
- July 25, 2014
In this age when prices of main commodities are high, why would you even buy a brand new car if you can purchase a used-but-good-as-new one with almost half of the price? Used cars are raging in the Philippine auto industry today. Take it from all the online community where car advertising websites and car sellers are in speaking terms. Read more: Guidelines on Buying a Brand New Vehicle Buying second-hand cars can help you get value for your money. However, purchasing one is more difficult than getting a brand new one. Here’s what you need to know and do before you buy a used car: Make a target car list Compare all the cars in your mind with your budget. Check your prospect’s specifications, variant, and model. This way, you can trim down all your options and will just stick to what precise car you really need and want. Read reviews Compare prices and read reviews of your desired car. Listen to what others have to say especially who has their first-hand experience of buying or owning the car. If you’re looking online, check out what netizens have to say about a certain post. Most of the time, they give out the information you’re looking for. Meet the seller Sometimes, you don’t get what you really want when you see posts online or talk to the seller on the phone. It’s best to see the seller and your car by yourself. You can either appreciate the car more or be turned off. Inquire about repairs Ask if the car has…
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How to Save Money on Car Insurance Premium
- By Moneymax
- July 24, 2014
Truly, car insurance monthly premiums don’t come cheap – neither any kind of insurance nor any that has ‘monthly premiums’ in it. Your age, gender and sometimes, the profession can help in making cheaper car insurance premiums. The problem is that you can’t do anything about it. (Ha!) Here are achievable ways to minimize your monthly premium. Bring your money back to your pocket with these tips: Examine your coverage Read all the details on your car insurance. It literally and figuratively pays to know every detail, line-by-line, of your cover; remove items that you think you don’t need. For instance, you don’t need a rental car while your car is being repaired because you have car #2. Or an additional personal accident coverage since you already are covered by your medical insurance from your office. Save more by trimming down your coverage. Understand your ‘Excess’ Excess something that you have to pay your insurance company before you receive the full amount of your claim. If you do the math, your insurance company will pay you if the cost of the claim exceeds the excess. Otherwise, you will pay them. Then how could it be a money-saving move? If you think you are a better driver with a good record, choose a higher ‘excess’. But if you think you’re a bit of accident-prone, it’s smart to choose a lower ‘excess’. Read more: Affidavit for Car Insurance Claim: Why You Need It and How to Get One 8 Possible Reasons Your Car Insurance Claim Got Denied Ask for higher deductibles Don’t use your…
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Budgeting Tips for First-Time Employees
- By Moneymax
- July 21, 2014
Congratulations, you’re on the first chapter of financial independence. Getting your first pay is undeniably one of the most unforgettable experiences of your working life. But as Uncle Ben says, “With great power comes great responsibility.” Welcome to the real world of never-ending bills! read more: 5 Reasons Why Pinoys Overspend As fresh graduates, no one can be choosers with jobs. Ideally, we apply for jobs that could give us the best experience rather than prioritizing the pay. Most likely, you’ll get lower than you like so budgeting and a lot of financial juggling is a good skill to master. Here’s how to make it possible: Make a daily budget. As you may probably be living paycheck to paycheck on your first job, creating and sticking to a daily budget from your salary is important. Planning your day and budgeting from your transportation expenses, lunch, and emergency fund (or emergency gimik) is fundamental. Religiously compute your other expenses such as your rent, phone bill, utilities, etc. Unless you have a transportation allowance, be frugal on your commuting expenses. Take the bus or train instead of taking cabs. On your food, take time to prepare if you really have the tight budget than buying from somewhere else. The money you will save after budgeting your apparently small, daily expenses will be big savings if you’re going to compute it on a month’s time. For example, if you take the cab instead of trains: P100 of taxi vs. P50 of public transportation. You will save P50 a day (which you could think as nothing…
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How to Earn Air Miles with Credit Cards
- By Moneymax
- July 19, 2014
For travel junkies, one of the perks of owning a credit card is accumulating air miles. Air miles or airline miles are rewards from your credit card that can be in exchange for flight tickets or booking discounts as well as any other travel-related expenses like hotels, seat upgrades, vacation packages and more. Thanks to the frequent flyer program rewards that evolved into something like this. Here are some ways and steps to earn miles from your credit card: Miles for Miles If you’re not a co-branded credit cardholder, you can buy a plane ticket, whether domestic or international, to obtain miles. The more frequent you travel, the more points and airlines you can get. The miles also vary on the ticket type you book – economy, business, first class. In exchange forgoods and services You earn air miles when you use you’re a co-branded credit card (partners with an airline company) on buying goods and services. You can convert the points into airline miles after then.Your accumulated air miles cover a percentage of the actual ticket price you’re intending to redeem your air miles on. Upgrade to travel-related expenses You may also choose to use your air miles to upgrade your seat from economy to business or business to first class, get discounts on hotels, and other travel-related expenses—the availability of which will depend on your credit card provider, the airline of your choice, your destination, and the air miles program you’re enrolled into. Air miles conversion There is a set amount of money to convert to a one (1) mile…
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Best Broadband Internet for Small Businesses
- By Moneymax
- July 15, 2014
Venturing into business is a risky move because of the fact that you invested your hard-earned money. It is one of the reasons why you should think twice or more about aligning your budget on the things you will buy and invest in for your business like your broadband internet. Since you should be budget-conscious and profit-oriented, the monthly cost and contract must be on top of your considerations. The cheapest one doesn’t always give us the best service or may not be suitable for our needs. Also, we always want the best and the fastest, but the budget isn’t that adjustable. Here are the most suitable broadband plans for your small business: PLDT Home myDSL Plan 999 PLDT Home myDSL Plan 999 is a postpaid broadband plan. In this case, you will need to pay for PHP999 every month for a lock in period of 12 months. You can browse up to 3MB/sec, unlimited. It comes with a bundle of landline with free PLDT to PLDT calls for one year. Plus a WiFi modem and free installation fee. No upfront costs but you need to apply with necessary documents like proof of billing and ID’s. As of writing, there’s a promo of 1 Blockbuster movie from Clickplay. Read more: Complete Guide to PLDT Plans: DSL, Fibr, and Home WiFi Wi-Tribe Plan 998 (Fixed Modem) Wi-Tribe boasts service reliability of 99% of 2MB/sec unlimited plan. Wi-Tribe Plan 998 comes with a fixed 4G modem and assures a 24/7 Customer support great for businesses like yours. You will have to pay PHP998…
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Signs You’re on the Right Track in Life
- By Moneymax
There is a certain point in life where you feel a slight impression of contentment because you sense that everything is going the way you planned it to be. Well, congratulations! To keep you more aware, here are some signals that you really are on the right track: Your finances are stable. You have a good income stream enough to cover all your expenses to pay your bills and your mortgages. You have a healthy savings account that can sustain months of unemployment. Building this little blanket for your future may just be the beginning, but it’s a good start. And most importantly, you have enough knowledge to manage all these cash flow of finances. You accept the things you cannot change. You have come to a point where you can accept your flaws and weaknesses, your irresoluble past and things which are out of your control, and people’s attitudes towards you and one another. You are now focused on your strengths and how are you able to improve yourself. You understand that it’s okay to fail. Rejection and failure has become a door to more opportunities and better experience. Sometimes, the more ‘No’s’ you get, the better because you get closer to the ‘Yes’ that could come to you because of the previous failure and rejection. Now, you fully understand that these blessings in disguise like failures and rejections are just part of the process for what’s really in for you. But… You try not to make the same mistakes twice. Making the same mistakes when you’re supposed to…
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Reasons Why You Should be Cautious About Online Shopping
- By Moneymax
- July 11, 2014
Online shopping is becoming more and more handy to consumers over time. Now, you can do the end-to-end procedure of online shopping – from comparison to payment to delivery options in few clicks. Online shopping really made our lives easier; however, you should always be cautious when doing anything online especially when it comes to your credit card security because for sure, it will be nothing but costly on your part. It is convenient People tend to be lax when something comes out convenient. In terms of technology, the dependence is just too much when it is being spoon-fed. Technology is never bad, but people’s utilization must always be in its utmost responsibility. Always check whatever you input and access online and research first on information that could help you on your decisions. Read More: Asia’s Top 5 Online Fashion Shops 12 Budget-Friendly Online Furniture Stores in the Philippines You’re emotional You feel you deserve to have something right there and then and to takes the stress away, a lot of people tend to buy things for relief of depression and self-esteem. Shopping therapy is easier to do now where you can access e-commerce websites on whatever internet-enabled gadget. This attitude, however, has to stop because most likely, you will but things that you don’t really need. Result? Financial disaster. Pricey delivery fees You may get attracted with online sales which are everywhere now, but also take note of their delivery charges. You may get the best deal out there but, the delivery charges are just too much for the…
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Commuter’s Everyday Dilemma
- By Moneymax
- July 10, 2014
Philippines probably holds the title of having one of the most horrible commuting problems in the continent. Worse, no serious and visible solutions have been made yet to ease every commuter’s agony. Worst, we don’t have a choice. Here are common commuter problems we experience every day. Every. Day. Unbearable Traffic Whether you’re in commute or in private vehicle, heavy traffic in the Metro has been a big concern for decades now and even goes worse during bad times especially now, rainy season. Most days, you have to wake up super early in the morning just to avoid the rush hours where the queuing is bad. You have to make grace periods when you’re into back-to-back meetings wherein you have to go places. You have to spend a valuable time of your awake hours off the road because of the unending issues of traffic. Inconvenient Transport Commuting is the cheapest way to go to any destination, but it is undeniable that sometimes, you have to suffer some inconvenience while on the road. MRT/LRT, buses, jeepneys, UV Express comes with cheap transportation costs but you are prone to first-hand experience of petty fights over a space because of face-to-face encounter with co-passengers. Most drivers or owners will surely maximize every space available in the vehicle. Most of the time, commuting means inconvenience. Selfish Co-passengers It’s very rare that you won’t encounter people with zero empathy. Most of the time, they will sit on the farthest part of the jeepney and will roughly ask you (who’s on the other end) to pass…
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Why Most PH Politicians are Rich
- By Moneymax
- June 28, 2014
While our country is in the midst of political transformation by eliminating corrupt leaders, let’s all be rational and stop overly criticizing the individuals who won the majority of our votes during the previous elections. Just because most of them are rich doesn’t mean all of them are corrupt. Come on, all accused are innocent until proven guilty. (Besides, there are some congress leaders who are average Juans with financial figures that are incommensurate to their ages and expertise.) Here are five reasons why we think Pinoy politicians are rich: Inheritance Since most of our political leaders are from the elite class, there’s no doubt that the majority of them inherited large sums of money, properties, and other high-value assets. Coming from a wealthy family almost completely guarantees lifelong financial security and comfort that is quite difficult to reach after a few years in the office. If you try to analyze the behavior of the electorate, the majority of Pinoys vote a candidate based on popularity and wealth. It’s like a competition between the elites and the commons. Whoever has the most money, air time for ads, and giveaways during the campaign period is most likely to be elected. Now, the question that some of us have been begging to ask is: Why are most people questioning the fact that we have a lot of rich politicians? Read more: Know Your Candidate Better: The Net Worth of 2022 Presidential Candidates Business They have businesses and not all are monkey businesses. Before some of them ran for office, they already have…
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Reasons Why You Should Start Saving Today
- By Moneymax
- June 23, 2014
It’s a fact that each and every one of us needs money to survive. So it’s also equally important to save. Saving money allows us to be ready for anything life may bring. It’s most essential for emergency cases but it’s also necessary on important and events whether expected or unexpected. If you want a more specific reason to start saving, here are some: 1. Emergency Situation Have you imagined yourself being in a situation where you need immediate cash to address a certain problem but, you don’t have enough budget, or worse, you zeroed out your savings? Gathering money on a short notice is nothing but financial and emotional stress. 2. Major Life Changes There are events in life that are foreseeable, if not, planned. The earlier you’re going to save for these kinds of events, the better. Wedding Weddings of any kind are expensive. From your clothes to the reception and church, you will need money from it. Or, that would force you and your “Spouse-to-be” to settle for the kind of wedding that isn’t ideal or not the kind that you really, really want. Also, what’s even more expensive and what you need to be more prepared about is your life after that day. The marriage itself – your everyday expenses, you are something you should be prepared on. The lowest wedding expenses could go is around PHP 100,000 Maternity It’s agreeable that sometimes pregnancies are unplanned. But still, it cannot be considered as an emergency situation because you have a maximum of nine months to save….
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4 Important Lessons You Will Never Learn from School
- By Moneymax
- June 21, 2014
One of the biggest responsibilities of parents is to give their child a proper education. In the regular Philippine setting, children are expected to attend school and be good to be able to get a decent job. But guess what? After 15 or more years of studying (and actually being good at it), there are more important things you will never learn from the four corners of your classroom. It’s okay to be wrong. In school, our performance and grades are based on how many correct answers we’d get in an exam, how many times we answered a recitation correctly and how we do our school projects. When you graduate from school, life will tell you that when you commit mistakes, you are more open to the possibility of making things better. The more mistakes you get, the better person you will become by actually learning from it. Committing mistakes will allow you to experience more in life. Managing your finances. When you’re still studying, most of us still live with our parents. Thus, we don’t need to worry about paying utility bills, we know nothing about budgeting money for food because usually our parents will just let you eat (which you resist most of the time) and we have not managed your allowance because you get it every time from your parents. The big challenge is when you get your first pay. It’s going to be your money now, and how you’re going to use it solely depends on you. Expect never-ending bills of rents, credit card, utility, and the list goes…
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Top Celebrities’ Financial Nightmares
- By Moneymax
- June 19, 2014
You may think that these top celebrities have fewer worries in terms of their finances, but since they own more money than most of us, they have more to spare – and more to lose. Here are top celebrities that have their own share of financial nightmares: 1. Janice Dickinson Known as the first supermodel in the world, Janice Dickinson was most popular in the 70′s and 80′s. She remained pretty much active with her memorable stints for America’s Next Top Model and The Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency. Her frequent visits to plastic surgeons and dermatologists took a toll on her as she raked in a lot of financial liabilities, which includes dues to her landlord and the IRS. Dickinson filed for bankruptcy in early 2013. 2. Kelly Rutherford After her divorce from her German husband, Kelly Rutherford saw her financial crumble soon after a court ruled that their kids should live in France with their father, and the Gossip Girl actress must travel to visit them. Rutherford filed for bankruptcy because of debts amounting to $2 million that was primarily due to her divorce and custody dispute. 3. Nora Aunor According to showbiz insiders, Nora Aunor, one of the soon-to-be proclaimed Philippine National Artists, lost a huge percentage of her earnings when she produced movies in the ‘70s. There are also reports that the superstar encountered a lot of financial woes during her long stay in the US and before her comeback. 4. Nadya Suleman The renowned Octomom filed for bankruptcy in Los Angeles, citing her inability to…
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The Pros & Cons of a Working vs. Stay-at-Home Mom
- By Moneymax
- June 16, 2014
There are different types of mothers in the world. Some may be touchy caring, some may not seem to care more than traditional, and some show their love by working too hard and almost always not around. Nevertheless, every mom is considered amazing in everything she does for her children. Read More: Back-to-School Guide for Mommies Here are scenarios from the never-ending battle between working moms and stay-at-home moms: Working Mom There’s an unwritten rule that women today should study hard to land a decent work to earn good money while pursuing a vibrant career; marry a good-looking, well-off man, produce healthy babies, raise them in full potential and above all that, still be awesome in the process. Where’s the pressure? Most of the time, people judge her of self-centeredness – prioritizing her career over personally taking care of the kids. If all things are perfect for a certain woman, she will surely take a vacation from work or even stop working, stay at home and be with her children all the while so she could take better care of them, hands-on – but that’s not the case for everyone. Most mothers just need to work for more income channels in the household. Because of that, having a full-time job is much more of a necessity because of financial hurdles and not a choice for most mothers. Time is the most important and complex part of being a working mom. If she is into the 9-6 kind of job, spending quality time with her kids before and after work is golden. Before…
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5 Signs You’re a Poor Financial Decision-Maker
- By Moneymax
- June 5, 2014
What behold our future are our present deeds and accomplishments. If we do something good today, we can earn something great after, and otherwise if you do the opposite – that’s the basic rule of life. In terms of finances, no one likes to feel hopeless in money – the feeling of wanting something but you know in yourself that you can’t afford it. No one wants to be poor if we all have a choice, but our habits can lead us to the other end of our goal. Here are signs that it’s going to be hard for you to recover from debt: 1. No Financial Goals A solid plan is a good strategy if you really need to achieve something. You need goals and steps to be able to have something to look forward to and track in the process. It’s hard to craft any workable plan without a specific goal, and it’s impossible to achieve any goal without a logical plan. A plan and a goal give you direction and the lack of it can either make no changes to your financial state OR make it situation worse. Choose. 2. Awful Spending Shopping is fine as long as you have the capacity to pay. Impulsive buying has something to do with handling your emotions plus finances. When you think you’re one of these impulsive buyers, it’s the best time to you take a look at your habits because if not, you’re going to be stuck somewhere in your life living day by day paying for credit card…
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Real-Life Stories: The Curse of Internet Speed in PH
- By Moneymax
- June 3, 2014
According to the latest Net index report of Ookla, an Internet broadband testing company, the Philippines has one of the slowest connections in the world, ranking 158th out of 190 countries worldwide in terms of Internet speed. Is it really that bad? There’s no better way to capture the inconveniences that slow Internet brings us more than firsthand experience. Below are real stories from individuals who have experienced the burdensome broadband speed in the country. Josyn Palma, 25 When I was working for an NGO that links students in Metro Manila and Mindanao for dialogues on peace and the peace process in Southern Philippines, we would always give lectures and classroom video conferences. To do this, we need a good Internet connection which would affect how the classes would go and whether we could have classes at all. We’d have the kids in Mindanao all assembled (some would have to take a bus to the area). There were times when the Internet in Manila would be dead, so we couldn’t connect to Skype and couldn’t have the classroom video conferences, and this would happen right as we were going to start the CVCs. Peter Noszek, 23 Since I am working in the Philippines and my family is living in Switzerland, we always try to find a time for a video call so we can catch up. It’s hard enough to get a time when you are both free because of busy schedules and time difference. However, the slow Internet connection makes the distance even harder to cope with. The video…
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SkyCable Forms SkyBiz for Corporate Clients
- By Moneymax
SkyCable Corporation, one of the leading cable TV providers brings SkyBiz. It’s main focus is on the advanced fiber-optic infrastructure of broadband services to capture the corporate market and the growing SMEs. According to SkyBiz head Jon Arayata, the vision is to capture the growing market in the country which is timely. “The enterprise data market is around P30 billion and most of it come from multi-national companies.” He noted the Philippines is moving towards the so-called fiber-to-the-home broadband connections technology. “Fiber-to-the-home in the US is already a widespread service and we’re also heading there. What we’re trying to do now is extend our fiber reach near to the customer premise,”Arayata said. SkyBiz also introduced its cloud Wi-fi solution that provides a hot spot that can be accessed from several devices without the need to plug into an Ethernet cable. SkyCable’s solid infrastructure will empower the advance fiber optics in its cable lines which allows it to provide the same stable connection and high-speed internet access 24/7. It covers the whole Metro Manila and even extends to Cavite, Laguna, and Bulacan where it also has cable operations. “We’ve also been getting cable companies in Cebu, Davao, Bacolod, and Baguio,” according to Dinky Liwanag SkyBiz’ Head of Sales. “We want to ensure that you, your business, your employees and your customers remain satisfied and happy,” Jon Arayata, head of SkyBiz, said. [tags] MoneymaxWith a goal to help Filipinos lead healthier financial lives, Moneymax regularly publishes tips and tricks on personal finance and lifestyle, among many other topics. For more finance-related news and articles,…
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Retirement Mistakes Pinoys Always Commit
- By Moneymax
- June 2, 2014
Sadly, there are these Filipino mistakes and myths about personal and household financial management that dictate how we live our lives and raise our children. But don’t fret, because as long as you have the luxury of time, there’s something workable about your situation. The problem is that most of us today don’t prioritize retirement planning at all. Here are some mistakes Pinoys always commit when it comes to retirement: Dependence on relatives Have you heard “Anak, mag-aral ka ng mabuti, para ‘pag nagtrabaho ka na, ikaw na ang bahala sa amin.” It’s not a bad thing when you’re children and relatives give you money when you retire, it’s not even bad to ask. However, the issue about it is that it’s not good and healthy, either. Most Filipinos believe that when you raise your children – feed them, give them the best education or protect them from any harm – they are obliged to pay you back someday. Parents raise their child because it’s their responsibilities to do so that goes along with children’s right to be sheltered, fed, and given the opportunities in life. Your children are your obligations, not your investment where you can expect returns. This doesn’t mean, though, that you should ignore your parents when you’ve reached your point of success or even when you’re already earning a decent income. It’s a pride and joy to give your parents something as their reward for their hard work on nurturing you – there’s never wrong with that. But if you are the parent, would you want…
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Back-to-School Guide for Mommies
- By Moneymax
- May 30, 2014
Parents and students, after more or less two months of summer break, the school year is here. Apart from the forthcoming and seemingly-never-ending school expenses, the daily morning battle of waking up earlier than summer mornings, longer and tiring days, nights of re-learning general education, and a whole lot more is on again.Nothing beats a well-planned groundwork for the coming school season. Here are saving tips and survival guide for the awesome-st person in the household: Recycle as much as possible. Some school bags, shoes, uniforms and a lot more can surely last more than a year. Cut your expenses with these things that you think your kids can use again. Some of these may not be 100% in their best condition but for sure, it can still be usable as it is when you bought it. As much as possible, try to make use of school supplies used last year for this school year. Re-train yourself on sewing, pasting, sticking things and bigger savings will surely come and could be allocated to other important things. Spend more if needed. Cheapest is not always the best deal available. Recycling is important as it directly saves your money but sometimes, moms should know when to pay more to save more later on. For instance, buying quality goods like shoes can spare you from buying another in the middle of the school year because you invest on something cheaper, but substandard in quality. Always compare to know the best deal. Make a ‘Baon’ plan. Schedule a certain ‘baon’ for your kids. It…
