How to Save Money with a Tight Budget using My Ipon Diary
One of the areas in life where I’ve always thought that Im a failure, is in personal finance and savings. It’s my weakness and Waterloo. I just don’t think that savings applies to me. Look, I’m a pretty money savvy mommy (I think). I monitor my expenses. I budget the entire month based on our income. I have apps and excel files. Its just that, dumadaan lang sya talaga sa kamay. How can I have savings when the money doesn’t even fit our lifestyle? In my mind, an ipon diary would remain blank and unwritten.
Because…
I’m poor.
I dont go out to eat.
I dont watch movies in the cinemas.
I hardly go malling.
I hardly go out with friends.
I dont celebrate birthdays except with a nice dinner.
Oh of course, I know all about savings, how can I not? But, really, in my mind, there’s just nothing to save.
Nada. Zero.
Well, that is until I attended Chinkee Tan’s Ipon Pa More 2018 Workshop in Greenhills yesterday. It’s a how to save money seminar that really hits home where it hurts. Chinkee Tan is a motivational speaker on mindset and success and a wealth coach. He is also launching his My Ipon Diary book and I was thankful that I was invited for this book launch. I’ve seen him around on Facebook with the memes and articles on investing and financial literacy. But it’s just one of those. Paglampas sa Facebook feed, out of mind na rin.
Yeah, yeah, I get it. Saving is important. But it’s not relevant to me, I have no money to invest nor save.
But you know, at the start of the year, being January and all, there’s always that willingness to revisit previously held truths, which might not be true at all.
What I need is a change in Attitude.
The Victory Hall in Greenhills (where the event was held), was jampacked. I was impressed! Can you believe that so many people are actually this interested in a how to save money workshop that they’d spare time and resources to go to an event? I mean, let’s face it. Filipinos will spend money on going to the movies but would be hard pressed to go somewhere and learn something hard like saving money. We like it easy. There were moms, families, singles, friends, and kids! I believe I also caught sight of a few celebrities in the audience. I felt so excited just being in a group (700+ of us) who dares to dream of being able to become financially free.
And when you go deciding to open up your mind to learn something, you really do learn something! I paused the proverbial “Alam Ko Na Yan” syndrome and here are a few things I learned! (Or more like relearned, because these are common truths that everybody knows but fails to implement.)
Fix the Leak
Some people, like me, we think that in order to afford the lifestyle we want, we just have to have a bigger pocket. A bigger salary, a bigger business, a bigger raket, a bigger lotto win, etc. When in reality, it should be the other way around. Most don’t realize that our money is like a leaking pipe, bleeding us dry. And when we have a leaking pipe. no matter how much bigger we earn, it will be drained just as well. It’s easy to start saving. We just have to fix the leak!
And here enters Ipon Pa More – the newly launched book by Chinkee Tan that teaches us how to fix the leak. If you read this book, you will find what things are taking money from your stash.
For example, did you know that avoiding ready-to-drink Cola, Juice, Energizer, or etc. can save you at least P7200 a year? Let’s do the math,
P 20 a day x 30 days = 600 a month
x 12 months
———-
P7200 a year
There are lots of things like these, small expenses that can get really big if you’re not conscious of it. Not preparing the kid’s baon and hubby’s baon can cost as must as P36000 a year! Occasional trips to the convenience store with nothing specific to buy can cost you P12000 a year. Or if you go to the grocery without a list, you spend more at even bigger yearly cost!
And let’s not even talk about Starbucks, just the regular 3 in 1 Kopiko. If you get rid of that, that’s another P7200 a year! Ha! I found money I didnt know I had!
Again, find the leak and fix the leak.
If you’re just letting yourself and your family waste your resources by spending on unnecessary things, you really will find that it will always be “kulang” and like me, “dadaan lang sa kamay” ang sweldo. But if you’re always conscious and have a plan, I now believe that we can save.
Baby steps, yes. But with understanding and a plan, financial freedome cannot be far behind.
What is the 52 Week Ipon Challenge?
The 52 week Ipon Challenge is a scheme that will help you save money without stress. You can decide how much money you can set aside weekly and save it in a coin bank (or bank for that matter).
Here is a table of how much you can save at the end of the year!
| Amount to be Saved | X 52 Weeks | Total at the end of the Year |
| 5 | 260 | |
| 10 | 520 | |
| 20 | 1040 | |
| 50 | 2600 | |
| 100 | 5200 | |
| 500 | 26000 | |
| 1000 | 52000 |
What are you waiting for? Its the last week of January but its not too late! You can still join the 52 Week Ipon Challenge. Sabi nga ng isang mommy sa FB, “at least you can expect to have something for Noche Buena without taking from your 13th month pay“. And that I think is a great idea!
Chinkee Tan is also conducting another seminar this 2018 which is right along the mommy avenue, titled Happy Wife, Happy Life on March 10! Sign up on this link and get a discount for an early bird rate. The rate is for couples already and I’m excited to be part of this event too! He will be co hosting this 2018 seminar with Ms Tintin Bersola Babo and Julius Babao. The seminar aims to build stronger marriages one couple at a time and will discuss relationship, finance, and rediscovery.
If you’re interested in getting Chinkee Tan’s books para maging #iponaryo -for you, your family, and your friends (It’s a great gift!), please go to shop.chinkeetan.com and buy online. If you’re buying for the whole barangay, better get the #barangayiponaryo discount package! Because a barangay that saves together, yayaman together, di ba!
If you have a budget and savings tip, leave it in the comments and I’ll raffle a copy of the My Ipon Diary for the best comments!
