​Happy Summer Saya!

It’s more fun in the Philippines especially during summer when the kids are on vacation.

With the 7000+ islands
A lot of places to visit this summer - Coron, Puerto Princesa, Boracay, Hundred Islands, Calatagan, Bicol, Banawe, Baguio, Ilocos Norte, Vigan, Banggui, - and the list goes on…
Plenty of places to go to – so little time… so little budget! Hehehe

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Here are some tips to live by that I have adhered to through time when going on a summer vacation:

1. Always start with the budget, then the destination.
Pretty simple, right? Begin with how much money you are willing to spend. Wait! Wait! Begin with the money you have budgeted. Now that sounds better! Because most of us are usually willing to spend more than what is budgeted. Best to stick to the budget, else, you end up borrowing money to pay for your kids tuition fee come June – not really a good position to be in after a lavish vacation, right?

2. Limit the extra expenses and the  frightening humongous amount of ‘pasalubong’
Especially when you are in a lot of shops around ( like Calle Crisologo, Ilocos Sur – I actually liked to bring 1 shop home) and everything looks dainty and alluring. What I do with my teenager kids so they don’t keep whispering in my ears on stuff that caught their fancy is I give them a budget. I give them 500 pesos each and it’s up to them what to buy including the pasalubong they want to bring to their friends back home. That way they learn how to handle money and not be extravagant since their coffers end after 1-yellow-Philippine-bill. 

3​. On food to bring and/or buy
A lot of food gets wasted during outings. Try to stick to the bare minimum because kids usually don’t eat a lot when they are busy doing activities, when they get back to your cottage after 3 hours of swimming, they will eat whatever is on the table – Trust me on this, ok?

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​So there you go, some summer practical tips to live by.
Happy Summer Saya to Everyone!

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​Len C is a proud mother of 3 lovely kids, has more than a decade experience in the BPO industry, with MA units major in Industrial-Organizational Psychology at the Ateneo de Manila University.

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