Would you buy a $260,150 handbag?

Even if I have all the money in this world, I just know, I wouldn't.

According to Forbes magazine, this handbag is the priciest of them all. (Well, at least, for now.)

Chanel's "Diamond Forever" handbag is more like a collector's item than a bag really. The C's are peppered with 334 diamonds set in 18-k white gold. The alligator skin is matte-finished.

But man! $260,150? I could feed thousands with that kind of money.

Why I Pay in Cash and Not with Credit Card

Consider this scenario.

You're in a posh hotel cafe hanging out with your friends. You call the waiter to get your bill. He comes back -- 260 pesos for a cup of extra thick hot chocolate served in fine china. You hand out your Visa.

Admit it. In that kind of setting, it's sexier to pay with plastic instead of some paper with a dead president on it.

If that was me, though, I would have paid with cash, be it as crisp as chicharon or as soggy as old pechay. Less trouble for me.

Here are four reasons why I prefer cash over card.
(By cash, I mean cash I earned and not loaned. By "paying in cash", I mean purchases in malls, markets, bargain shops, etc., and does not include huge things like cars, houses, and other things you normally pay for on installment.)

1. I lose the tendency to overspend by limiting my purchases with what I have in my wallet. This is especially useful when grocery shopping. I mean, we all do have that urge to get things not in the list, but with just the right amount of cash in the pocket and some will, I don't. Besides, it will be too much of a hassle to find the nearest ATM machine (of my bank, take note, to avoid transaction charges) just to buy those stuff not needed.

2. Unplanned purchases are avoided. I won't be able to buy those yummy-looking pumps if I only have "taxi money" in my wallet, will I?

3. I can "feel" my purchases. Yes, card purchases are quite "numbing". You won't feel how much you have spent on something until the time you see the monthly bill. More often than not, when you see it, it hurts. Especially if you have not kept track.

4. Discipline. Yes, discipline. With just having enough, I am are forced to discipline myself regarding my spending habits.

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Note: I do use my card on some things like airplane tickets and hotel rooms. However, I avoid using it on things I don't need and I pay on time.

Great Christmas Shopping Tips

'Tis the season to be jolly... and shop for gifts.

It's fun to shop, but I must admit, Christmas shopping can be really stressful.

Here are my tips for stress-free shopping.

1. Set your budget. Before I actually make my Christmas list, I first decide on how much money I can afford letting go.

2. Make your gift list. Almost all of us do this, I think. My list would be separated into four categories. (a) Family - mom, dad, sister, brothers; (b) extended family - lolo, lola, cousins, titos, titas; (c) Best friends - friends I often see; (d) Acquaintances - officemates, etc.

3. Set an amount per gift. Beside every name or group in this list, I put the estimate amount of my gifts. Then after that, I add everything and see if the total amount fits my set budget (see No. 1).

4. Assign possible gift options. Before I hit the stores, I put possible gift items that I can get for each person which will be within the amount that I have set (see No. 3).

5. Buy in bulk. Bulk items are cheaper. 'Nuff said.

6. Personalize. I get creative when giving gifts for let's say, officemates. I would sometimes make desserts and ribbon them. Or buy bulk cookies, candies or something. Repack them and put colorful ribbons.

7. Schedule your shopping. This saves you both money and time. Set a shopping day. Find out sale schedules and bazaar schedules that interests you. Also, being early eases some of the stress.

8. Hunt for the best deals.

9. Give. Always give something for the less-fortunate. It feels great for both you and them.

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Here are Christmas shopping tips I got from the Philippine Daily Inquirer, Take Charge of Your Money.

Are you an impulse buyer?

I’m sure you are, if you got to read this far.

I must admit, there were times when I considered myself an impulse buyer.

When I was in college, my favorite weekend past time was to visit my favorite bookstores (plural, mind you). I’d stay there and browse every aisle. Eventually, when I leave the place, after hours of immersing myself in “literature”, I’d have bought myself a book. Did I need the book?

No.

Same goes for those cute pairs of slippers at 50% off. Those one-of-a-kind dangling earrings in the little shop around the corner. That new mp3 player… And the list goes on.
So I found this article by Marshall Loeb and I’d like to share it with you.

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Six ways to curb impulse spending

By Marshall Loeb, MarketWatch
Last Update: 12:01 AM ET Oct 23, 2007

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) — Is impulse buying taking a heavy toll on your budget? Here are six ways to get a handle on your spending:

1. Identify your triggers. Many people use shopping as an emotional outlet. But letting your emotions dictate your spending is nearly always a bad idea. To break yourself of the habit, try to determine what prompts you to spend unwisely and take steps to change your behavior.

2. Avoid temptation. If you’re inclined to overspend, consider a self-imposed ban on window shopping, casual browsing and unnecessary trips to the mall. Hint: If you know you’re going to be in a situation where you’re likely to be tempted, leave your credit card at home and only bring as much cash as you absolutely need.

3. Be a cautious consumer. You may think you’re immune to advertising, but even the savviest shoppers fall prey to marketing tactics now and again. Next time you find yourself eyeing a “new and improved” product, ask yourself why you feel compelled to buy it. Will that new golf club/razor/skin cream substantially improve your life or just deplete your bank account?

4. Take a time-out. If you stumble on a “must have” item, don’t get caught up in the excitement, advises MSN Money columnist Liz Pulliam Weston. Take a deep breath and walk away. Give yourself anywhere from a few days to a few weeks to figure out if this is something that you can afford and really need. After the cool-down period, if you can truthfully answer yes to both questions, go ahead and splurge.

5. Remember long-term goals. Before you buy, ask yourself if you’ll get more long-term satisfaction out of owning this item, paying down your debt or putting money toward that dream vacation. You may get a temporary boost from buying that scarf, but that doesn’t mean it’s the best use of your money.

6. Check you balance. If you find yourself standing in the checkout line, ready to buy something you’re not sure you can afford, hold off, suggests Weston. Go to your local bank or log on to your bank account online. Once you’ve viewed your balance, the purchase may appear far less enticing.

Marshall Loeb, former editor of Fortune, Money, and the Columbia Journalism Review, writes for MarketWatch.

What's your saving habit?

Every person has their way of keeping money. Here's mine.

1. I pay myself first.

I set aside a minimum of 20% of my paycheck (gross). The moment it is credited to my employee account, I take a mental note of how much 20% is and round it up to the nearest hundred. I set this aside (mentally) and discipline myself not to touch it.

2. I have my biweekly allowance.

Since my paycheck arrives biweekly (ours is every 10th and 25th of the month), I automatically get a fixed amount which goes into my wallet. This amount is based on a budget I made that will supposedly cover my daily expenses, like food, transportation, leisure, etc. How much this is, I won't disclose. ;-)

3. Plow back extra money into my savings.

At the end of the two week period, any extra money that I have goes into my savings. This is after I have paid any bills, loans, and whatnots.

4. Create a separate account for emergency fund.

This I still have to follow religiously. I created a separate account where I can put my emergency fund. Part of my savings goes here.

5. Finally, I spend wisely.

I shop around before I buy. Every major purchase I make is made with a decision. I'm allergic to impulse buying.

Give up Starbucks?

The cost of Starbucks.

I two close friends working at this call center in Makati.
At the end of the week, I would sometimes drop by their office right before they start their night shift.

Starbucks is right beside their building and I can't help but notice that the place is always full of call center agents. Some would be having coffee right before they go to work while some would bring their mochaccinos up to their stations.

Now, a thought just came to me. It is safe to assume that one of these agents would have bought at least one Starbucks coffee every single work day. Being a personal finance addict, I cringe at the thought. I can already imagine how much money is wasted from their paycheck!

So here, I will try to run the numbers and see how much one can save sans the tall frapuccino.

Let's assume that one tall frap is Php120 and an agent works 5 days a week.
So that's Php600 as week. Multiply by 4, that's Php2400. Hmmm... so assuming, just assuming, this agent gets paid Php15000 a month. Then, the daily caffeine fix would have eaten up a whopping 16% percent of this agent's total monthly income!

Had this person refrained from buying the green coffee, and instead dunked the Php2400 to his savings. This would have earned him yearly savings of Php28800.

Hmm... Now if this was invested in an instrument, let's say, a very good mutual fund... The results would have been better... But I don't have my calculator right now. So I'll skip this.

Maybe in my next entry I will continue this Starbucks story.

How does the Filipino spend?

I stumbled upon a fact sheet released by the Senate Economic Planning Office which highlights the final results of the National Statistic Office (NSO) 2003 Family Income and Expenditure Survey (FIES).

Here are the bits and pieces that caught my attention:

1. The average family income increased by 2.5% from 2000 to 2003.
Take inflation in, it actually declined by 10%.

2. Lower-income families spent more than they earned.

3. Income of the richest 10% is 20 times more than that of the poorest 10%.

4. Food takes up almost half of the total family expenses.

5. By 2003, the family tends to eat out more than in 2000.

6. Spending on transportation and communication increased.

This data of course is a bit outdated but we can somehow see where our money goes. I wonder what the numbers would be in 2007.