February Financial Update
February 10, 2009
Hi everyone! It’s been a tough January for me and as I write, I am looking at the possibility of doing away with a current endeavor. I won’t say what it is yet but I am determined to find other means of income!
I can already invest a good amount of money in a small consistent business which I have not found yet. So far, what’s earning for me are my investments in used car sales. I have already turned in a profit of 25k out of investing in this. What I would like to focus on now is to do more sales in terms of a food business, something that involves dimsum 
Can anyone help me set up food carts? I really want to do this. Food sells specially when the product is very yummy.
I really need help with marketing. That’s my waterloo.
Right now, I am crossing my fingers at the prospects of writing books since this is one thing I did in the last month. It was fun but the profits turn in a bit late. I’ll probably be getting my cheque in June or July. You see, they’re academic books so I need to wait for the school year to start.
I really need something solid here. Am getting anxious over the economic situation.
Goodbye PTC Sites!
January 12, 2009
I have officially given up on PTC Sites.
When I started making money, the majority of the sites I used started to change payment options. I personally love Paypal but it seems like Paypal has become stricter with their merchant agreements and no longer approves of transfers from most PTC sites.
My online activities used to pay for my rapidshare account but with all the new changes, I could not wing it anymore.
Time to find more money online….
Here’s to the New Year!
January 5, 2009
2009 seems to be a promising year for me. :) I was looking at my Chinese zodiac and it seems like this year will be fruitful in terms of finances.
Highlights for 2008:
- I started earning much better than in previous years
- My savings account bloomed during this year
- I was able to buy a car and move to a better apartment
- I exercised a lot of control over myself when it came to spending
- I learned how to maximize my earnings by effective budgeting
- I also learned how to let go of money when I had to for emergencies
- I made significant investments and started using eBay
- I made some money out of internet ad placements
- I made money out of what I love to do (martial arts)
- I offered a new type of service and was able to help some people who did not have work.
Goals for 2009:
- Find more freelance work to earn more
- Close a book writing contract
- Close another book editing/revision job
- Manage to open a “Paglingap” time deposit through work
- Get more involved in sports activities
- Get more training for professional growth
- Pay off car (WHEW!)
Now to the actual entry….
Today marks my first workday for 2009! So far things are quiet at work since it’s only the start of the year. During the long break, I managed to accomplish a significant number of things.
First, I was able to invest my money in a buy and sell car business. So far, the first ROI cheque came in on time. I am expecting two more installments this month. This business pays me 20% of what I invest in a span of 3 months. So far, my investment here is at 250k, split in two.
Second, the Chinese deli store that my dad is starting is asking me to sell our famous Tipsy Chicken. I still don’t know if this business will really fly but so far…the chicken recipe works — it’s just a matter of selling it!
Third, my project with the security agency is still ongoing. We are resuming classes by the 2nd or 3rd week of January. This is something we started last October 2008 — my group and I started offering to teach practical self defense and combat skills to security guards. The security agency got a huge discount from us but since the volume of work is a lot, we are still getting paid pretty well. I am expecting some payments by February at the latest.
Finally, I started a book project with an academic author. I revised an academic book on ESL for this person. Payments though won’t really come in till the start of the school year but I am definitely expecting some good returns.
I am also considering some business options this year. I was hoping to set-up an admin-services type of outfit like a business center. It’s just so hard to look for a location! Ideally, it should be very near a school but there is no more space for me! If I put it in a mall, I’ll end up spending way too much on the overhead costs.
The baking business went very well last Christmas, we had tons of orders but I personally don’t earn from there.
One thing I really would like to do is get more book projects. I am working on a personal one now, which is a book about practical self defense but that will be personally funded by me. I need more book projects from other people that are willing to pay me to edit, revise or even write a book for them. I wonder if publishing houses would be interested?
On the money side, I was good all Christmas vacation and did not over spend. Hooray for me! I followed my budget quite strictly. Even though I got sick, I was still able to stabilize my savings and even open a new account for myself in PS Bank.
The reason I’m opening more accounts is not because I have tons of cash but because I am positive that this year, I will be able to max out the PDIC limit on 2 of my bank accounts. I intend to keep money to a maximum amount of 250k per account so that I am fully insured by PDIC in case the bank runs into some trouble. Well, I don’t half a million yet but you know what they say: “If you open it (an account), it (money) will come.”
Happy New Year everyone!
News!
September 18, 2008
Hi folks! I know it’s been a while since I last updated, so let me share what’s been going on.
News #1
I’ve finally been able to grant small loans of 1-2k per month to people who need money to start small businesses. I have a broker who happens to be my maid (yes, the same one who used to lend my money out at 20% interest). So far I’ve received1 payment and am receiving another one come end of September. Sweet.
News #2
I got a pretty good reg package at work. Nuff said.
News # 3
My partner and I bought a new fridge since our old one was too small for our household. We got a Condura energy saver fridge. Good thing is that we didn’t have to dip into our life-savings for this. We got the money out of our revolving fund. The old fridge was supposed to be sold but I decided to give it to my loan broker as a gift.
News # 4
I finally bought a car! I’m selling the old one though so I can use the money to pay off some of the balance. I went to the car showroom today to place a downpayment of almost 110k. In the next 3 years, I’ll be making a payment of 15k per month. I’ve already done calculations and so far, the payments won’t impact my saving capacity much. At the same time, I’ll be able to spend less on gas. The car I drive now is a 1.5 litre model with automatic transmission. It uses up 1 litre of gas every 6-7 kms. The new model I got is a 1.1 litre (4 cylinder) with manual transmission. The new baby uses up about 1 litre of gas for every 10-12 kms. That almost cuts my gas spending in half! In a month, I spend about 4-5k on gas. I hope that the new car really does help me save a bit more. When I looked at the official website, it was listed there that the car can go for up to 20kms per litre of gas! COOL!
Click for a Buck!
August 30, 2008
So far, I’ve been earning ok on PTCs like Kooplinks.Com and ClickSalary.Com.
I recently found this site called Click for a Buck. Instead of making just cents, a clicker can actually make dollars! The payouts are ridiculously high and I’m not even sure if it’s real but hey, I won’t die trying!
If your curious, click on the link below and see for yourself.
On TV!
August 4, 2008
At 9am today, kimsan23 was on ANC talking about sidelines and raket.
*BOW*
Buying a Car
July 14, 2008
Fuel prices have gone up pretty fast since March of this year. I currently drive an automatic gas guzzler which costs me an arm and a leg to gas up every week.
Crazy thing is I’ve decided to buy a car. This is going to affect my savings but I think it needs to be done. Currently, my car runs at 5-6 kms. per liter of unleaded gas. I’ve decided to get a car that will run at 17 kms. per liter. I save a lot in the long run plus I get a new machine.
I did all my computations and found out that this transaction will not cut out my saving habit too much. I just need to buy a car that will fall under the 300-350k range.
This is a big decisoon for me since I still am racing to get my 1 million.
Tips for Smart Grocery Shopping
June 29, 2008
I follow a strict budget when I go shopping for groceries and I really exert and effort to stick to it without depriving myself of the occasional food treat for myself.
The temptation is great whenever I go to get my groceries. There’s always something interesting and something new to try. Sometimes, some things are ridiculously over priced and I consciously decide to stay away from those things until next payday when I’ve included it in the budget.
Tips on Smart Grocery Shopping:
- Assign a fixed, budgeted amount you wish to spend for your groceries. This must be in line with your objectives. How many meals are you shopping for? Are you also shopping to include packed lunches for work or school? What other items do you need to buy? What is your budget for pets? What is your budget for cleaning implements? Do you need to buy anything else for the house? After answering all these questions, then you’re ready to make your list. Don’t forget to include gas consumption/transportation as well as parking expenses in your budget.
- Draft a menu for the week. This will help you determine the quantities you need to purchase. It will prevent you from unreasonable over shooting on your budget.
- Create a list of items you need to buy. Organize your list according to categories like: Food, Cleaning, Health and Beauty, Pets, Kids and Miscelleneous. Misc. items should be the last priority on your list. Once your done, off you go! Don’t forget your list! Its happened to me and it could get frustrating aside from the fact that I’m out of control without a list.
- At the grocery, shop for the items on your list by choosing inexpensive but reliable brands. Shopping for labels that cost and arm and a leg but still deliver the same quality as something that is a bit cheaper is not practical. To find out what brands work well, check out reviews on the internet, ask friends or relatives who have tried the product.
- Lastly, be disciplined in the grocery store! Shop only for items you need and that are on your list. Misc items are the last priority. Bring a calculator as you move along so that you could keep tabs on your spending. If your mind works like a mini-calculator (like mine)– go ahead and compute along the way.
If you have kids, try not to bring them along as they tend to ask for many things. Otherwise, if you can exercise control over them, then that’s fine. You can even assign a buffer amount for their own little spending so as not to deprive them of occasional treats.
Happy grocering!
First eBay Sale!
June 16, 2008
Yesterday, I delivered my first eBay item to it’s new owner!
The first time I advertised it, it didn’t really get any bids or attention. Then I got this message from eBay saying “don’t give up!”
I’m not really the type to give up easily so I listed it again a few days ago. Then finally a day into the listing, I got a text inquiring about the item.
It’s not a monumental amount, I only got P500 for it but still — eBay does work for small time entrepreneurs like me!
Since I got inspired, I decided to add two more items to my eBay list. We’ll see how that turns out.
Income from HubPages.Com
June 11, 2008
I have been trying out some avenues for making money online. So far, I’ve found Matched.Co.Uk (which has awarded me 2 ads at 3 British pounds each per month), Google Adsense and HubPages.Com!
So far, I am enjoying writing on HubPages.Com. Basically it’s a website that works something like a blog but is a bit more organized in terms of topics, contributors and posting rules. It’s this whole online community of writers and readers! The thing I like about this is that it’s partnered with Google Adsense, Amazon Affiliates, eBay Affiliates and Google Analytics.
I published one article yesterday and it got me one click on my Google Adsense ad/s. Not bad for a first day.
I’m hoping that it brings me some sort of revenue! Still, I like the fact that it enables me to do one of the things I like best- write!
Visit my hub page to see how I’m doing every now and then.
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