The forecasts by economists (and by economists I mean GMA and other government slugs) and financial leaders are so confusing that we are left more dumfounded on what’s really happening. The government says we’re doing okay, but others say that we better brace ourselves. I’m not really that worried. Filipinos aren’t afraid of tightening our belts. We’ve gone through much worse. We’ve lived through the Marcos regime, the Asian Financial crisis, El Nino, La Nina, and even Kris Aquino’s love life and Erap, not to mention the sex scandals (saved in flash drive, memory cards, and, would you believe, available in dibidis ) that every struggling wannabe seems to have. Nothing can really affect us. These are all entertainment for us.

Nevertheless, Money Smarts has this list of suggestions in prepping our finances. Be sure to check back the site later and read the comments, which I’m sure is filled with a lot more tips.

1. Save more aggressively and shop more responsibly. If you used to save 20 percent of your salary every month, see if you can raise the notch up a little bit.
2. Postpone vacations. Make staying at home a little bit more exciting for spouse and kids with simple and creative activities.
3. Postpone big purchases.
4. Pay off credit card debt faster. Just by doing that, you let your finances breathe so much better.
5. Manage telecommunications cost. Texting and mobile phone usage can be a quiet financial termite, and so can Internet connection.

A comment there says to look for second source of income or sideline. So far, we’re currently doing everything on the list .We hope to finish number 4 by the end of the year. Life will be so much better being debt free.

Original post by thehusbandspeaks

I have come to realize that a lot of us have taken extra jobs just so we can have something extra, to prepare ourselves for the hard times that may come or not. Forums are gleaming with folks looking for other money-making alternatives. And of the forums that I’ve visited, one of the most popular ways is by doing online work like affiliate marketing. As per Answers.com, “affiliate marketing is a method of promoting web businesses (merchants/advertisers) in which an affiliate (publisher) is rewarded for every visitor, subscriber, customer, and/or sale provided through his/her efforts.”

Clickbooth is one such site that offers this. If you are a publisher, meaning that you have a site or blog that gets a lot of traffic, you can earn quite a lot from signing up with them. It’s quite easy. First, you sign up as a publisher. If your site gets approval, you will get some advertisers that you have to promote through your site either through banners or by doing a short post about them. Every visitor, subscriber, customer, and/or sale that you get through your site earns you some percentage. So more traffic to your site means more moolah!

The site also has Clickbooth Webinars. A webinar is a seminar, workshop, or lecture that is delivered over the web. Through webinars, we can learn how to maximize earning through affiliate marketing or pay-per-click marketing (another pay-you program). And what’s nice about this is that Clickbooth offers webinars for free. Apart from that, we can also learn from referral programs. Every publisher and/or advertiser that we refer gets us additional cuts. That’s why forums are filled with members referring different sites. The more people sign up, either as advertiser or publisher, means more moolah for you.

My wife and I were talking the other day of the many options that are available right now. There are so many options where one can earn that it’s mind boggling how some people whine about the lack of opportunities. If you look hard enough, I think you can find something right for you.

Original post by thehusbandspeaks

For a while now, we’ve been fanatics of Mango Bravo, a cake from Conti’s. And whenever we could find an excuse to buy cake, it has always been Mango Bravo. We ordered nothing else. Nothing could be better. Very much worth the cash advance to buy it. See for yourself how beautiful and delicious it is.

On a recent birthday party that we attended, we were served this ice-cream-like cake with mangoes on top. It was smooth and creamy, and tasted like real ice cream. One bite was all it took for us to be converts. It’s official. We have a new favorite. It’s called Frozen Mango Tart. The good news is that it also comes from the heavenly kitchen of Conti’s.

So last weekend, while buying some dibidis at Ruins, we decided to cross the street over to Conti’s and buy one whole cake of Mango Tart. One cake just for the two of us! You should have seen the huge grin on my face that day. I think I almost cried. All that’s left now is one small piece. If you haven’t had one yet, I suggest you get one fast.

Mango Bravo photo was from Pinay Mountain Chef.Mango Tart photo was from Le fang, le kwatsa.

Original post by thehusbandspeaks

One thing I’m actually good at is researching. With the Internet at my fingertips, researching is actually easy. I’ve been a member of the interwebs, online forums, and other social networks for as long as I could remember. I’m not actually “active” in these sites, it’s more for research purposes. You see, most networks don’t give you access to forums when you’re not a member, and forums help a great deal because of all the things that the members contribute, so I learn a lot. So when my wife asked for suppliers of cupcake toppers, other baking needs, fondant, etc., I take a few minutes and do my thing. Here are the results of those researches. Just a warning though, I’ve heard that wives and bakers surely go gaga over the goodies that these stores have (better get those payday loans if I were you). And since it will be our first time to go some of these places, we plan to commute. It will be so much better than finding a parking spot and possibly going on a one way street, thus ending up giving away my wife’s shopping money to buwayas. And if you know some more, please leave a comment. Thanks!

Cook’s Exchange in Rockwell, Glorietta, Megamall, and other major malls

Gourdo’s in Glorietta, ATC, and other major malls

Chocolate Lovers in 45 P. Tuazon St. corner C. Benitez St., Cubao, and 2 Kitanlad St., Quezon Avenue

Chef’s Nook in 20 Pilar St., Addition Hills, Mandaluyong

Sweetcraft Baking and Confectionery Supplies in 373 Boni Avenue, Mandaluyong

Ingrid’s Sweet Haven in 363 Dr. Sixto Antonio Avenue corner Liwayway Street, Caniogan, Pasig

Original post by thehusbandspeaks

I’m having a hard time blogging. It’s not that I have nothing to write about, I actually have a lot to say, but it’s mainly because the DSL connection at my in-laws is currently out of whack! And this makes blogging so much harder. I can’t even upload photos. And I like photos on my blog posts. Of course, I can always find tons of photos on the Internet, but as much as possible, I want to post pictures that I have personally taken, no matter how crappy the pictures are.

My wife’s currently on a hunt for cupcake toppers. She will be making cupcakes for Yuan’s dedication (baptism) this Sunday, and she is absolutely OC on how it will turn out. When she was browsing Yumi’s flicker site, she found these beautiful creations. By the way, Yumi did the cupcakes for our wedding. She makes absolutely delicious cupcakes. The best I’ve tasted. Photos can be found on her site here.

So later this week, she plans to drag me all over the city to look for those cupcake toppers on baking stores. Oh man! I’m gonna need a whole lot of patience and a good massage right after because this hunt will surely hurt my back and wallet. This won’t be as easy as looking for cheap auto insurance. No sir! I have a feeling that this will take some serious effort. So wish me luck!

Original post by thehusbandspeaks

We’ve been trying so hard to have healthy and green lives. We go to weekend markets in Salcedo, Makati, to buy fresh organic produce whenever we can. We’ve switched to brown sugar. We’re using Ilog Maria soaps, no harmful chemicals, all natural, as opposed to alternatives that are loaded with chemicals I can’t even pronounce and spell. And did you notice that it seems like everybody’s getting cancer. These are crucial times when we should be thinking about a family health insurance and of trying to be aware of the food and other stuff that we consume.

Here’s a healthy snack item that many may not know about. We ourselves have only recently discovered it. It’s called Yakon, or Yacón (Smallanthus sonchifolius). See here in Wikipedia. The site says that it’s good for diabetic people and people trying to diet (that’s us). The syrup from Yacón feeds the friendly bacteria in the colon, which thus boosts the immune system and helps digestion.

As you can see, it looks a lot like gabi (unpeeled, left) or other similar tubers that we have here, and is quite common in supermarkets or groceries. It tastes and looks like singkamas (peeled, right), with a very slight hint of ginger, I think. We found that the smaller ones are somewhat sweeter, so pick those when you want to try it. My wife slices them up into bite-size pieces and have it for a light snack or merienda. If want, you can dip this is sugar or salt (or chocolate, hehe) just to give it some extra kick. Some people do find it on the bland side, as I said it is a lot like singkamas.

Original post by thehusbandspeaks

At one point, I wanted to be a carpenter. My father was an OFW, and whenever I’m not with my mom, I was always with my grandparents (father side). My grandfather, who was carpenter extraordinaire, would always bring me with him, and I was always happy hanging around and doing little things like straightening crooked nails or sanding some wood. Maybe that’s why I had thing with wood. I love everything made of wood. There was this carpentry show called New Yankee Workshop that I used to watch a lot (channel 25, I think) when I was in college that my mom really hated. Well, that and so many car and motor shows, some even selling Ferrari parts, and some F1 races that drove my mom crazy because she can’t watch Marimar! Anyway, the tools he used are very, very cool. I sure would like to try my hand at it. And it was just amazing seeing how a piece of wood transforms into a chair or table, an armoire, or even a lazy susan.

I wanted to be a lot things. I wanted to be a chauffeur one time just so I have time to read. When the Indiana Jones movies came up, I wanted be like him, an archeologist of some kind. And now that the latest Bond movie is showing, of course I want to be a spy for the Queen! With the license to kill! Hah! I have yet to see it though, I’m still thinking of ways to convince my wife to come with me. Any of you seen it? I know that Mordsith made a post about it. I’m really excited!

Original post by thehusbandspeaks

Do you have one of those days when you just want to set your clothes on fire? No? Hah! Well, for a brief moment there, I kinda considered it, or maybe I was just looking for an excuse to skip work today. The weather has particularly been cold in the past weeks, a definite sign of the coming holidays, I guess, and it makes me feel lethargic and want to stay in bed, where it’s warm and cozy, and lounge around the house in my boxers. Plus, we were stuck in traffic for almost 4 hours last night, and I’m really feeling lazy.

Anyway, I want to inform you guys of the new Apple Online Store here in good old Pinas! Online baby! Who would have thought huh?! Now, we can buy Apple products directly from Apple. Orders of over 3000 have free shipping. Also, iPods get free personal laser engraving. Coolness! Plus I heard that students and teachers get discounts, though I don’t know how that works so far! I’m currently busy eyeing the new 13-inch Macbook.

Original post by thehusbandspeaks

My wife made me read this article she found on the Philippine Star website. It talks about the different ways that men and women (husbands and wives) do to cope with stress. Stress, as we all know, can lead to illnesses and a whole lot of various diseases. And of course we all don’t want that. If you’re the least bit interested, please read the original article here. Here are some of the interesting highlights.

Men either solve the problem when they can, or they forget about it when they can not.

Men need testosterone to cope with stress. They need to relax and forget the problems of the day. They need to rest their muscles. To take time out and rebuild. In ancient times, after a whole day of hunting or fishing, the man goes to the cave and spends time there alone. He only goes out and socializes with his family or community after some rest.  Today, a man’s cave might mean watching TV, reading a book, or whatever activity gives him some time and space alone.

Under stress, men produce a lot of testosterone. They focus on the problem and use logic over emotions. Men are primarily left-brained. They respond to work stressors such as deadlines, targets, and competition by meeting, planning, evaluating, and setting goals. They recover by going to the cave, by resting alone. Oh no! And wife thinks that he completely ignores her. It’s not like he doesn’t care. It’s just the wrong time to speak to him during his much-needed recovery time alone in his “cave.”

Well now, it seems that my annoying habits of endlessly flipping through channels, Internet surfing for Oakley watches or other ridiculously funny videos at Youtube, etc., are my “me” time. My destressing time. On days that we go through some crazy traffic, like going to Makati or Alabang, I’d like nothing than to dress down to my boxers, throw my clothes to the hamper, and relax in front of the TV or in bed with a good book. Bonus points if I get some quiet time. So wives, when your husbands are retreating to their caves, just give them the space, we’ll get out eventually, especially when we get hungry. Savor that moment and do some “me” time yourself.

Original post by thehusbandspeaks

December is filled with drunken parties, gatherings, and family reunions. Our office is no different. The company spends millions for a one-night event. Most of the CEDs, however, don’t participate. It’s not that we’re anti-social, or that such an event is below us. The reason is that we’re really, really shy, and we’re totally crazy. We’re not comfortable getting drunk and letting loose with “other” people. We do have an image to protect, of course. We actually have this aura of having a superiority complex, better than the rest. But really, we don’t. So we usually have our own party. Two years ago, it was held at a bar that we frequent in BF Homes. It has a pool table, and we had the most amazing band that played there. It was awesome!

Some of the more intimate groups in our department also have another potluck party with close friends and/or their significant others. In addition to the gifts, we also have games, and it’s usually men versus women. Of course the men always win!

Last year though (December 21, 2007), instead of worrying what to wear and how to lose weight for the next office party, we (and by “we” I mean me, my wife, Mordsith, Pido, Kumareng Grace, Abel, and Cat) started something new, something unselfish. In lieu of another party for us, we decided to throw a Jollibee kiddie party for less fortunate kids. The idea isn’t new. We’ve actually thought about it since forever, but it never happened. So last year’s reach out was the first, and it won’t be the last. We printed some food stubs and gave it to the sons and daughters of street vendors. It was really fun! That’s my wife with the smiley. She’s too shy. Told you so!

This year’s party is in the planning. And we’re all excited. I’m sure it’s going to be as exciting as the last. This year, instead of treating yourself, why not give others the treat. Play host to people you don’t know. Be like a kid and share.

Original post by thehusbandspeaks