Gastos!
October 13th, 2006 by C.Posted in Life at Cosmo |
Working inside a mall is starting to take its toll on my pocket. Daily lunches out, fastfood meriendas, and P100 coffees have been my life since the Summit office moved to Robinsons Galleria a couple of years ago.
It’s not a very frugal life. When I check my wallet each night, I cringe at the sight of just a P20 bill and a few coins, hidden by the various receipts of my numerous food purchases.
This has got to stop, I told myself. But I was reluctant to let go of my resto lunches; it was an essential break for my day and a chance to catch up with officemates about their lives, and actually catch up what else needs to be done at work.
It’s been a struggle to curb my spending, but I’ve gradually learned how to be less galit sa pera when eating out. With the help of my trusty officemates/lunchmates, here are 3 tipid tips we’ve come up with:
1.When eating out, offer to split a large dish (or two!) with someone. You get a decent share, plus the cost won’t be as much as one whole dish.
2. Order iced tap water instead of bottled or softdrinks. The price of drinks double in restos, so make tiyaga for the meantime and make do with free water. You can also tote your own drinking bottle.
3. Be your own Starbucks. Get a box of 3-in-1 coffee (I know, I know—it’s a far cry from gourmet or specialty coffee) from the grocery and enjoy your cup of joe at your desk, midafternoon. It’s around P35 to P50 per box for ten sachet packs—a far cry from the P105 per cup of café-brewed coffee.
More tipid tips next time!
You can also bring home-made lunch especially if you are health conscious. It saves money and also lets you control the amount of food you bring and therefore how much you eat. That’s what I do at work. Sometimes I go with them to the fastfood restaurant and bring my own food. I just wink the waitress and eat my food. For coffee, I make it at home and put it in a big Starbucks thermos and bring it to work. That’s a one time expense for the Thermos and I look like I am drinking Starbucks everyday and the coffee is pretty good that I make at home. At the end of the day I’m smiling that my money is untouched and I can buy more make up and the latest fashion trends. Nina-Make up Artist
Hello nina! Super thanks for the tips! For sure I will do them (especially the Starbucks thermos trick)—cause I also want to have ‘untouched’ money at the end of my day! Thanks!
Other tipid tips: If your boss permits it, bring a coffeemaker in the office and brew your own cup. There are lots of good brands in the supermarket. You can split the cost of that as well with your ofcmates. I also have a plastic container in the office where I keep cookies, chips, chcolates, sdrinks or juices, instant noodles, coffee or tea. So when the craving comes, I just pick my mood food for the day. I don’t need to go to the convenience store or mall and it curbs the desire to spend. Hope this helps. Cheers!
i used to spend so much on juices and iced teas (c2, nestea) because i don’t like drinking just plain water. to save up, i bought a water bottle and make timpla my own from those 1 litre packs :) huge savings!
Girls! Susan and Blu angel, thank you so much for your excellent tipid tips!! I am thrilled! I’m on my way to having a fatter wallet! Hehe :-) Big help!
i can relate to your tip #2, everytime we eat-out, i always asked the server if their water is filtered, if yes i dont order any bottled h20 anymore. in some way i save a lot & i can still order some yummy dessert!
Drinking water is boring a lot of times and I crave for juices and colas. If the restaurant gives out free calamansi for “sawsawan”, ask for four pieces and make your own calamansi with their own filtered water. Also always bring a few packets of Equal or Splenda in your wallet or purse, and viola! you get your daily dose of vitamin C at zero calories too!
i know exactly how you feel! I’m a dermatologist and our clinics are basically mall-based. Its so hard to save when faced with so many temptations! So what i usually do is bring my own food, it saves me a lot and i get to decide how much i get to eat without worrying if i go overboard with the calories and stuff. The coffee, ive learned to find the best 3-in-1 in the market, its KDO! Hmm the best. Eating out is such a waste and it packs alot of pounds! I usually stay in the clinic and drown my hunger pangs with work.
I can totally relate to this! But then after realizing that I have to think over to my daily spending habits, I’ve also came up with the same tipid ideas. I have 3-in-1 coffee sachets in my drawer (I’ve become the coffee dealer in the office). I also start patronizing goodies from the nearby Julie’s bakeshop (yummy ensaymada less than P10!). Instead of fast-food delivered lunches, we have our lunch delivered by Manang (P40).
I baon my own gallon of water everyday, adding a bit of honey so that I don’t have to spend much on drinks wherever i go :)
wow! great tips.. now that i’m already to work after givin birth to my first baby.. i could use all of your tips (especially the starbucks thermos tip) to save money!
:-)
instant, ew! why not invest in a coffeemaker? should be the cost of maybe four lunches out. you can pass the hat around because your officemates are themselves are likely to “borrow” a cup or two throughout the day. or get one of those travel-style french presses. kinda expensive but i guarantee you’ll never return to overpriced store-bought coffee again!
i used to have breakfast in an expensive coffee shop where i work here in ortigas and it’s really draining my pocket… but since i get to be friends with the waiter, they told me the secrets of their sausages and bakes.. guess what??? it’s just sm bonus sausages… now i just buy it in the grocery and prepares it the way they served it.. super tipid talaga…
Thanks girls! Wonderful tips! I’m all for instant coffee AND the French press too! Also you are right, it’s more tipid and healthier to prepare your own food. Just look at the hefty VAT and other taxes on your resto bill…
I work in a publishing company. It’s a BPO industry. And you know, we have scheduled breaks. I used to bring tea bags in the office and have a sip during breaks. I bought a box of it. You can save in bulk. I eat lunch at 12:30 nn. Snack break is at 4pm but I’ll take snack and dinner break at 6 pm together. Some kinda dieting though. So I have saved really my money after a stressful day at work.
nice practical tips. now how do we ordinary mortals combat the urge to buy every piece of clothing or footwear that appears in the shop window? do you wait for the sale (horrors, what if someone snatches it before you do)? or do you just buy it anyway?
to save,my friends in the office set a regular potluck in our pantry during our lunch break. at that time, we are required to bring extra ulam to be shared by everyone. not only do we maximize our break by updating ourselves with each other’s lives, we also fostered a stronger camaraderie and get rid of nasty competition..and of course we saved a lot of money too!
One way of getting bottomless drinks is to bring your own. I got a Nestea starter pack with a one-liter bottle and a pack of lemon iced tea powder. I just add cold water from the pantry for a refreshing drink! Saves me about 50 pesos.
Hello,
Very Informative Posts.
I really like what you have going on here. I’ll be back soon
Pretty Cool Place.
I like your style too.
Cya again,
Joey
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