The Two Hundred-Peso Challenge
Every single school day, I face this scary challenge. With only PHP 200.00 in my wallet, I have to budget it carefully just like a mother does for me to get back home safely. Okay, I have some of my savings in my wallet and I can always run to the nearest ATM since I always bring my ATM card with me, so technically I have more than that in my wallet, but I hate it when I have to spend more than what my daily allowance can buy especially when I have to withdraw money using my ATM card which is connected to my bank account. Right now, my Banco de Oro personal savings account is so low that I’m not earning any interest. So yeah, that’s how poor I am these days.
This year, we have seen drastic changes with prices of the basic commodities we have in the market. The buying power of peso has significantly dropped. Uh, why am I talking about economics? Haha. But you get the point. The poor people were pushed farther beyond the poverty line. I guess, even the richest families in the county could feel the effects of this crisis. No one can’t deny that we are experiencing such problem.
For the past two years, my daily allowance was PHP 150.00. And that was more than what’s enough for me. I could still get savings out of it at the end of a tiring day at school. When this school year had started, I realized that PHP 150.00 is no longer enough for me. I asked my mother for an increase, and fortunately, she agreed. But even though I have PHP 200.00 now, I still have to ask myself if my remaining money could still get me back home whenever I spend for something. It’s scary, you know. What if I spent more than what I could and that has left me only a few coins? What if all the ATMs went offline simultaneously? What if no one was willing to lend me money? What would happen to me? Where would I spend my evening? In my friend’s apartment? Well, that’s something that I don’t want to experience.
So where does my allowance go? Fifty percent of it goes for my jeep and tricycle fares. Around 28% is dedicated for my lunch, and the rest is for my other expenses such as photocopies of our lectures1, pre-paid load, and whatnot. Seriously, two hundred pesos is not enough, but I’m not going to ask for another increase in my allowance.
For the next two weeks, I’m absolutely sure that I’ll eat in a fast food chain at least five times. Don’t ask how I knew that. Obviously, that’s not going to help me with my allowance problem and the two hundred-peso challenge will be more difficult than ever. You see, when I eat at a fast food chain, I always get tempted to buy the most mouthwatering meal (which is always the most expensive meal) plus a yummy dessert. Can you suggest something that will prevent me from looking at the menu? Haha.
This only means that I have to extensively cut my expenses. We are no longer in those days when PHP 200.00 can buy many things. For the mean time, we have to say goodbye to our luxuries. But then again, let us not lose hope that in the near future, we can say hello again to them.
So… </blogging> eh? Well, I hope not.
- I’m tired spending for these. I’ve got tons of photocopied materials in my room already and I’m pretty sure that I’ll have more of them. [↩]
August 24, 2008 @ 9:46 pm
kailangang magtipid! mahirap na talaga…kahit ako, minsan di na bumibili ng chocolate sa canteen. tsktsktsk
August 24, 2008 @ 11:42 pm
hay nako, i think all of us students are facing this challenge.. i empathize
i’m having a hard time too budgeting and all, argh! 
August 26, 2008 @ 7:55 am
aw, i’m sorry to hear about the situation right now, but for some reason i feel like people can always find a way through these circumstances if they really need to. and dessert at fast food chains? those are never appetizing! don’t be fooled by the pictures, haha. maybe you should blindfold yourself when you enter these establishments…
August 26, 2008 @ 8:21 pm
OHGEEZ @Jmar: I miss buying Kit-kats sa canteen.
Anyway. I’M ALSO TRYING VERY HARD to earn at least a thousand of my allowance per week (yes, that means I only have to spend the remaining 500 for transpo, food, load, internet, etc).
You know, transpo itself kills 400 pesos of my allowance. imagine!!
August 27, 2008 @ 10:56 am
OMG!!! And I thought my 200PhP/day allowance in college was small…… and that was… two years ago! Prices was a bit tad cheaper than today. I mean, transportation alone could kill your 200 Pesos these days… say almost 50% of it will go to transportation and the other half will go to FOOD….????
Haaay. sobra na talaga. Kahit ako na nagwwork na super tipid
August 28, 2008 @ 12:43 am
Truth be told, 200 pesos is quite an amount for me, as a student. Maybe that’s just me since I go home for lunch. Never trust those carinderias out there. Maybe, it’s just the art of budgeting. I usually walk so it saves me from spending more on transpo.
August 28, 2008 @ 9:53 am
oh my pareho tayo ng allowance. 250 actually, but recently, i went making baon just so you know i can be frugal for once. economics is shit.
August 29, 2008 @ 6:28 pm
Oh god, I’m facing the same dilemma as you are! I started out with P700 a week and now it’s down to P500 — I don’t even eat anymore cause it makes me feel guilty spending my money. About P200 goes to my transpo and the rest goes to photocopies. Euugh. I’ve only started my freshman year and yet I’m sick of those stupid stacks of paper I never really learn from.
Ohwell, maybe someday some miracle will happen and we’ll all be rich and happy.
September 2, 2008 @ 10:15 pm
I wish I had your discipline. Magaling naman ako mag-ipon but I can never stick to a budget, I’m an impulse buyer with a tendency to splurge and I have this urge na manlibre (na maraming nakaka-appreciate haha).
September 7, 2008 @ 9:05 am
You can’t live with that budget if you’re traveling by your own car. Hehe.
I always tell myself I’d budget my allowance and save like 30% of it cos I don’t really blow all my bread everyday - BUT at the end of the day I still get to spend everything. Sheesh.
September 7, 2008 @ 7:23 pm
Wow, we have the same allowance.
Unfortunately, nagmamahal na ang mga bilihin ngayon.
When I was still saving for an iPod, 50 pesos lang gagastusin ko (pang-commute) then sa bahay na ko kakain, since half-day ako that time. Nakakatempt talagang bumili. 
Ang masaklap pa dun, nag-iipon ulit ako ngayon, this time for a cellphone.