The cost of raising a child

Just want to share this one, it was forwarded to me...


The government recently calculated the cost of raising a child from birth to 18 and came up with $160,140 for a middle income family. Talk about sticker shock! That doesn't even touch college
tuition.For those with kids, that figure leads to wild fantasies about all the money we could have banked if not for your child.

For others, that number might confirm the decision to remain childless. But $160,140 isn't so bad if you break it down. It translates into $8,896.66 a year, $741.38 a month, or $171.08 a week.That's a
mere $24.44 a day! Just over a dollar an hour. Still, you might think the best financial advice says don't have children if you want to be "rich". It is just the opposite.

So, what DO you get for your $160,140?

> Naming rights. First, middle, and last!
> Glimpses of God everyday.
> Giggles under the covers every night.
> More love than your heart can hold.
> Butterfly kisses and Velcro hugs.
> Endless wonder over rocks, ants, clouds, and warm cookies.
> A hand to hold usually covered with jam.
> A partner for blowing bubbles, flying kites, building sandcastles, and skipping down the sidewalk in the pouring rain.
>Someone to laugh yourself silly with no matter what the boss said or how poorly your stocks performed that day.

For $160,140, you never have to grow up.

> You get to finger-paint, carve pumpkins, play hide- and-seek, catch lightning bugs, and never stop believing in Santa Claus.
> You have an excuse to keep: reading the Adventures of Piglet and Pooh, watching Saturday morning cartoons, going to Disney movies, and wishing on stars.
> You get to frame rainbows, hearts, and flowers under refrigerator magnets and collect spray painted noodle wreaths for Christmas, hand prints set in clay for Mother's Day, and cards with backward letters for Father's Day.

For $160,140, there is no greater bang for your buck.

> You get to be a hero just for retrieving a Frisbee off the garage roof, taking the training wheels off the bike, removing a splinter, filling a wading pool, coaxing a wad of gum out of bangs, and coaching a baseball team that never wins but always gets treated to ice cream regardless.
> You get a front row seat to history to witness the first step, first word, first bra, first date, and first time behind the wheel.
> You get to be immortal.
> You get another branch added to your family tree, and if you're lucky, a long list of limbs in your obituary called grandchildren.
> You get an education in psychology, nursing, criminal justice, communications, and human sexuality that no college can match.
> In the eyes of a child, you rank right up there with God.
> You have all the power to heal a boo-boo, scare away the monsters under the bed, patch a broken heart, police a slumber party, ground them forever, and love them without limits, so one day they
will, like you, love without counting the cost.
Author Unknown

Our family is growing by two feet

It was one of those happiest feeling you won't easily forget....

June 28, 2012 came by and I still haven't got my period yet. I let one week passed thinking its just delayed but beginning to have some doubts because usually my period is regular.

July 8, 2012, finally got the chance to do some testing using a pregnancy kit. 2 dark pink lines!

July 9, 2012, contemplating on how to tell/surprise my hubby. I decided to announce the big news to hubby by saying it straight up.

July 10, 2012, I told my husband by giving the pregnancy test result to our little boy Migi and asked him to give it to his dadee.

July 14, 2012 through transvaginal ultrasound it was really confirmed that our family is growing by 2 feet.

Money Saving Tip: Reducing Electric Bill

It’s official! Summer is here already says Pagasa. Along with increased heat comes the increase in our electric bills. Today I used the Meralco Appliance Calculator (http://www.meralco.com.ph/mac) and here’s what I’ve discovered.

The biggest contributor to our household energy cost is our AIRCON which accounts for 25.69% of our total electric bill. It is followed by our ENTERTAINMENT appliances which accounts for 25% of the total bill then next comes our REFRIGERATOR which accounts for 17.7% of our bill.

Thus, below are some tips on how we can reduce our electric bill.

AIRCON

1. Keep the filters clean by cleaning it twice a month.
2. If your unit has a timer, set it off automatically three hours before you wake up.
3. Make sure your air conditioner is sized properly for your space.
4. Don’t place potential source of heat like television and lamps near the unit. This will cause the aircon to run longer.

ENTERTAINMENT

1. Unplug entertainment appliance when not in use. These are electrical vampires that uses electricity merely by being plugged into the wall.
2. Easiest way to save energy with TV is turn it off.

REFRIGERATOR

1. Defrost when the ice becomes more than 1/4 inch thick.
2. Place it at least 4 inches away from the wall so as not to overwork the motor.
3. Don’t place warm food inside.
4. Refrain from frequent opening of the door.
5. Thaw frozen food inside the refrigerator and not in the counter. It will help cool the refrigerator.

Scammers: Readbud

July 30, 2010 I became a member of Readbud. What exactly is Readbud? It is a website (http://www.readbud.com/) that pays you to read and rate some articles based on your pre-selected topics of interest. It promised to pay you once you’ve reach the minimum of $50. At first you will be enticed because articles being served were 15-20 per day which were amounted to more than a dollar a day. But I’ve noticed that once your total amount increases the number of articles available decreases. The articles started dwindling after I hit the $35.00 mark. Now that I have reach the balanced of $48.33 ($1.67 short of $50, which is the minimum redemption amount), no articles was made available to me since July 2011 of last year.

Now it is year 2012 and I’ve checked their site again, still no article was available to me. These are scammer’s tactics to delay their payment. Since I’ve first joined Readbud, I have been on a look out for some proof of payment, but I have not been able to find one that looks authentic. I think I will not be able to reach $50. And I have found out from other bloggers that there are some who reached the $50 amount but were not paid by Readbud.

Please be warned and pass this message as to help others.

Mommy moments with my two year old son Migi

Mommy: Migi, magpalit ka ng shirt kase basa ng pawis.  (Migi, let’s change shirt because it is soaking wet.)

Migi: No!

Mommy: Sige na… (Please…)

Migi: No! No! (throwing tantrums when I attempted to change his shirt).

Mommy: Sige! Bahala ka. Galit na ako sayo. (I am angry at you!)

I ignore Migi for a while and pretended to be angry… a few minutes elapsed… Migi approached me and said..

Migi: Mommy Sorry… (with an embrace)  J

Photos of the New Peso Bill

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas launched the new Philippine Peso bills last December 2010. It is just recently that I have completed my collection. Denominations are still the 20, 50, 100, 200, 500 and 1000 bills. These new peso bills looks like play money. The last piece I got was the 500 pesos. It has now a smiling picture Ninoy Aquino together with his wife Cory Aquino.
Here are the photos of the new peso bill:

Arceno’s Food Trip at Cyma

Friday after work is a date night for us. This is our ‘We Time’, just the two of us appreciating quality food over a good conversation. Last February 24, 2012 we tried out Cyma Greek Taverna at Shangrila Mall. It is our first time to dine out at a Mediterranean restaurant.

We ordered Roka Salata Solo (P330). The salad contained fresh arugula, lettuce, tomatoes, candied walnuts, shaved parmesan cheese in a Greek vinaigrette dressing (Yummy!). The waiter said it is their best seller. Their solo size is good enough for two people.

 

Japanese Eggplant Moussaka (P250), it contained some ground meat, with eggplant and top with Greek béchamel sauce. It was very light and flavorful.

Pork Tenderloin Souvlaki (P345), it is the Greek version of kebabs. It contained skewered pork with vegetables. On side are grilled warm pita bread and a yogurt garlicky sauce. The pork was very tender and juicy.

I liked everything that we ordered, the only down side is that we find it expensive (o well expensive is a relative term). Our total bill amounted to 1007 pesos inclusive of VAT and service charge. Overall from the relaxing ambiance of the restaurant and the good food I should say that it is worthy enough to try.

Weekend getaway at Canyon Woods

We had our weekend getaway at Canyon Woods Residential Resort in Laurel, Batangas. We bought the accommodations through a group buying website, Ensogo at 60% discount. We only paid 2,400 pesos.  Included in the vouchers are accommodations for two, set breakfast for two and free use of swimming pool and fitness center.  Canyon Woods is an exclusive community open to members or lot owners, it is through Ensogo that they have accommodations for rent to non-members.

Originally I bought this so that we could stay there after the wedding of our friend which was held at Batangas. Unfortunately the date January 7, 2012 was already fully booked much to our disappointments. We decided to avail it last February 4, 2012 as a pre-valentine’s date, just the two of us on a road trip.

We left the house at around 1:30 in the afternoon. It was approximately 2.5 hours drive.  We had to check in at the main Clubhouse to get the key to our room. Our accommodation, a cabin type house was around 5 minutes walk from the Clubhouse.  It has two beds, a shower room, a living room, a veranda and small coffee area.

After settling in to our room we decide to look around Canyon Woods. We felt like we were in Baguio from the trees and the cold weather ambiance. We also went to their fitness center and in-door pool area in the Clubhouse.

For dinner we decided to go out of Canyon Woods and go to Tagaytay town proper. We chance upon resto called Verde View a bulaluhan place. Of course we ordered Bulalo a dish famous in Tagaytay. We also ordered sizzling shrimp, rice and calamansi juice.

The next day we went to the Pavilion where breakfast was going to be served. It was a long way from our room to the Pavilion so we rode the car. Dining area is at the second floor overlooking a small lake where you can use the paddle boats. Also around the Pavilion is the tennis court, basketball court, bowling area, and an outdoor swimming pool. We have an option to avail breakfast buffet with an additional cost of 150 pesos. Hubby availed it while I opted to just go ala carte which is included in the voucher.

We felt very relax at rejuvenated after spending the weekend at Canyon Woods. At around noon, we headed back to Manila. Along the way we bought some pasalubongs like cassava pie, blueberry tart, fresh lettuce and some flowering plants (which by the way are dying right now as of this writing.)

Additional Income: Work from Home

For those who wants to earn additional income, here's a site that I have found.
http://www.megatypers.com/

Make money solving capthas! Use one of the following invitational codes for signup:  OFH, OFI, OFJ, OFK

They will automatically process your earnings to your paypal account once you have made the minimum balance of only $3

Below is some information about the company:

EARN OVER $200 US DOLLARS A MONTH

MegaTypers.com is a workforce management company that service institutions requiring data entry services. Our main goal is to support our client’s digitization requirements by converting scanned papers into editable digital documents. Our services also include Neural Network Text Recognition, Voice-to-text transcription and Completely Automated Public Turing Test to tell Computers and Humans Apart image recognition for the visually impaired (blind).

We're currently looking for typers from around the globe. All you need to have to work with us is a computer with an internet connection and the ability to type at least 10 Words Per Minute. Our schedules are flexible. You can work at any hour that you want and for as long as you please. The quicker you type, the more cash you earn.

 MegaTypers.com is fantastic for:

•Mothers that stay at home.
•Parents that need a second job.
•Students.
•People in between jobs.

How much you earn depends on how much you work. Our top typers earn between $100 and $250 each month! Our Rates start from $0.50 for each 1000 words typed and can go as high as up to $1.5 for each 1000 words typed. We Pay through Debit Cards, Bank Checks, Paypal, Webmoney, Liberty Reserve and Western Union.

A Dragon Baby

January 23, 2012 marks the start of the Year of the Dragon. According to the Chinese zodiac, it is the luckiest birth sign because it is the only mythical creature among the Chinese zodiac. They believe that babies born in this year are destined for success and power. They are said to have courage, wisdom and brings their entire family good luck. Across Asia, there is a rise of births whenever year of the dragon comes around. 
 
Our nephew, John Paul Arceno was born last February 8, 2012 to proud parents Kuya Bobot and Ate Ging. We hope that you grow up to be strong and smart. You already got a head start being born in the Year of the Dragon. Still, superstitions or not, remember that we love you very much and we welcome you to the Arceno Family - Baby JP.

Arceno’s Food Trip at Jang Ga Nae

I started craving for some Korean food upon seeing a TV show featuring Ye Dang Korean Restaurant in Meralco Avenue Pasig. I requested hubby if we could go eat at Ye Dang sometime, but since this restaurant is very popular and there might be lots of people he suggested eating at a Korean restaurant he saw at the back of the building where he works. One Friday night, we decided to eat at the Korean restaurant he mentioned. The name of the restaurant is Jang Ga Nae (formerly Minato Sizzling Steakhouse). Situated in a small community of Korean stores, this place is frequented by the Koreans and the residents nearby.

What I like about this place is that the banchan (side dishes/appetizers) are abundant and bottomless. At first we were surprised when the server placed it on our table. Apparently it comes with the orders. Appetizers like kimchi, bean sprouts, vegetable salad, kimchi pancake.

These are the dishes we have ordered.

Dolsot Bibimbap – Delicious flavored rice topped with egg, beef, vegetables and spicy red sauce. They serve it in a hot stone pot.

Yuk Ke Jang – It is a spicy beef soup with green onion eggs and yam noodles.

Samgyupsal – Meat barbeques are their specialty. You can cook your own meat if you order 2 servings. Since we ordered one serving only it was cooked inside. The meat comes with a basket of fresh lettuce and garlic. Upon observing other customer inside, here is how to eat it. Dip the meat into the special oil that will be served to you, but it in the fresh lettuce, add garlic, salty bean paste and other stuffs in the appetizer as desired. Wrap it up like lumpia and enjoy!

Don’t worry if you can’t  remember the name of these dishes, just ask the servers who are Filipinas and they will be happy to explain it you.

I like everything that we ordered, can’t wait to go back to try other dishes.

Jang Ga Nae is located at G/F 8137 Plaza J. Escriva Drive Barangay San Antonio Pasig City.

Watching our son grow before our eyes

Watching Migi grow before our eyes…

RC’s Birthday Cupcake

Now I know why fondant cakes are expensive, it is just so damned hard to do without machinery. My arms and hands hurt after all the kneading. And it really needs some artistic touch to be able to create something.

See the pictures of the finished product: Cheese cupcakes topped with fondant icing for Hubby’s Birthday.

2012 New Year’s Resolution

Happy New Year!

What better way to greet the new year than a resolution that will help make a great change to your life and family from years to come. So this year my new year’s resolution is about improving our finances for our future. Be it by saving money, doing some sidelines, or just finding a way to earn some passive income.

I will set up an automatic bank transfer to my savings account every month when I received my paycheck. This is what you call Pay Yourself First. I will spend this money to create some passive income for me.

Another way of saving money is by logging your expenses daily and reviewing it at the end of the month. Then identify expenses that we can do without.

Generally the formula that I want to have as a mindset is, I want to make money but work less and have a decent retirement for me and my husband. Is that possible? This is thru the power of passive income. Passive income is an income that does not require your direct involvement, like owning rental property, royalties, stocks dividend, and network marketing.  

We are looking into investing in mutual funds, uitfs and getting our son Migi some education plan. We are also considering dipping some of our funds in stocks.

Anyway these are just some of the initial ideas that we are thinking about. I am going to write more about our adventures and experiences in improving our finances. So stay tune..