Im living off my husband’s credit cards (and Dad’s). I used to have three credit cards until I decided (forcefully) to get them cut. I now only have one, my oldest card (with the highest credit limit) but I havent used it in a year. We are working on finishing off Edil’s card debts first (and I pay off a purchase I made using my Dad’s card).

Did you know credit card applications that are actually rising? Edil has two cards, which are perfect for us because their rewards programs coincide with our favorite mall (SM, of course). The other one he uses for gas charges as it offers 3% rebate forever. We also get a lot of perks. He has been hounded by two other offers for cards, receives a lot of “free” credit card applications and he was sorely tempted to get one but I managed to convince him to just let them go and just build credit reputation with his current two.

Im no expert in financial handling, but here are some lessons Ive learned (the hard way) on handling credit cards:

1. Treat the card is it is – debt. Don’t card everything you do not need.
2. Make sure you pay more than the minimum due.
3. Take advantage of 0% installment plans.
4. Manage everything in ONE card. You don’t need more than one. Decide which one works for you, the best credit card deals for you, and build credit on that. I have had five credit limit increases on my oldest card.
5. Use it when you have money to pay off

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I am wearing eyeglasses right now. No, they are not prescription glasses but ant-glare ones for protection for my eyes since I am in front of the computer all the time. Two weeks ago, I had the most terrible eye strain and migraine ever and I was worried about my eyes. Thankfully, an optometrist friend gave me a pair for free. Otherwise, I’d buying the $ 8 Rx eyeglasses from ZenniOptical.com. I am thinking of getting the Edil and the big brother a pair too since I saw how great the deals on the site are. I even saw Zenni Optical on TV!!!

Since they are pretty cheap, I need not worry my son breaking his glasses or misplacing them since I can easily replace them. So, High Five to Zenni Optical – great job on offering quality yet affordable glasses for us!

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• Steroids. Nebulizers. Salbutamol (Ventolin). That pretty sums up what our weekend was. Martha had an attack and we closely had to monitor her or else we might end up in the hospital. It was a good thing she stabilized but we are still on neb till Saturday. Talk about stressful. I probably need the best wrinkle creams for myself with all the stress and trials that has been coming my way lately.
• We had the big brother on Salbutamol too. I realized his cough, because it hasn’t gone away with antibiotics, might be asthma too.
• The caregiver got sick too. I now have the colds and cough and feel blah. Good thing I’m old enough to force myself to eat (as if I need forcing? Heehee) and that I take medicines – vitamins actually, 1500mg Vitamin C.
• Cold cold cold weekend. Grey skies. Wet roads. Mud.
• Our “hummer” is battery weak. We need to get it fixed. The expenses neeeeeeever ends. I’m still thankful though we get by.
• I treated myself on Saturday to something I have been wanting since college. It’s a steal as well . I have been working myself to the ground so I deserve this. Please erase my Mommy guilt away

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It has been three weeks since G, my laptop, got sick and needed to be sent to the repair center. She wasn’t turning on (no display) even if the lights were blinking. An initial diagnosis made by the technician was motherboard failure. We were already told it will take 3 to 4 weeks for it to be repaired and the cost, if the diagnosis is correct, will be anywhere from $200-$300. (Yes, I might as well get a new one, right?) I don’t want to give up on my laptop because of sentimental reasons. It is the first laptop I have bought with my money from writing and she was really with me (literally) when I was working so hard. But I do realize I need a desktop computer, given how long I work in front of a computer. There are great deals right now, I just wish we had a credit card to buy one. There are great deals on packages with 0% interest for 12 months. I can always apply online for best credit cards – but I really don’t want one anymore.

You need to find a credit card that works best for you. For example, if you do groceries a lot and charge it to your card, you can get one that has bonus points for shopping. Or if you use it for gas, you can sign up for a card that offers rebates or discounts on petroleum. If you have multiple cards and want to consolidate them into one, you can get a card that has a zero balance transfer rate so it will be easier to pay and monitor your expenses.

I’m going to think about this until the end of the month and make my decision. I need to have at least 30% of the total payment as well.

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I blogged before about Martha having her own version of Mary Had a Little Lamb. I tried to capture it on video last night but she was so giggly and high (forgive me – she is on steroids, hehe) that she wasn’t able to finish it.

More videos to come.
Do you know the theme song of Tarzan?

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It is funny that even Facebook, you get to hear God’s message in a perfect way.

Ang cool talaga ni Lord, isipin mo dahil ang mga tao tamad na magsimba o nakakalimutan na hanapin Sya, pumupunta na lang sya sa mga tambayan at dun pinaparating mga mensahe nya

Mary Agatha got a message that on this day, God wants her to know…

… that you cannot wait anymore.

The moment has finally come. You have no choice. You have to take that step now. Now. Not tomorrow, not in an hour, – Now! If anyone else is reading this, they would be confused. But not you. You know exactly what we mean. Do it. Now.

… that every relationship rests on three legs: accepting, supporting and challenging.

That’s really it, isn’t it? You want your relationships to be grounded on accepting each other as you are. On supporting each other through the inevitable ups and downs. On challenging each other to become more, to grow, to flourish. Which one of these is the more difficult one for you, and how are you going to practice it in the next 24 hours?

… that faith is exactly what it takes to get through uncertainty.

Faith is not necessary when you know how things are going to work out, – that’s knowledge. It’s in the time of unknowing that having faith is what sees you through to the other side. Faith is what gives you strength. Faith is that light in your heart that keeps on shining even when it’s all darkness outside. Now is the time to keep that faith alive!

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Our house, though it is small, can hold a lot of clutter. In fact, I think one of our two room hold half of our house clutter. I seriously need to de-clutter. I can run all our junk a.k.a clutter through a barcode scanner and we would have money to cover our basic needs for the month. I used to sell our old clothes twice a year so we can have a little money to buy new ones – it’s a good way to shop, not using your own money (more like recycling!)

Christmas is around the corner and I need to organize the kids’ clothes, throw away their toys and list down things they might need – their aunts and uncles will surely be asking what they would give for Christmas so I better be armed with an answer.

I would like to share the article of The Unclutterer. I started a habit of reading these types of blogs to get more inspiration everyday.

A reader asked:

How do you have time for all of this – running a blog, writing a book, all of these musical activities & all the other stuff you seem to do?

And here were the Unclutterer’s answers. Read them, they are very useful to apply to your life too.

The following is my system for living a remarkable life:

1. Purge clutter, downsize, and minimize. The less stuff you own, the less you have to clean, store, maintain, manage, protect, worry about, stress about, waste money on, forget, and pick up. Have the minimum amount of stuff for you to be comfortable. (This level is different for everyone and you’ll have to figure it out for yourself.)
2. Organize what you choose to own and use. Your home and office don’t need to be pristine museums, but you and the people who access the same space/items need to be able to easily find things when they’re needed. Order is better than chaos, and order saves you time and energy.
3. Commit to a streamlined routine for the mundane tasks in your life and be disciplined enough to maintain that routine. If you do 30 minutes of housework a day, your home is never chaotic. But, you have to be committed to these daily activities (dishes, laundry as needed, things put back in place when finished, kitty litter scooped, etc.) and not put them off for another day. The same is true for work; you have to stay on top of the necessary tasks or they will haunt you. I also think of this item as taking responsibility for the things you choose to own.
4. Determine what matters most to you. Make a list of the people, activities, and things in your life that mean the most to you and then spend the vast majority of your time focusing on these items. Be honest with yourself, though, and put on your list what really matters to you, not what you think should matter to you.
5. Remind yourself that even if you live to be 100, life is short. There is no better time to live your life than right now. My life’s motto is carpe vitam, Latin for seize life. It’s morbid to think about, but someday might not ever come. Stop putting things off until tomorrow.

Read more… »

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1. Get back to scouting a health insurance quote for our family. We need to have HMOs soon, with every body getting sick and all.
2. Scrap the school album of Matthew (2nd grade). I’m done with the album of my client for the month and we are resting one week before I start a new one. I got some nice album templates from Paper Iris here, for free. Grab it before Monday – it’s 10 spreads!
3. Get our important documents in one folder – I’ve been putting this off for the longest time.
4. Put Matthew’s awards and art work (take pictures of them) in his box. He is in 3rd grade and I haven’t arranged his medal for 2nd grade (I have a habit of storing them away. He doesn’t care for it for now).
5. Get the kids to a doctor.

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