1. Fill up on a Wednesday – Statistics show that gas prices are actually cheaper on Wednesdays than any other day. (However, this may not be the case for each and every week, so take advantage of it if you see a great deal).

2. Drive the speed limit – Speeding puts your life and bank account at an unnecessary risk. Each time you press down on the gas pedal thing about the dollars and pennies that are literally falling out of your pocket just to pay for your impatience. Accelerate gently, and keep in mind that it will take 20-30 percent more gas to drive at 70 mph than 50 mph.

3. Remove unnecessary items in your car – Lugging around extra items in your vehicle while you drive around can put a damper on your fuel tank. Keep in mind that an extra 100 pounds in your  vehicle can actually reduce your MPG by up to 2 percent. Some say that putting your tailgate down on your truck can get more gas mileage, however this is disputable.

4. Idle away – Coast through a drive-through and save money on gas prices. Idling instead of  pressing down on the brakes will save you a lot of money. You should also be aware that even when your car is idling it still uses a “fixed amount” of gas, especially if your AC is on.

5. Use cash instead of credit cards – Some retailers will offer deals to customers who use cash instead of credit cards, and may even offer deals that are 5 to 10 cents less per gallon if paid by cash. If you’re really strapped for cash, you shouldn’t be using your credit card anyways unless you want to pay a ton of interest rates.

6. Don’t use your air conditioner – This of course depends on where you live and what season it is…but try to turn off your AC approximately 5 minutes before you park your car. Also, try switching your air condition to an “economy” or “recirculation” setting to help cut down on gas costs.

7. Apply for credit cards that offer gas savings – Some credit card companies will offer discounts or even frequent flyer miles whenever you use their card to purchase gas.

8. Join the club – If you’re a regular shopper at a particular gas station or grocery store, check to see if you can sign up for their membership and get great discounts on gas.

9. Don’t fill up on a holiday – Because families tend to travel more on holidays and weekends, companies will hike up gas prices just to make a profit. Apparently if you fill up three days before  a holiday weekend you will save loads on gas.

10. Make sure your car is in tip top shape – We all know how expensive replacing car parts can be. But if you fall behind on your car maintenance, it could actually be costing you more in gas.  Think long-term and shell out the cash now, otherwise you could have some serious financial  issues down the road. Look for worn spark plugs, misalignment, bent wheels, leaks, etc.

11. Park in the shade – Shockingly enough the gas in your tank will actually evaporate if your car is sitting in the sun for too long. Then your AC doesn’t have to work as hard when you start up your car again. If you can’t find a shady parking spot, then try parking your car so it faces the opposite  direction of the sun. Try and purchase a windshield shade as well, and be sure to keep your sun or moon roof closed at all times.

12. Do it all in one trip – Try to do all your errands and shopping when you’re either driving to work, or coming home from work. Avoid filling up your car on weekends altogether, as gas prices may be slightly higher.

13. Don’t spend forever searching for a parking spot – Even if the first parking spot you see is far away from your destination, suck it up and walk for an extra two minutes. Driving around a parking lot for an extra minutes will cost you more than a few extra pennies.

14. Fill it up all the way – If you’re the type of person who likes to spend $10 on gas one day, and then $20 on gas two days later, you could be doing a lot of damage to your bank account. Fill it up all the way and save a ton of money. It’s better for the environment too.

15. Don’t wait until you’re empty – Once your gas tank is down to a quarter tank will not only  save you money in the long run, it’s also better for your car because you’re reducing the risk of condensation in your fuel tank. Not only that, by running your car on less than a quarter of a tank it can actually damage your electric fuel pump.

16. Your GPS is your friend – If you already own a GPS, take it with you everywhere (even if you know where you’re going) so you can use it to help you calculate the shortest driving distance from where you need to go. If you don’t own a GPS but you know your way around the area, try to look for alternate routes that are shorter and straighter so you don’t have to press down on the gas pedal as much.

17. Don’t leave your car running – If you’re parked waiting for train to pass, or if you’re waiting to pick someone up after work. Just turn your car off! It’s so simple, yet a lot of people forget to do this.

18. Brake it – This is specifically for drivers who are stuck in traffic jams when they’re driving to and from work. Keep a distance between you and the car ahead of you rather than pressing down on the accelator just to brake a few seconds later. Not only will it get you 10-20 percent better gas mileage, it will also force everyone else around you to do the same. (Everyone wins!)

19. Check your tire pressure – You should be checking your tire pressure on a weekly basis. Statistics show that if your tires are five pounds underinflated, you’ll actually be using up to 30%  more gas!

20. Replace your air filter – Believe it or not replacing a clogged air filter can actually improve your gas mileage by 10 percent!

21. Get a rental car – If you’re driving around an SUV or a gas-guzzler, maybe you should park it for a few months and drive a rental car until the gas prices go down. (If they ever do…) Choose a smaller car that is great on gas and watch your savings go up.

22. Drive in silence – Charging your iPod or even playing the radio can actually increase your gas mileage. It may not be a lot, but desperate times call for desperate measures.

23. Carpool – Split the cost of gas with a friend or co-worker and cut down on your gas costs by 50%. If the thought or driving with your co-workers to and from work everyday makes you cringe…suck it up until the gas prices go back down.

24. Take the bus – Public transportation is there for a reason. Taking advantage will not only save you money, it will also help the environment too. Look for daily, weekly, or even monthly passes to cut down on transportation costs.

25. Ride a bike or walk – Spring is right around the corner, are you taking advantage of this beautiful weather? Take advantage of the beautiful weather while it lasts, and use your car only on rainy days or when you’re running behind so you don’t feel as guilty. Park your car and save hundreds of even thousands of dollars on insurance and gas costs.

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Bio: Lisa Shoreland is currently a resident blogger at Go College, where recently she’s been researching teaching scholarships as well as biology scholarships. In her spare time, she enjoys creative writing,practicing martial arts, and taking weekend trips.

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1. Trim your gift list. It may sound obvious but one of the best ways to spend less is to buy fewer gifts. If you and your family traditionally buy gifts for everyone, consider only playing Santa to the kids. Or, draw names so everyone makes a purchase for just one adult.

2. Set a limit. It’s easier to stick to your budget if you know exactly how much you can spend on each person. And with Internet shopping now so simple, you can search for gifts based on the price point and not get enticed by more expensive options.

3. Buy in bulk. If you know you’d like to get many of your holiday gifts from the same online retailer, buy them all at once. It’s a great way to save on shipping costs – and sometimes you can get discounts when you spend over a certain amount of money.

4. Pay with cash. When you spend only cash on your purchases, you won’t have to worry about costly interest rates when you get your credit card bill. Or, if you prefer the convenience of plastic, just use your banking check card.

5. Get creative. To cut costs even further, consider making gifts for everyone. For example, if Aunt Bea loves scarves, learn to knit. Or if Dad loves music, make him a CD of his favorite tunes.

6. Hit the sales. Some stores typically start holiday sales after the Halloween festivities end. And you’re not a fan of Black Friday crowds – don’t forget about the savings on Cyber Monday, which falls after the Thanksgiving weekend.

7. Recycle gifts. Try a white elephant swap to get rid of some unwanted gifts. Or, ask friends to pick out treasures at second hand stores. You’ll be amazed at how one man’s trash can be another’s treasure!

8. Opt for apps. Instead of a big sit-down holiday dinner, plan a lighter menu that features lots of appetizers. Your guests will have just as much fun, and you can save a bundle.

9. Hit craft fairs and flea markets. They’re a great alternative to the traditional stores, and you can buy interesting gifts you probably wouldn’t be able to find at your local mall.

10. Recycle your wrapping. One of the easiest ways to save on gift wrapping supplies is by reusing the ones you received the year before. You’ll be amazed at how quickly those gift bags can add up!

Remember that the holiday season is more about spending time with family and less about overdoing it financially. By setting spending goals up front and sticking to them, you’ll enjoy a stress-free holiday season. And remember, the earlier you start saving next year, the better off you’ll be. Happy Holidays!

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Maria Rainier is a freelance writer and blog junkie. She is currently a resident blogger at First in Education, researching areas of online degree programs. In her spare time, she enjoys square-foot gardening, swimming, and avoiding her laptop.

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It’s one of the basic necessities needed for life, but for most of us, clothing has become an excess that we spend too much on. We have closets of clothes, most of which we buy on a whim and never use more than once. Long gone are the days when clothes were supposed to protect against the elements; it’s all about fashion now. And that’s the reason why we end up spending much more on clothes than we should. It’s not wrong to want to be fashionable, but when fashion digs a deep hole in your pocket, it’s time to take make amends and start saving on your clothing expenditure. You can start by:

1. Using all the clothes that you own – when you buy clothes and let them hang idly in your closet, you’re wasting money.
2. Taking good care of the clothes you own – wash them according to instructions and maintain them well.
3. Buying clothes that suit your figure and face – it’s all well and good to follow fashion, but when clothes that look great on supermodels make you look stupid, you have to say no to them.
4. Buying clothes that are bound to remain fashionable for a few years – when you shop for extreme fashion that disappears in a month or two, you have to restock your wardrobe more often.
5. Not buying clothes on a whim – set yourself a goal where you aim to buy only one or two new sets of clothes every year. This way, you can rein in your clothing expenditure.
6. Making do with clothes that you already have when you want something new – mix and match pants and tops, skirts and shirts, tees and jeans to create stunning new outfits. Accessorize them with cost-effective yet striking jewelry and bags; no one will guess you’re wearing something you’ve owned for ages.
7. Choosing neutral colors for most of your clothes – louder colors don’t lend themselves to most occasions and so end up languishing in your closet.
8. Shopping out of season – buy winter clothes in summer and vice versa, when they’re cheaper, yet still in fashion.
9. Shopping at sales – you can pick up great bargains if you wait for year-end sales to buy clothes.
10. Avoiding brands – you don’t have to pay top dollar to be dressed well; very often, you can find unbranded quality clothing at less than half the price of their branded equivalents.

Use your head rather than your heart when it comes to buying clothes; clothes should make the man, not break his wallet.

Photo credit:  www.sxc.hu

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The key to good financial health is to know when and where costs can be saved – you may be good at spending only within your means; you may pay off all your bills on time to avoid huge interest rates; and you may know how to stay within your budget. But in addition to all these good financial traits, if you know how to cut costs on expenses that are necessary, then you’re never really going to find yourself in the difficult position of debt.

When it comes to medical expenses, there are some that cannot be avoided and others that can be prevented if you use your common sense and take the right precautionary measures. Most families spend way too much on medical care than they need to, and if you want to know how to reduce your expenditure, here are ten tips that are sure to help:

1. Shop around for the best insurance policy – when you take time to select the best policy based on the needs of your family, you don’t have to pay more than you need to by way of premiums and you ensure that you’re going to get the best and comprehensive care if you fall ill or need hospitalization.
2. Pay up on your premiums every month without fail – even one missed payment could prove to be costly if your policy lapses and you meet with an accident or a child falls ill.
3. Ensure that your family eats healthy food – it’s cheaper and healthier to buy fresh ingredients and cook all your meals at home than to eat out or buy takeaway junk food.
4. Exercise regularly and make sure your kids are involved in a sport or in a physical activity like dancing, swimming or skateboarding. If nothing, get them out to play once every week; make a day of it in the park or at the beach with your pets and balls and Frisbees. The outdoors air is good for health and you also indulge in some much needed physical exercise.
5. Avoid smoking and drinking too much alcohol – you not only set a good example for your kids but also safeguard your health and prevent cancer, lung disease and cirrhosis of the liver.
6. Don’t self-medicate – even with OTC medicines that you think are safe, you could go horribly wrong when you mix drugs or when you’re allergic to a compound in them.
7. If your doctor prescribes medication, ensure that you follow the prescription to the letter – don’t stop taking your drugs when you start feeling better and don’t take them for longer than necessary.
8. Don’t abuse antibiotics – they’re very powerful drugs that can mess up your immune system and leave you prone to all kinds of diseases if you take them without a prescription or if you stop taking them for the recommended period of time.
9. Keep your medical records in order and be aware of hospital procedures and treatment methods to ensure that you prevent medical errors and oversights.
10. Consider seeing a nurse practitioner instead of a primary care physician – they’re well qualified, they tend to spend more time with you listening to and taking care of your problems, and they’re more cost-effective than doctors.

Note from Alma:

Living a frugal life is a choice.  What I would like to say is that not prioritizing medical needs defies frugal living.  The tips above intends to help you minimize medical expense as YOUR health and that of your family should and must continue to be a priority.

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Here are simple ways you can curb that anxiety:

Assess and Decide on what is needed before the month of May.

Make a list of ALL the school supplies needed.  Before making your list, I suggest you inspect your children’s old school items before deciding what needed to be replaced and bought. For example, I found that my middle child’s school bag still looked good as new.  One thing about me is that although we only have enough money to go around, when it comes to clothing,  shoes and other frequently used items, I prefer buying high quality items.  I inspected their shoes and school uniforms and decided that some of them are still good to wear for another year and some of my eldest daughter’s skirt needed to be repaired.  Setting aside all those that needed repair, I decided how many blouses, skirts, polos and shorts are needed for this coming school year.

Call School Admission a Month before Enrollment.

I always call my children’s school admission office to check for school fees increase and schedule.  This helps me decide on how much I needed to pay during the enrollment.  Its also advisable to check how much the book fees not to mention those dreaded miscellaneous fees.

Make a Plan.

If you have not done this yet, make a short financial plan.  This should all be broken down as follows:

1) School Fees, including miscellaneous fees

2) School Uniforms including P.E. Uniforms

3) School Supplies

In my case, since I have 3 children, I broke down my budget per child. Once you have added up all the possible expenses, I suggest adding 20% for contingency.

Next plan out how you will be able to pay for those expenditures.  In my case, I have started saving for my children’s school expenses last year.  I try to be at least 6 months ahead when it comes to saving for my children’s education.  I suggest you try to make the habit of setting aside a certain percentage of your monthly income for your children’s education.

Plot your Schedule on your Calendar.

Doing the above will help you curb unnecessary trips to the mall.  It will also help to check out the stores at least two months before shopping and decide where you wanted to buy the school items.  I have also learned that 2 months before June, malls begins there mid year inventory which means there will be huge sales prior to these inventories.  This might be the best time to buy those expensive yet durable black shoes and school bags.

Plan your shopping day wisely and never go to the mall on a weekend.  Avoid the crowd and last minute shoppers.  Spend enough time in the store of your choice so you can still do a quick price comparison. When doing your shopping, stick on your list and let your budget known to your children.

Buy in Bulk for the Whole Year.

In my case, since I have 3 children in school, I save more money buying school supplies in bulk.  Instead of buying one pencil for each child, I opt to buy one box of pencils instead.  The same goes for crayons, markers, notebooks and paper.  Place these supplies somewhere where your children cannot touch them.  I have a school supplies cabinet in my house.  Children can make requests for supplies when necessary only.

So,

If you have done those necessary steps mentioned, you should be able to survive May and June without breaking the bank.  It is also essential to include your children with your planning so they will understand whats vs needs.  Shopping with children does not have to be stressful especially when they know you are hell bent on sticking to the list.  As always, remember to reward good behavior!

How did you do this month by the way?

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If I do not start saving or setting something aside for myself today, how will my financial health be when I am 52?  So if you have learned the power of writing things down, then you must begin today.  I have learned that to get clarity and purpose, it is imperative to write things down.  It helps me gain perspective.  It also make planning for the steps necessary to reach those goals.  Whatever those are.

So if you are like me, a separated woman with several children to raise, then you might be scared shit like me, but hey, never allow fear to hinder you from making and implementing your plans for financial independence and stability!   There are simply alot of places where you can cut corners.  Some purchases are not necessary… remember that silly bag you bought last month?  Where is it now?  At the back of your closet, I bet!

Anyway, before I digress on useless purchases, here are some tips that I have learned to live by:

1. Buy Used.

Knowing what kind of daily comforts you can and cannot live without.  This reminds me of a purchase that my parents made years ago.  They bought this heavy-duty microwave oven that cost more than the usual ovens.  They hardly use it and the thing ended up useless on the cabinet.

You will definitely save more by buying used.  I like buying my books from places like Book Sale and although I buy books from Amazon, I like buying those used ones.  I also save cash by buying used DVDs from ebay.

I have a huge stance on buying used clothing.  I tend to buy high quality clothing for myself and the children.  We seldom shop now, but I noticed that it is still best to buy high quality clothing on sale than those cheap ones that break after a few months.

2. Always Pay in Cash.

This reminds me of several relatives who kept on telling me that I should buy a car.  I told them, I do not have enough to buy one in cash and they said, who told you you need cash?  Just put a downpayment and pay the rest for 3 years!  This is one of the reasons why alot of us are in debt.  If you cannot buy anything in cash, then it means you cannot AFFORD it.

Two months ago, my Macbook died.  I took  it to the Mac Center and I was informed that I fried my hard drive.  A replacement cost more than P4,500.  Not only that, my RAM needed an upgrade if I wanted the latest Mac OS– another P1,500.  And it did not end there, my battery needed replacement as well.  How much is a battery?  P6,590.  Not cheap.

So what did I do?  I have only budgeted P3,500 for the repair.  So, I PRIORITIZED the repair and had the RAM upgrade first.  The Mac technician told me, “Maám if you have a credit card, you can charge the rest there so I can fix everything in one go.”  Although I have one CC, I told him, that I dare not charge anything.  I will be back next week or so for the rest of the repairs.  Know what??? It took me a month and 2 weeks to save for the HDD and the battery.  Did I regret the delay?  No!  Just think of the worry free nights and the no-freaking out-during the 1st of the month when the credit card bill is delivered on your doorstep.  It was definitely worth the wait…

Unless you have a good credit standing and you are like my friend Bing, then you can always use credit cards for emergencies.  But you need to be careful with credit cards.

3. When Making a Budget ALWAYS Include Contingencies.

Make a budget and stick to it should have been the first tip, aye?  But sometimes, we forget to include contingencies when making a budget.  More often, you ended up finishing most of your pay every month.  Not good.  Cut corners and allocate some cash for emergencies.  After a year of setting aside for contingencies, you will thank me, I swear!  It does not matter how small, but you have to start somewhere.  It could be as little as P1,000 per payday.  That’s already P12,000 in a year!  Think about it!

4. You Don’t Have to be Rich.

One of the things I am proud of today is that I am debt free.  Although I do not have alot of savings, I realized that that is better than living a life in debt.  Ofcourse some of you might have the knack of using credit wisely but some are not that lucky.  Think of snowball effect.  Once you are in debt and you fail to pay off your monthlies, these would snowball and the next thing you know, you’d be in debt neck deep.  Not good.

You do not have to be rich to live comfortably.  The rule of thumb is this.  Be happy with what you can afford and ALWAYS live within your means.

5. Be Willing to Make Do.

Living a frugal life is a lifestyle change.  You needed to be able to learn to make do of what you have.  I believe that frugal living is not a life of depravity. This lifestyle is obviously not for everyone.  Let’s face it, there are lots of things that are completely out of your control, but what you spend on is something you CAN control. Learn to say no and make do!

What Now?

Everyone has different ideas of what frugality is.  But to me, being frugal has kept me out of debt.  It has helped me teach my children that saving for things they wanted is a good thing.  Not only are you teaching your children how to handle their cash flow, but to me, this would also help my children to harness their creativity.

Nothing beats planning, budget and saving for your future.  If cashflow has always been a problem for you, then you needed to change your attitude and mind frame in order to live and stick to it to be able to live a life free of worries and debt.

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We live in one of the richest countries in the world, but with the economy in turmoil, having a baby is becoming more and more of a financial challenge.  We always want the best for our baby without compromising safety and quality.  As my husband and I are slowly preparing to become new parents, we are slowly discovering smart money-saving techniques to help us in this tight economy.  Here’s some of them:

1.  Choose the best insurance coverage and get covered. Giving birth to a child is not cheap.  Here in the US, normal childbirth costs without insurance and without any complications would range from $10,000 to $13000.  If there are any health complications for the mom or the baby, that cost could spiral up to $150,000.    My husband and I are both fully employed and have good medical insurance coverage.  When we got married and decided to become parents, we had to put everything on paper to find out which insurance coverage will give us the best bang for our buck.  My company has a PPO (Preferred Provider Organization), while my husband’s has an HMO (Health Maintenance Organization).  There are advantages and disadvantages to both, but in the end we ended up going with his HMO since the premiums are relatively cheaper and it provides very good maternity coverage.  You can read about the comparison between the two from About.com.

The trick is, before renewing our coverages, we made sure that we put everything on paper and did the math.  We took into account all the money we needed to spend during the whole pregnancy journey, not just the money we will be spending during the time when I am in the hospital giving birth to our child.  My husband’s HMO insurance included free ultrasound for all prenatal visits, free yoga classes, and free childbirth education seminars.  I thought it was such a great deal because if we were to avail of these services elsewhere, we would end up spending $5000 more.  Plus, staying healthy during the whole pregnancy will prevent having complications which consequently leads to more hospital time and more money spent.

2.  Before buying baby stuff, do the research and be a smart shopper.  In buying baby items,  our first step is making sure that these items are safe.  One of the websites that we visit to do our research is the US Consumer Product Safety Commission.  Customer reviews also help. But I look for unbiased opinions.

Once we are certain about an item, we look for it in specialty stores like target and babies r us to be sure that it is really what we want.  We note down the price, then go online to find out if we can find a better deal.  Normally, we would find good deals at Amazon or Craigslist.  If you do go this route, don’t forget to include shipping and taxes in your computation.  Sometimes it is still better to go to the store.

3.  Use credit wisely. I have 4 credit cards, but I only use  2 of them.  Both have rewards points on them.  I pay them in full every time, so I never get to pay interest or late charges. What’s best about it is I accumulate points for every dollar I spend which can later on be exchanged for gift items, free hotel stays and free airline tickets.  Before giving birth to our child, I have planned a “babymoon” for me and my husband using the points I’ve accumulated through my credit card.  We have a monthly budget for food, gas, etc.  Instead of using cash to pay for those, I pay it with my credit card and rack up the points.   Then we use those points for entertainment.  So technically, we pay nothing for entertainment.  Plus, we get to improve our credit score by using credit wisely.

4.  Go online to get educated.  Getting educated about pregnancy and childbirth is one of the best tools that any new mom can have.  But it doesn’t have to cost anything.  If you do not have the money to spend for Prenatal information classes or pregnancy books, you can always get those information online.   Two of the best websites that I go to is My Baby Center and The Bump.

I am one of those people who sometimes prefer print media over online media.  Sometimes I have to print out articles to read them instead of reading them from the computer.  If you are one like me, you may want to get free magazine subscriptions.  Here are 2 magazines that are very informative and are given out free: here and here.

5.  Do not spend too much money on maternity clothes.  Being pregnant doesn’t mean you have to be ugly, but it also doesn’t mean that you have to spend ridiculous amounts of money on clothes.  I was surprised to find that bargain stores carry maternity clothes.  Two of my favorite bargain stores, Marshall and Ross, have a maternity section.  Instead of spending $30+ for maternity pants at a regular maternity store, I spent $15.   On my big shopping day, I walked away from the store with 4 items: 2 tops and 2 pants and only spent $50.

It’s easy to save money even with a baby on the way if you look in the right places.

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Air Fare.  Buying your tickets months before your travel date will give you a huge discount.  This is true.  I checked all the airline rates online to determine the best airline rate.  Since Bangkok is fairly one of the topmost destinations for Pinoys who wanted to shop, there are simply a good deal of flight schedules to choose from.  I checked out the Thai Airways website first, then Philippine Airlines then Cebu Pacific the last.  I would have booked with Cebu Pacific but hey they suck remember? So  I decided to take Philippine Airlines and was quite surprised to find that the difference was only P900. To heck with the 900 pesos price difference.

Hotels.  In case of Bangkok, there are simply too many hotels in the city to choose from.  I decided to use Tripadvisor and Agoda for hotel reviews before making my bookings.  Hotel rooms range from USD18-120 per night, and I decided that to be able to gauge the hotels, I used location and distance from the Bangkok Skytrain as my requirements.

Having narrowed it down to anywhere between 5-10 minute walk away from BTS, I started narrowing the locations down by using Google Maps to point out the location of the malls I wanted to shop in.  Since my target was the Central World and Siam Paragon, I decided that staying at a hotel close to the malls would be ok.  WRONG.

Why?  Because the top malls in Bangkok is on the most busiest place in the city, the hotels close to the malls are the most expensive.  Talk about USD120-180 per night hotels… simply out of my budget.  Heck, I was hoping to find a hotel room for USD30-35/ night.  My other requirement is free wifi and stellar reviews from business and solo travelers.

So I went on looking.  Using Tripadvisor and Agoda was a good idea.  I managed to narrow down the hotels near the stations and I managed to narrow them down on my price range, and I ended up with 2 possible hotels:

1- Royal Ivory Nana Hotel- 1 block away from the BTS.  Not bad.  At Bangkok scale, a block could be as far as a 5-10 minute walk.  Wifi is free and the hotel have less than 60 rooms.  Which makes it ideal for solo travelers.  I hate crowds.

2- Bangkok Loft Inn-  half a block away from the closest BTS station.  Great.  I checked out the reviews via Tripadvisor and Agoda, and the hotel got RAVE reviews.

The Decision.  I opted to stay the Bangkok Loft Inn.  Why?  I checked out the age of the hotel and found out that the BLI is newly opened.  This means, new bed, new television, spunkier furniture, and I was right.  Not only that, after making my online booking at Bangkok Loft Inn, I asked if they could arrange for a hotel car to pick me up and they told me their car will pick me up at the airport for free.  Yes… note that almost all big hotels offer free shuttle rides to the hotels… so make sure you let your hotel know that you want to avail for free shuttle ride.

Then, after checking out the prices, I jotted them down using Google Docs and allocated B1,000/day for food.  Yes. I did not want to starve in Bangkok, and I have no plans of eating street food, so I allocated that amount per day for food.  Breakfast only cost USD1/day at Bangkok Loft Inn so I took the room and breakfast deal.

I then allocated the budget I was willing to spend for shopping including the list of items I would like to purchase.  This will help and will prevent you from buying something not in the list and create focus on your hunt for bargains.

I also searched the malls via Google and found out that the malls I wanted to shop in have a sale.  Yes…  Nothing beats than a 70-80 percent off sale on branded items…  Great.

My last day in Bangkok was spent in a night bazaar.  I spent all my remaining baht at Suan Lum Night Market.  I got several Bangkok and Thailand shirts from there, including cheap trinkets and local food items.  I also had dinner in a restaurant loft with my cousins for less than B850.  Not bad.

All in all, I managed to stay within my budget in Bangkok.  Not only that, I managed to get a refund at the airport for my purchases at the mall…  Bangkok was surprisingly easy to move around in.  Although taxi fares are cheaper than Manila, the language barrier can be a hassle so taking the most reliable and safest form of transportation was good.  The BTS is clean and on time.  It can be a little crowded, but the ride is ok since the train is air conditioned anyway.

To book at Bangkok Loft Inn:

Bangkok Loft Inn www.bangkokloftinn.com

55 Somdet Phra Chao Taksin Rd.,
Bangyeerua, Thonburi
Bangkok 10600, Thailand
Tel. (+662) 862-0300
Fax. (+662) 862-0492
E-mail bangkokloftinn@hotmail.com

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The Web-based tools can help users keep track of variety of expenses, ranging from household and personal budgets to shared costs between co-workers and roommates to weddings. Other worksheets can help users figure out how long it will take to pay off their mortgage or credit-card bills. The templates are Excel-like spreadsheets that users can customize and access from any computer. Now, users can also edit those spreadsheets, sort by column, and filter by terms on from a variety of mobile devices. Users can also share their spreadsheets with anyone, so multiple people can work on a budget together. For example, parents with college-age kids can work on a shared budget at the same time from different locations; others may want to share their spreadsheets with their financial planners or accountants. Users can decide to keep their budgets private or invite others to view them.

Ofcourse, you will have to manually enter your data, which is saved automatically. According to Andrew Chang of Google Docs, the spreadsheets are lightweight and appropriate for do-it-yourselfers who don’t want to connect with other services and prefer to run quick calculations of their finances.

Here are direct links to those templates:

• Family Budget Planner
• Personal Budget Tracker
• Monthly Budget Planner
• Annual Personal Budget Spreadsheet
• Savings Calculator
• Bank Account Ledger
• Credit Card Payment Calculator
• Statement of Net Worth
• Auto Expense Report
• Road Trip
• Mortgage Payment Calculator
• Wedding Budget Manager
• Wedding Vendor Payment List

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• Walk more. If you are one of those people who drives to work or commutes to work, you might want to ditch the car for awhile and walk or sprint from the parking lot to your office. While sprinting might race your heart rate like brosk walking, you might want to change or wear appropriate shoes and be wary of potholes lest you injure yourself.
• Instead of riding the elevators or escalators, use the stairs instead.
• Eat healthy. Increase your vegetable intake and lower your carbohydrates from your diet.
• Keep tabs with your health by having an annual check-up.
• Instead of snacking during break times, eat a fruit or two instead.
• Ditch the softdrinks, coffee and alcohol. Opt for more healthier beverages like some fresh fruit drink or better yet, increase your water intake!
• Stop smoking. Not only are you helping yourself, you are also helping to protect your immediate family who could suffer from passive smoking.

Do you have other smart tips in staying fit on a budget? Make your comments below or email them to me at frugal.pinoy@gmail.com. Interesting tips will get free cellphone loads from me.

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