Budgeting helps
Ever since I got married almost two years ago, I have been handling our finances and doing the budgeting. At first, it was more of a trial and error as there have been times when I went over-budget and then I have to take note of it to make sure that I don’t commit the same mistake in the future.
It is a challenge to make ends meet especially these days where the prices of general commodities continue to soar. When I budget out finances, I make sure to cover the essentials like house rent, bills, food, etc. It is a good thing that my husband supports me because he understands our situation. When we have extra money, we also know how to have a good time. Usually, we just eat out together with our son. If we would like to go out of town, we save up for it monthly so that we have enough time to raise funds.
Nowadays, I notice that even if we earn a little more than before, our expenses catch up in no time. We even can’t travel in our car often because the gasoline prices go up every week and it’s just too much for us. It’s a good thing we have our good old motorcycle to rely on for short trips around the town.
find extra income opportunities
In time like this when the economy is bad, we have to look for other income-generating opportunities to meet our daily needs. Having a regular job nowadays doesn’t imply that we can already live with it alone. We have to make more, to save more.
I have been in a continous search of income-generating activities online or otherwise. I have been seeing a lot of offers but we have to be cautious about these things. There are still a lot of people who mislead other people with their “business” ideas. Just be careful.
One other tip I learned, find an activity or hobby which you can pursue as a part-time job. Who knows, maybe you can do it full-time in the future 
Finding Ways to Earn Money
Today I am cleaning out my closet to see which clothes still fit and which don’t. Some of the still good items I am thinking of selling in eBay and the others maybe I could give to my younger cousins. I have applied to my previous company and when I get accepted, I would have to wear office clothes again. By selling some of my stuff online, I could raise money to buy new clothes.
As we are paying off our credit cards, we are strictly on a budget. That being the case, I have to find ways on how to have funds to buy new items. It’s not really a necessity for me so I did not include it in the budget. I have to find the money to accommodate the expenses.
The idea clicked to me when I was rummaging through my clothes and found that there a lot of pieces that do not fit me anymore as I gained weight when I got pregnant and up to now I still haven’t lost the extra pounds. I did not want to force myself into wearing ill-fitting clothes so it is best if I dispose off them and earn money at the same time.
As for those that will not get sold, I can give them to my cousins especially since my clothes are gently used and some I only got to use just once or twice. I’m sure they can still use it.
I hope my items will sell so that I can raise funds to purchase new clothes. In that way, no need to alter the budget just so I can buy new ones.