BEING MONEY WISE: KNOW THE VALUE OF THINGS THAT YOU BUY

 I would like to start this blog article by admitting something: Yes... I am kuripot.  Sometimes, I am proud of it, especially when it translates to savings. 

But there are also some instances that I am not happy with it >> when I buy things at a lesser price tag but because they are cheaper, they are of lesser quality, hence sirain. I have accepted the fact, that if I want quality items and services, I may need to pay for higher prices. 

TIME VERSUS MONEY DILEMNA

But what if... the question is between time and money.

• I go to the mall and hunt for for the best queen size bed for us, hard wood costs around 35k, which is steep for my budget.  So I did some research on the internet and found an ideal bed frame for 25k, which is quite a steal. But the seller resides in Las Pinas. It will cost me around 3k more to have it delivered, or we pick it up, and we pay for gas on top of the hours we will be spending on the road. Because I am kuripot, I opted to pick it up, and save 10k (to subtract later gas, toll fee and food expenses, because it rained and streets got flooded, we had to stop and park at a restaurant and let flood subside).  And while I am sipping my coffee in that gloomy, rainy night in the restaurant, I thought, hmm... it would have been cheaper if I bought in the mall and have it delivered at home. Stress free, and I would have not lost the entire day, and could have devoted the time lost to other activities that would have made me happy.... 

After that experience... I have learned that I will value time more than money. I admit, it is not an easy concept for me. Kuripot nga ako eh. But now I am conscious of my choices. For example: 

Just last week, my husband and I had a lot of errands to do on a Saturday.  Grocery, doctor check up, school stuff.  We needed to squeeze in cooking time for dinner.  But we decided early on, we will just buy food and bring it home (even if buying food is more expensive than home cooking).  The time we could have spent on cooking, we have devoted it to doing more urgent things. 

I am also beginning to accept the convenience of online shopping. I recently shopped for bulky items, shipping is free. If I went to the mall to buy it, I would have lost 3-4 hours in commuting and queuing at the cashier. 

In my recent trip to Japan, I needed to travel from Osaka to Fukuoka to meet my relatives. I spent P7500 for the bullet train. At first I was contemplating to save and ride the bus, that would only cost me P2400, 11 hours of travel. I ended with spending more on the bullet train for just 2hours 20 minutes of travel. More hours spent bonding with my relatives the moment I reached Fukuoka. 

I am proud I am making wise decisions, when it comes to the money versus time dilemna. And am HAPPY with it. After all, time is money.  So now, I spend money to save time, more than spending time to save money. 

THE VALUE OF THINGS YOU BUY

I have such high regard for products that deliver what it promise. It is okay for me to spend more on these items, if I am assured of its quality. This is the promise delivered to me by JOY - because one drop of this dishwashing liquid really goes a long way.

And again, JOY has proven its promise - when last June 23, 2019, it doubled its famous old record of number of plates washed with a single bottle. From 8,750 plates 20 years ago, 17,500 plates were cleaned with just one single 495 ml bottle of the new Best Ever Joy - covering the entire length of the San Juanico bridge and back. 

“This means more savings for families that they can use to lead their best ever lives," shares Meir Yap, Dish Care Brand Manager at Procter and Gamble.

When I received the new Best Ever Joy --  I immediately tested it on my plates, pots and pans. And guess what, it is really effective. Just a teenie-weenie drop and everything were squeaky clean. And hey, I got 6 bottles -- which I think would last me more than a year to use!  How awesome is that!!!

As more and more Filipinos use the new Best Ever Joy in their homes, more and more are also discovering their best ever life. Join Mrs.Wise and be part of the #BestEverLife movement with the new #BestEverJoy!

The new Best Ever Joy comes in a limited offer of only P99 for the 495 ml bottle. Joy is available in all leading supermarkets and grocery stores nationwide. 

"VAMOS A COMER" AT FIERY STYLE ETON CENTRIS

Hola dear readers... don't be surprised if I am suddenly transformed into a "Spanish-speaking" blogger. Lol!  Whatever Spanish words were retained in my brain (from my 2nd year college Spanish professor in UST) -- they all came out when I attended the opening of FIERY STYLE Southwester Flaming Grill at Eton Centris.

Everything that I have tasted (and drank) were muy delicioso!  


For starters we were served the Fiery Nachos, Flaming Super Healthy Salad and Cheesy Quesadilla.

this tower of nacho goodness is made up of corn chips, cheese
sauce, guacamole, tomato salsa, refried beans, black olives,
jalapenos and sour cream, mexican chili beef, BBQ pulled pork 
or barbecued beef brisket. At Php338, this can be shared by the 
family or barkada.  You won't be able to resist its perfect 
spicy-barbecue-cheesy combo - before I knew it, I have
already consumed a large portion of this serving :)

If you are like me, who is not that brave when it comes to spicy food, order some of this salad to neutralize some strong spices in your mouth. I liked the addition of the broccoli to the usual salad ingredients of tomatoes, mixed leaves and nuts.

another Mexican staple that I love -- Cheesy Quesadilla stuffed with mexican
cheese, ranchero sauce, shredded lettuce and our choice of filling - chicken.
came with guacamole, sour cream and tomato salsa. I loved the guacamole -
and I tasted the freshness of the avocado. I enjoy doing homemade guacamole
when avocados are in season :)

The price of Fiery Style may be a bit steep, but I assure you that their servings are quite huge. The dishes that I have mentioned so far can be shared by 2-3 people. Which is kindda practical, given the authentic Mexican flavor that you would surely experience at every bite!

But if you are really on a budget -- Fiery Style has 8 COMBO-Meals that I encourage you to try. Presenting the muy delicioso combos!  These are meals with authentic Mexican flavors with a bit of American or Filipino twist. All Combo meals come with your choice of rice, plain, java or chorizo.

Combo Uno:  quartered fiery grilled jerk chicken with japalapeno salad at Php218.   

Combo Dos:  5 oz rump steak with crispy squid rings, half grilled tomato and your choice of rice (chorizo rice) at Php228.
I swear, the tenderness and flavor of the stea will not disappoint.

Combo Tres: grilled fiery porkchop with sauteed chunky tomatoes

and garlic in mango puree at Php238

Combo Quatro:  barbecued beef ribs with cajun fries, grilled corn at Php248. 

Combo Cinco:  grilled BBQ pork ribs with grilled corn and onion rings at Php258

Combo Seis: sizzling tender beef salpicao with baked bone marrow at Php268

Combo Siete: sizzling baja mixed seafood with southwest chips at Php278
Photo Credit:  @crazylittlethingsiloveph

Combo Otso: sizzling sisig ala mexicana with chicken strips at Php288

Eton Centris is known as a lifestyle, dining and entertainment destination of the north, the opening of Fiery Style will surely hit the hungry tummies of families and barkadas who frequently visit this lifestyle hub. Me and my husband are regular visitors of the Centris Sunday Market, and now we have a place to go to whenever we crave for Mexican food after doing our marketing chores.  

Good news also for all the BPO workers in the area - they now have the ideal place to chill and relax after work, or just dine with friends and have cocktails after. That is why, the hardworking owners of Fiery Style Eton Centris Monciar Bautista and Vanni Sanchez really aimed at the resto's exact location to be of better service to all their customers. 

During the opening day, they had a band playing. The good food, the cool ambience, nice company of co-bloggers, plus the music amidst the rainfall - was perfect for Mrs.Wise chill night!

And yes... being a Mexican food lover, I did not end my Fiery Style dining experience without the booze  :)  While munching on the nachos and lord of the wings, I had the Classic Margarita.

MrsWise's Classic Margarita. Perfectly blended. Admittedly I consumed
two. Plus a glass of red wine.  Ang happy!  

FIERY STYLE ETON CENTRIS

https://www.facebook.com/fierystyle/

 

CHOOSING THE RIGHT PILLOW IS A BIG DECISION

All my life, I work as a freelancer. Meaning -- I don't have an eight to five job. My work hours can be as short as 2 hours, or can be nightmarishly 24 or 36 hours straight. I am not joking. When I was still working full time at a TV network, I worked for 36 hours straight. That was the time, when I requested my husband to install heavy curtains in our room, because a lot of times, I sleep during daytime and I work at night. Those were the days... thankful now that I am way past that lifestyle :)

But why am I telling you this. Because I am a firm believer that for our bodies to recuperate from illness, or bounce back from overworking - we need our well deserve SLEEP.  

In my experience, if I feel sluggish or slightly not feeling well, I will not force myself to work. I will just rest and sleep. I believe that our body has a way of communicating with us, if it needs to rest, or fine tune some parts. And it pays to listen to what our body is tellling us.

IMPORTANCE OF SLEEP AND CHOOSING THE RIGHT PILLOW

You may think that sleeping is just a way to relieve you off your tiredness and a reprieve for a long day. Research shows that people tend to overlook the way they sleep. Having a bed and using just any type of pillow might not get you the quality of sleep you need.

There’s a myriad of choices when it comes to selecting a pillow but how do you choose the right pillow for your body type? An expert went out of his way to learn and develop a specialty pillow to address this concern.

Mr. Chawakit Kaoien, founder of Mr. Big Pillow is a physical therapist who spent years working in the ICU of a hospital’s respiratory unit and was in-charge of bedridden critical care patients and see to it that they are kept comfortable and could breathe properly. This led him to develop a brand of pillows that would benefit every individual.

Over the years, Chawakit hacked the right density of pillows as well as its best position to address your sleeping concerns. Every individual is different, thus, we cannot conform to just one type of pillow.

If you are going to visit Mr. Big Pillow, you can avail of body scaling. They will measure your height and determine your weight so that they can recommend the ideal Mr. Big Pillow for you.

CAUSE AND EFFECT OF USING THE WRONG PILLOW:

1. You might think that waking up in the wrong side of the bed caused you that neck pain, wrong! Using incorrect pillow puts a strain in your neck, thus, causing that stiff and painful neck in the mornig.

2. Can’t sleep? Is it really because of your caffeine intake or you might think you develop a condition called insomnia. Think again, improper positioning and height of your pillow might be causing uneasiness that causes you to toss and turn throughout the night.

3. If your partner complains about your snore, then it might be time to change your pillow. Snoring is usually caused by blockage of nasal passages. By improving your sleep position, you can also alleviate your snoring.

4. Consistent Headache. This is such a nasty way to start your day especially if you have that important meeting ahead. Your frequent headache might be caused by wrong elevation of your pillow, tension headaches happen when your neck muscles are strained.

5. Mental Block. Sleep deprivation causes forgetfulness and lack of creativity. Improve your brain function by using the right pillow that can get you a good night’s rest.

By using the appropriate pillow according to your height and weight as well as each individual’s condition, you can maintain a good quality of sleep and overall health. Use this test to assess which type of pillow is right for you: http://www.mrbigbestfit.com/phone/index.html

INNOVATIVE MR. BIG PILLOWS

 this pillow not only support the entire body, it is also the ideal pillow
for expectant and breastfeeding moms

JAY PILLOW

7 - PILLOW

MrsWise enjoying her Mr.Big Pillow 

Mr. Big pillows are available in selected SM Homes. Visit Mr. Big Pillow Philippines FB page https://www.facebook.com/MrBigPillowPhilippines/ for more updates and get a chance to win exciting prizes.

HOME IMPROVEMENT HACKS WITH AKEMI PH

We spend most of our time in the bedroom and for most people, bedroom becomes a sanctuary of thoughts, thereby, making it appealing and conducive to the eye can be very useful. The perfect bedroom should help cheer you up as well as get you the right outlook.

These hacks can help alter the way you see and feel your bedroom in no time.

These hacks can help alter the way you see and feel your bedroom in no time.

Let the light shine

By using appropriate lighting in your room, you get to create the proper scene you want to project. Be playful and explore your options.

Dress up your walls

This maybe one of the first thing you notice when you enter a room. Walls play a major part in the presentation of your room and can become a major mood-shifter. A new paint or wall paper can spell the difference.

Accentuate

Invest in color accents and stay away from monotonous hues to avoid gloomy feel in your room. Hanging up ornaments such as a beautiful painting is a good idea.

Brighten up with the perfect bedding

If changing the color of your wall is too tedious and other factors does not fit your budget, investing in a right bedding might just be the solution. Your bedding is probably the most important aspect in your bedroom anyway.

Your bedding can alter your mood. Complement with proper color hues of your pillow and duvet creates an aesthetical beauty which you can change every now and then. 

AKEMI beddings has the most innovative features such as its comfortable fabric that are gentle on the skin. It also has a hypoallergenic feature for those with sensitive skin. 

Get up to 50% savings on your home improvement needs by visiting AKEMI booth at the SM Home Fair at SMX Convention Center, MOA complex happening on June 28 to 30, 2019. Get a sustainable and chic Eco bag with a minimum single receipt purchase of Php3000.

Visit AKEMI Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/AkemiPH/ for more info and promos and get a chance to win exciting prizes.