Showing love to your chosen one or even your friends doesn’t need to be costly. Have fun with them this Valentine’s Day using these affordable and romantic ideas:

1. Cook your own dinner for two — or more

Look on what you guys like the most and buy the ingredients that you need at least a week before Valentine’s. Prepare it on the day itself, bond with your loved ones and enjoy Valentine’s night, your own way. 

2. Enjoy a movie night

Rewatch your favorite movies or even watch movies you haven’t watched yet. Try TV series of your chosen genre. Choose a snack you both love and enjoy binge watching on a Valentine’s night. 

3. Try free or budget entertainments

Learn with your loved ones and explore museums, art galleries and cultural centers around the metro. One tip is bringing your IDs to avail student discounts that they offer.

4. Personalize your gifts

Write a letter, bake a cake, create a memory book. It may be as simple as it sounds but it will feel more special. And remember, it’s the thought that counts.

Sure, Valentine’s is a special day to remind your loved ones how much you love them, but at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter how big or small your gestures are, what matters most is you love them wholeheartedly and sincerely.

December has arrived and everyone’s favorite holiday is coming! 

Now that Christmas is right around the corner, you must be thinking about what kind of gifts you will be giving to your loved ones by now. And the season of gift-giving can be a no joke for some people. 

Picking the right gifts is crucial for them to gain value to the person you’ll be sending them to. If done well, people will be appreciating your simple presents more than anything you’ll ever imagine. If done wrong, you can lose a lot of valuable cash. And that is sad, especially on Christmas.

To avoid that problem, here are four things to consider on choosing the right Christmas gifts:

1. Consider who you’ll be gifting. The first step of gifting is to properly identify the receiver’s likes and values. From there, you can make better assumptions of what kind of presents will you buy for them.

2. Do not just take special offers. Before buying these offers, try to assess if the bundle actually includes useful items. Special offers can be incredibly wasteful of your money if you let your impulsiveness take you.

3. Consider its value to the receiver. To fully get your receiver’s attention, you must give them the gift that means something to them. Choosing a gift that the person doesn’t want is a complete waste of money.

4. Consider its uses. Take a look on the selection of valued gifts you can get for a certain person. Among these choices, assess which of them is the most useful for the person. What’s the point of your gift if they can’t even use it?

Just remember these four tips and you’ll be giving the best presents like Santa Claus on Christmas. All the people will be happy of your gifts and you’ll be happy with the satisfaction of seeing them appreciate your gift. 

With this, it’ll be a season to be jolly for you, for them, and for your wallet!

Here it comes again, what all students and their family members await for, the graduation month! March is the time of the year when most schools held their graduation rites. Being able to pass all your requirements, and now finally moving forward – from primary school to high school and to college, graduation is no wonder a momentous event for every student. And with such long period of having the same routine and being at the same school with your friends since day one, students often stress about what life looks like after graduation. You thought you’re ready but there would be times that you’d question yourself where you’d end up or how long it would take to find the career suited for you. And once you’re already out there, you’ll realize how reality is different to what you always thought it would be. But keep in mind that stressing and fearing the unknown would do you no good, so here are ideas to help you deal with post-graduation blues:

1. There is more to life than schooling.
2. You have your own time. Wait for it but never stop exploring.
3. Have a change in your routine and don’t get stuck up
4. Make plans and look forward to it
5. Talk to someone and don’t let fear of the unknown consume you

Remember that you are now starting the journey of a new beginning, a new chapter in life that needs to be written. You’re now off to meeting new people, finding yourself a job and doing things different to what you’re used to. But keep in mind that nothing’s wrong if you feel afraid of those things, what’s wrong is letting it stop you from doing things.

Remember, every drop counts. If people practice this mentality, for sure, they’ll be saving more money beyond their knowledge. 

As all may know, the world annually dedicates a day to express their care for their planet — the Earth Day. This day’s main ideas are to encourage people to save energy, to reduce wastes by doing eco-friendly ways, and to gather people together to combat climate change.

Sadly, there are people who consider this day as nonsense and useless. They think that the launch of this event does not save the Earth, but rather just wastes other people’s time. But, what they don’t know is that just a simple compliance to Earth Day’s to-do list can actually affect their finances significantly in their favor.

By practicing the following, people can save their money the Earth Day way:

• Turning off Unnecessary Lights. This activity has always been on the list of all things about Earth Day. The idea here is to switch off your lights and appliances if not used. This could save energy and therefore, could reduce a small cost to the electricity bills.

• Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. If people find their creativeness and try to find the value of materials instead of just throwing them straight to the bin, people could save money. Why buy new things when one can just reuse an object that can satisfy the role that is needed?

• Save Water. Saving water’s logic is the same with saving energy. If people can learn to efficiently use water, they can reduce their bill’s cost. For instance, one can just use a tabo instead of using a bidet or a shower head to minimize excess water consumption.

These may be the practical methods to ensure one can spend his/her money effectively, but there lies a much more important benefit. Not only does it help you save money, but it can also contribute a lot in saving the environment.

If people can keep it in mind that ‘every drop counts’ in their daily lives, they could save two valuable things in their life: their money and the Earth.

COVID19 is a new disease caused by a newly identified coronavirus that likely jumped from infecting only animal species to infecting humans, that, in turn, developed person-to-person transmission that results in respiratory problems. It is highly advised to stay at home as much as possible to maintain social distancing. Some countries are on lockdown like Russia, at least 16 cities from China, South Africa, and even Philippines. But you’ll likely need to go a grocery store or pharmacy for your daily needs. Here are some ways to make sure that you don’t bring the virus back home with you.

• Make a game plan

Designate one person to be your errand-runner to limit your outside exposure. It is highly encourage to assign the person who has high immune system since your risk of complications is much lower. You may also set up a disinfecting station by simply putting an alcohol on every door or floor.

• When you’re out

Maintain social distancing by approximately 6 feet or 2 meters from others. Always wipe handles on carts or baskets while shopping or if possible do not us your hand directly. Gloves or a mask is advisable for those who are sick so you may not have it, just wash your hands frequently and avoid touching your face.

• When you get back

Keep in mind that you must wash your hands with water and soap for 20 seconds (you may sing a birthday song twice) as soon as you get home. Disinfect boxes or plastics and packaged foods. Make sure to thoroughly wash products before putting it in your kitchen.

• Disinfect

Disinfect everything you touch like the doorknobs, light switches, keys, phone, keyboards, remotes, etc. According to World Health Organization Philippines, if a surface is dirty, first wipe it down with regular household soap or detergent and rinse with water. Then use a regular household disinfectant like bleach—its active ingredient (sodium hypochlorite) kills bacteria, fungi and viruses. Always protect your hands when using bleach (e.g. wear rubber gloves). Dilute bleach with water according to directions on the package.

• Delivery

Ask workers to drop deliveries off on your doorstep or an area of your complex. But if they really need you to come to the door (e.g. for signature or payment/change), keep six feet of distance. If possible, pay and tip online (via credit cards, Gcash, etc). After you pick up deliveries or mail, wash your hands.

• Laundry

In the midst of the COVID19, washing your clothes properly could be vital to your family’s health. In clening your clothes effectively, you should keep contaminated laundry separate. Researchers explained that the combination of detergent, warm water, and physical agitation in the rinse and spin cycles are the ones that removes, inactivates, and washes away viral microbes. Once the washing is done, using a dryer may be better than hanging the clothes to dry because the eat may also help inactivate any viral microbes. It’s also important to disinfect handles and other surfaces before you touch the machines and wash your hands after.

• If someone in your home gets sick

First, consult your doctor. Isolate them in another room and ask them to use a separate restroom. Disinfect frequently touched surfaces and avoid sharing items with them. Ask them to wear a face mask.

• Supplies you’ll need

During these times, people tend to panic buying and hoard supplies but you must keep in mind that doing those won’t save you from this pandemic. You must buy enough things only for your family. The basic needs are the disinfectants (you may also make your own bleach solution), laundry detergent, trash bags, prescription medicines, canned foods, fruits, veggies, dry goods, and frozen foods.