Gloom and Doom – Recession 2?

I just arrived this morning from Rome via Moscow and I still lack sleep.  Two weeks ago, my dad was insisting I shouldn’t push through with my trip and just save my money.  However, I turned the blind eye and went through with it when I got my visa.  The trip was educational, enlightening and an eye-opener.  It’s true that you learn more of the world when you travel.

When I logged on to my PC this morning, my friend who’s a business journalist in the Philippines was also online.  So, I asked her what advice can she give me during this time of crisis?  She said, save save save!  Hold on to your cash.  It seems like the forecast in the near future is gloomy.  Prices are going up but our salary can’t match its pace.

If I want to achieve my goal in 3 years time, I better start to plan how to do it.  If I need to learn a hobby and make money out of it, I probably should do so.  But.. does our life really revolve around money?  Shouldn’t we trust in God to provide for our needs?  I’d probably need to contemplate some more.  Right now, I can’t wait for the clock to hit 6pm and go home.

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I Want To Be A Millionaire!

Who doesn’t want to have a million bucks? I do and with the rate I’m going right now, I’m not exactly sure when will I reach my first million. It got me thinking, where does all my money go? Would I ever have one million at least in my life?

A month or two ago, Inquirer’s Finance Blog “Money Smarts” featured an article about “What does it take to be a millionaire?” It listed down 7 tips to help this goal and let’s see what have I been doing to achieve this goal.

1. Treat money as something to save and invest. The minute you receive your paycheck or a windfall (example, an inheritance or a bonus), think of how much you can put away as savings. Then look for venues where you can invest your money. If you think this way, you won’t be tempted to splurge money.

Life is Hard…

“Life is Hard” .. A phrase which is in the lips of most people nowadays as prices of everything is increasing and our incomes doesn’t increase as much. Then, how can we cope and weather through this difficult times? I’m no expert but here are some of the tips I’ve read from different websites.

1. Turn your hobby into income – If you’re good at cooking or baking, you can probably sell your goodies to your friends/colleagues/relatives. If you have a passion to teach, tutor people! If you are visually creative, try to create something that’s useful and unique. Sell your stuff in Ebay or Multiply.

2. Recycle – Bottles, newspapers, boxes.. they’re trash which you can sell. You may not earn much but each cent counts. In China, they don’t like bottles unless it’s beer bottles. The old lady in the street usually carries a bag and search for empty plastic bottles in the trash bin. As for me, I collect the free magazines which comes out every month and sell it when I have a lot along with my empty plastic bottles.