Here’s how to manage money the wrong way: don’t think about it. Assume that you have enough in your bank account to last you for a good long while. Hope that there’s enough on your debit card to afford whatever it is that you’re about to buy, and pray you don’t get over drafted. Repeat “I’ll pay for this later” as often as humanly possible.

However, if you want to be truly financially stable and possibly afford the new gadgets that you want to keep for yourself, here’s how to manage money the right way:

Check Your Account Every Day
Some people are afraid of checking their balance because they don’t want to know how bad it is. This is not a responsible way to live. Check your funds every day, so you can get a good handle on what you can and can’t afford.

Save Your Receipts (Digitally)
No one wants to carry slips of paper around everywhere, but since we live in a technologically-driven world, that’s no longer a requirement. If you’ve got a phone equipped with a camera, just take an image of your receipt and toss the paper. The photo will be labeled with the time and date, so you know how much you’re spending on what and how often.

Schedule Your Payments
The older you get, the more bills you have to pay. Get a master list of all your monthly expenses. List how much you expect the bill to be, and when you have to pay it—or when the money is deducted from your account. This way, you can keep track of your expenses without missing a payment.

Plan for the Unexpected
As John Lennon said, life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans. There’s no telling what you might find yourself suddenly facing, but it helps to start saving now. Tuck a small percentage of each paycheck away in an interest-generating savings account to help you out when there’s an unexpected emergency.

Explore Your Options
If the unexpected does happen, and you find yourself short on cash, check with your bank or lending companies to see what your options are. You may be able to use a service like Great Plains Lending online installment loans to loan you cash that you can pay back on the schedule best suited for you. Read the rest of this entry »

Some people think that upgrading your wedding band is a band thing. They think that you should stick with you original ring you got married with. There are some flaws to this train of thought. What if you lose a lot of weight or heaven forbid you gain a lot of weight? You have to get your ring resized and if you chose an alternative metal ring you will have to have a new one to replace the original ring. What if you have gotten the dream job and can now afford to buy a more expensive ring?

I think if you have the ability get a more expensive ring there are a lot of places you can turn for good jewelry advice. Lately there has been a big splash for palladium jewelry. In fact palladium wedding bands are becoming one of the more popular types of wedding bands. You will always want to pick a good wedding band for him.

Last December, a friend suggested that I make a video message for Sandy (from Santa) at portablenorthpole. I was expecting the usual generic message so I was pleasantly surprised to see that it was way more than that. You can upload pictures of your kid, choose your wish for her and display her accomplishments. I had goosebumps while I was watching the video. The first time I heard Santa say, “Hello Sandy!”, I could already imagine the smile from Sandy’s face.

I’m such a huge Santa fan and this is just way too amazing for me. I always wish to provide Sandy and Meg happy Christmas memories the way my parents did when I was a kid. And this one definitely gave Sandy a Christmas night to remember. If you’re interested, you can watch it here too.

Below is Sandy’s photo as she watched the video message from Santa. She was covering her ears because she was afraid that she wouldn’t be on the nice list. And as for her hearing Santa say her name, she didn’t smile. She was so shocked and looked at her cousin, as if asking if she heard Santa right. Priceless.

Sandy watching her video message from Santa. Priceless.

Who gives switch covers as gifts? I know one, but I won’t say her name. I was shocked when I found out that one of the items from our exchange gifts is a switch cover. I mean – we took 2 hours looking for the perfect gift for our exchange gift only to find out that we received something we’ll not be able to use. After some reading online, I realized that switch covers are indeed useful especially for DIY interior decorating projects. So I gave it to my friend who loves to change the look of their master bedroom almost every month. It will be more useful for her so it won’t be a waste.

At least, not yet. One of the reasons why I’m still not keen on learning how to drive is because of lack of roadside assistance plan here in our country. Another is that bus drivers seem to have no respect or knowledge of the law when it comes to driving. I’ve seen a lot of accidents, too many, including one when it could’ve been me, that I can’t see myself controlling a vehicle and putting other people’s lives in my hands. You may call it lack of confidence, but I call it self preservation. Of course, the husband will never agree but until I am ready, I will do my very best to stay away from driving.

I wasn’t planning on watching this but when I saw how much fun my friends and their kids had, I just knew my little girls will love it. Now the problem is the husband is out of town and Araneta is too far from us. When we watched Disney Live! last September, traffic was crazy and I just don’t want to go through all that unless it’s the husband who’s driving. I really hope we can find a decent driver who can take us there so I can surprise Sandy with this show. She deserves it for being such a great big sister to Meg and also – I do want to see the princesses myself.

Ticket Price and seat location:

PATRON VIP (Reserved Seating)                                        – P1500
LOWER BOX VIP (Reserved Seating)                                 – P1500
PATRON REGULAR (Reserved Seating)                          – P1200
LOWER BOX REG. (Reserved Seating)                              – P1200
UPPER BOX A VIP (Reserved Seating)                             – P950
UPPER BOX A REGULAR (Reserved Seating)               – P675
UPPER BOX B                                                                               – P370
GENERAL ADMISSION                                                           – P150

Disney on Ice Lets Celebrate Schedule:

December 25, 2011                  – Sunday at 2:00PM, 6:00PM
December 26, 2011                  – Monday at 2:00PM, 6:00PM
December 27, 2011                  – Tuesday at 6:00PM
December 28, 2011                  – Wednesday at 2:00PM, 6:00PM
December 29, 2011                  – Thursday at 2:00PM, 6:00PM
December 30, 2011                 – Friday at 1:00PM, 4:30PM, 8:00PM
January 1, 2012                        – Sunday at 1:00PM, 4:30PM, 8:00PM
January 2, 2012                        – Monday at 2:00PM, 6:00PM
January 3, 2012                        – Tuesday at 6:00PM

Buy your tickets via TicketNet.

Ever since I changed mobile networks, I kept getting poor cell reception. I think it has to do with the location of our house (mostly in the dining area) but the data plan was too good to resist. Luckily, I don’t use my mobile that much for calling when I’m home. I only need it whenever we’re out or if I need to call the husband, which is one of the perks – we can call each other without charge. Even Sandy is enjoying this feature as she loves to text and call her Papa. So it’s still worth the upgrade as long as I don’t hang out downstairs if ever I want to call or receive messages.

It is a sickening feeling, hearing that once again your car is on the fritz. With ten days before pay-day and a checkbook balance that won’t even come close to covering the repairs. You’re stuck – right? No car, no way to work…eventually that will mean no job. What choice do you have? How can you get the car fixed without bouncing a check? The answer is simple: choose one of the many payday advance lenders that are available to help you in your time of need.

What Is a Payday Advance?

For those that are not familiar with the term, understanding what a payday advance, sometimes called a cash advance, is the first step. In the simplest terms, a cash advance is a simple loan, not based on a credit score, which must be paid back in a short period of time. The amount of the online payday loan is dependent on the amount of money you make. Payday advance lenders have few requirements for applicants to qualify. These typically include proof of employment, a checking account, and a registered phone. Read the rest of this entry »

Sharing some of the photos from our previous party. The Husband dressed as Elwood from Blues Brothers, myself as Holly from Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Sandy as Cher from Clueless and Meg as Danny Zuko from Grease. We were supposed to get her a leather jacket but couldn’t find one so we just rolled up her sleeves. It was fun even if we lost the best in Costume award plus we were able to test our mobile studio, which was as expected, a huge hit.

More photos here.

Traditionally called the one-armed bandit because of the lever used to activate the machine and its low payout percentage, the slot machine has, nevertheless, been one of the most popular casino games since Charles Frey invented it in 1887. These brightly spinning wheels combine the entertainment of an arcade game with the thrill of potential gain, creating an almost irresistible attraction. Yet, many people do not want to travel outside their home and are leery about spending their hard-earned money on so fleeting a diversion. Fortunately, there is a solution: virtual slots.

To Spend or Not to Spend:

Is that ever really a question? When given the choice, most people would choose not to spend money when they don’t have to, which is why a new phenomenon is sweeping the Internet: no deposit slots. While slots has been available as a flash game for some time, it only used virtual money, which meant that half of the attraction (namely, the thrill of earning money) was not really present. However, recently, online casinos have started offering promotions that allow players that give players that sense of potential gain and don’t cost anything – at least initially. Read the rest of this entry »