Saturday, July 30, 2011

KAPAG MAIKSI ANG KUMOT, MATUTUNG BUMALUKTOT

This SALAWIKAIN doest it best, we just curl up under that skimpy blanket like its normal things in the world to do.

EH DI BUMALUKTOT if you think about it, there's nothing wrong diba? After all, it has always been a sure, safe way to get through a rough financial.........

PLAN AHEAD, saving for the future is something we all know we should do, but very few of us know how to go about it. The earlier you start savings, the better. They key is planning. Time is your greatest ally, as early as possible use instrument that will make your money grow........

HOW TO SAVE, here are some sure tips to help you save for the future or a rainy day ika nga...

1. Make a budget - monitor your regular budget in a month, then make a budget. For yearly budget like tuition fee etc... Divide expenses by 12 months to get monthly cost, add in your monthly budget....
2. Before spending, ask if you absolutely need it " if the item not really necessity, you can hold off buying.
3. Save for spending “as soon as you received your salary save 10% and deposit it to your savings bank".
4. Establish a separate savings bank account for emergency fund.
5. Invest your savings.

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

money saving tips

Initially many people may find it challenging to live on a budget, especially those who are not used to tracking their daily expenditures. When these figures are recorded and added together they often form a total that exceeds the amount of income that they are receiving. When faced with this situation an individual must cut back on their spending. However, this is often easier said than done. With this in mind, we have compiled a list of practical money saving tips that should help you to get back on budget as quickly as possible.
• Alter credit card behavior. Pay cash whenever possible. This will help you from making a purchase unless you actually have money available. If you decide to make a credit card purchase, be prepared to pay the balance off monthly. This will save a lot of money through avoiding interest charges. If you already have a CC balance then transfer to a card with a low interest rate. Additionally, find a card that does not charge an annual fee.
• Brown bag it. Believe it or not, all of those lunch hours spent at the local restaurants begin to add up. Bringing your own lunch can save you several dollars each day.
• Call during off peak hours. It is not uncommon for "phone talkers" to spend a couple hundred dollars a month on phone charges. Much of this can be avoided by placing the majority of your calls during off peak hours. These hours may vary depending on the service, but many cell phone companies offer unlimited calls during nights and weekends.
• Clip coupons. Although this may seem like a tedious waste of time to many, the savings can often be well worth the effort. Many stores will offer to double the amount of your coupon up to a certain amount. Using this technique can save you as much as $20 to $30 (this number will vary depending on the amount purchased) each time you shop.
• Refinance. Mortgage rates have been extremely low over the past year. This has been a great opportunity to reduce the monthly house payment significantly. (If you are planning to have your house paid off prior to retirement, then you may want to factor this in before refinancing.)
• Bundle your insurance. Many insurance companies will offer their customer lower rates if they purchase multiple insurance policies. For example, some people use the same agent for multiple cars, and others combine their cars and house.

Monday, July 25, 2011

SLASH YOUR BILLS PART2

MAKE YOUR DECISION BASED ON YOUR NEEDS - once you've thought about your family's usage, habit, decide which services you can get rid of and which ones to keep. Set some "house rules" on when and how the different family members use these services. Also ask your self these questions to help you decide which services you can or cannot absolutely live without; who really needs an internet connection? How much money can set aside for each these services, based on my family's practical needs and usage?

SHOP FOR THE BEST DEAL - after you've filtered out what you need and don't need, look for the best and least expensive deals for your home phone, cable, and internet services. "You must do your homework if you'd like to get the best and cheapest deal. Invest the time to study your options and see if it fits your budget. When shopping for the services you want you may consider the following: how much does my family really needs? We are lured by "upsize" traps when shopping for services. It’s a misconception that you have to upgrade your phone, cable and internet plan so you can grow with it. Sometimes you never really use it up; you're just rationalizing that you are saving by making allowances in the future buy what your family needs now than up grades when you need to" is my plan flexible? Find out if your provider can make adjustments to your plan in case you'd like to upgrade your services as your family's needs grow. What do users say about the service? Ask friends and family who have used or tried a particular service, aside from looking up announcement or promo deals from the providers. Asking around will help you avoid being misled by the flowery language on ads and promos. Is this company reliable? Is it trustworthy? Do the services they offer good value for you money?

CUTTING DOWN ON YOUR COMMUNICATION BILLS NOT ONLY SAVES MONEY, IT HELPS YOU HAVE THE DISCIPLINE TO PRIORITIES YOUR FAMILY'S EXPENSES. THE DISCIPLINE OF BUDGETING SHOULD CUT ACROSS ALL EXPENSES ITEMS. BE IT YOUR COMMUNICATION EXPENSES OR YOUR FOOD, ELECTRICITY AND WATER BILLS, FAMILY SHOULD KNOW HOW MUCH THEY ARE SPENDING ON A REGULAR BASIS MAKES IMPORTANT DECISIONS ON HOW TO LOWER THEIR BILLS AND INCREASE THEIR MONTHLY SAVINGS"

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Simple Budgeting Techniques

Budgets help people stay on track with spending, saving and accounting. For people unaccustomed to budgets, the notion of developing and maintaining a budget may seem overwhelmingly complex. Others may be concerned that rigid budgets won’t meet changing needs or financial demands throughout the month, quarter or year. But budgets don’t have to be complicated or set in stone. Budgets can be both simple and flexible, depending on the techniques chosen to develop and maintain them.

Tracking budget should reflect current earning, saving and spending habits but if you are not sure what those habits involve, there’s a simple way to find out. Another technique to simplify sticking to your budget involves linking your monthly payments to bank accounts so that they’re paid automatically, with funds immediately deducted from the balance. Credit card spending can ruin the most well intentioned budgets because of their ease of use, high interest rates and fees. A simple technique for avoiding credit card use and staying on budget is to leave your cards at home. Trimming unnecessary extras from your budget also frees up money that can be better spent paying down debt, socking into savings account or diverting it toward long term financial goals, like a family vacation or energy efficient car. A simple technique to build flexibility into your budget is to include a miscellaneous “slush” fund in addition to other budget categories including housing, food, health insurance and transportation.


Thursday, July 14, 2011

A Plan For Sticking To Your Budget

So you have made your budget & it looks lovely on paper. Great! Now it is time to implement it. But are you prepared to follow the budget you have developed? Here are some helpful tips to keep you on track along with your budget.

one. Choose why you made a budget. There is a reason you have put time in to developing your budget, now you need to put in to writing what your goals are. Would you like to be debt free, live on income, or save for retirement? Make this in to your personal or relatives financial mission statement. Write it down or type it up nicely & then have it laminated & display it in a prominent place where you can see it often. Plenty of times they need a reminder to ourselves for why they are doing a specific thing, & that can be incentive when things get hard.

two. Set small range goals so you can see progress. It can be impossible to keep up the discipline necessary to stay on budget in the event you cannot see any measurable progress. Create some short term goals that you can celebrate meeting. If your aim has been to reduce your grocery spending by $100 per month, then your every week aim would be to cut grocery costs by $25. Likewise, if your aim is to pay off debt, make a chart to show how much you have paid off. Reward charts are not for babies! Use a kind of chart where you can color in a bar to show your progress, & then color it in every time you make a payment so you can see the progress you are making. Put it up on your refrigerator or bathroom mirror as a reminder that your hard work is paying off

three. Identify your weak spots & create a plan to battle them. In sticking to your budget, you need a clear idea of where you may be tempted to break the budget. In the event you are liable to impulse spending, then you must remove that temptation from yourself. In the event you go window shopping, leave your credit cards & check book at home! in the early days of sticking to your budget, it is important to re-train yourself to curb spending.

Making a budget is the simple part in financial management. It is sticking to the budget & making your spending match your plan that is the difficult method. By disciplining yourself & retraining your spending habits, you can accomplish your budget goals.

Sunday, July 10, 2011

Tips for Event Catering

Organizing an event for a special day has always been a challenging job as it related to lots of desires and expectations. Everyone wants to make his day special with top class arrangements and facilities so that everyone can memorize that special day for long time. The best way to make an event memorable is by providing exotic dishes and cuisines to the guests. It is very necessary that you offer such cuisines to your guests so that the event remains in their memories for years. Hire an Event Catering agency that is professional in conducting according to discerning purpose of its clients. Besides that, to make a moment memorable you need to follow some essential tips. These tips help you in managing catering of the event with an ease and perfectly.

First, list all the important things that are necessary for your event. This will give you a clear vision about the style and cuisine theme. If it is a seminar or fair, you can offer your guests delicious snacks with tasty beverages. However, if it is a launch or marriage reception, than make a menu according to the choices of your guests. Next, make a list of guest you are inviting in order to get a head count and knowledge about the personal taste of your guest. This will help you to select the style of the food you will be serving.

Whether it is a marriage reception or corporate party, it is important to select cutlery with extra caution. You crockery should go with the food and beverages you have selected for the event. Be particular about glasses, plates, forks, knives, etc as it represents your hosting skills. You can be little informal about cutlery if it is a small party with known ones. However, if it is a corporate party, you need to be dead formal from menu to cutlery. Corporate parties are very important as it is represents your and your company's status and in any case you do not want to spoil it.

Prior to planning a menu for a party, always discuss with your thought with the head chef. Head chef can guide you what kind of dishes will be appropriate your type of event and which dish goes with which course. At last, before you select a company from various Catering Companies, it would be wise if you finalize the date and venues of your event. This will give a fine idea to your carter, whether it can avail its services on that place and date.

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

WHEN CHEAP IS NO GOOD?

Scouting your price cuts is a smart habit. But when you are truly savings and when are you just throwing away precious pesos? Here are some tips to discern those discounts.

Watch out for sales of good items that are "about to expire, or old stock or with slightly damaged packaging". Be on the look out for products with rotten smell, slimy feel, discoloration molds, and bruising. Also refrain from purchasing cans that appear misshapen or bloated. The risk is.... keeping item for just a few days longer from the time you bought it may rub them of all their nutritional and health benefits. In addition, perishable products like dairy, fresh meat, poultry and seafood’s have a higher moisture content compare to other food - making them ideal breeding grounds for bacterial and more susceptible to contamination. This result is illness like diarrhea and abdominal pains. But if you still want it.... cook or use this perishable as soon as possible. Also make sure to buy the foods that are in season - it’s still cheap of good quality...

Watch out for the ingredients used and the texture steer clear of make-up products that contain ingredients not approved by the US food and drug administration; fragrance and preservative chemicals, biothional, hexachlorophene, vinyl choride and zirconium salts in earosal products, halogenated salicylanilides, choloform and methylene chloride. Foundation and wand-applied cosmetics such as lipstick and mascaras shouldn't have uncharacteristically clumpy or cake-like textures for this signs that the items have passed its expiry dates. Eye make-up should never contain any kohl a color additive often used to enhance the eyes appearance. It contains salts of heavy metals, such as antimony and lead and is not approved for cosmetic use. A kohl color item, however, is just fine. Lastly make-up brushes should feel smooth when you run them against your skin. Those made from natural materials, like squirrel and pony hairs, are your best bet. The risk.... cheaper brands usually do not blend well and do not look natural on the skin. Worst of all they can cause skin irritation. But you still want it... you have to test them out for a while to see if they work for you. Try the testers first, and see how the product blends into your skin. If it’s fine after a few hours of wearing it, then that's a go signal for you to buy it....

CLOTHINGS

Watch out for discounted item with uneven stitching an prone to small holes when used or stretched. Cotton, linen and rayon are particularly known to shrink or expand, used or white silk, cotton and linen may discolor or bleed. "There’s usually a catch they may be sourced from china, factory overruns, last season designs or part of a clearance sale. The risk.... they simply won’t last long, they lose their original shape and colors’s after a few washing and get easily ripped. In the end, it is still waste of money. But if you still want it... make sure you give every item the once-over hook for clothes that are made of nice fabrics, such as linen for pants, cotton and light wool for taps, and tweed for just about anything. Interfacing and lining should be supportive, should be fastened securely and should not wrinkle the outer fabric. Construction also affects how the garments looks and retains it shapes; stitches for one ought to secure and have no loose ends be especially careful that add-ons or accessories are secure and that the zipper zip smoothly. Tip "splurge on quality basics because you'll want something you can wear for a long time. In facts, the trend right now is to mix high end pieces with cheap stuff to create a unique look. Update your wardrobe by buying a few cheap and trendy pieces that make your basics look different. Reminder, always keep the receipt just in case you want to return or exchange the items.

Watch out for unbranded medicines. Although there is a debate regarding generic versus brand name over the counter medicine, there's really nothing much to pit one against the other "whether generic or branded, the main ingredients are essentially the same they only vary in quality manufactured, which some of the branded ones are plant derived" but, all manufacturer have to pass the same standards. So you're just paying for the brand name. The risk... bewares of fake drug. But if you still want it... OTC medicine is also usually tamper evident so if any part of the packaging is broken in any way inform the sales person or pharmacist and purchase a fully sealed bottle. One more thing is always check the medicine each time you're about to take it. If it looks suspicious or different from what you've taken in past bring back to the drug store........