Last Updated on October 7, 2026 by Izza of SavingsPinayPH
Over the last nine months, I ran my first marathon, kept working the graveyard shift, spent time with family and friends, brought my content creator era back to life, and grew as a person.
I learned a lot. Some lessons came with sore legs. Some came at 3 AM, in the middle of a work shift, with usual coffee beside me.
Before I start writing about budgeting and saving tips, investing, and more, I thought it’d be better to share some life and money lessons, too. Here are nine months in my life, nine lessons, one for each month from January to September.
Let’s begin.
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January – Systems are important!
The year started a little differently for me. I went to Antipolo with my sisters and witnessed the first sunrise of 2026. I also caught up with friends to get ourselves ready for the new year. My best friend Nica and I even had our letter-to-our-future-selves session, something we had never done before. And I did another first: I treated myself to Les Misérables in Concert at Solaire. What a way to open the year!
But it came with a price. I made my first money mistake of 2026.
I have used Taxumo for my taxes ever since I became a freelancer, and it has been one of the best things ever.
However, just when I planned to switch to the 8% 2-year option, I forgot that my plan was on credit card autopay. It renewed automatically to the annual plan, which I’ve been subscribing to for the past four years. The 2-year option could have saved me 40%, since my next renewal would have been in 2028 instead of 2027.
I immediately asked Taxumo if there was a way to correct the mistake, and there actually was. But I don’t know; I just never followed through on the steps they shared. It was a completely preventable mistake that turned out to be costly.
The same thing happened with this blog. I started the year telling myself I would finally make a strong comeback. It did not happen. Not in January, and not for months after.
Lessons learned: Systems matter a lot! A calendar reminder would have saved me from the renewal. A clear content creation system could have helped me publish new content. I was good at being intentional with my personal life, with my family and friends, and even with time for myself, but that is no excuse not to be better in other areas.
Key takeaways:
- Audit your autopays. List every subscription and autopay linked to your cards and e-wallets. Write down the renewal date beside each one and set a reminder one week before.
Kung may plano kang mag-switch, mag-cancel, o mag-upgrade, do it the moment you decide, not the day before it renews. And if a mistake still happens, follow through on the fix right away. Taxumo gave me a way out, and I let it slip.
- Motivation gets you started. Systems keep you going. Motivation is a good start. It makes you excited to get things done. But motivation alone cannot make you accomplish things.
Pick one goal you keep putting off and give it a simple system: a schedule, a reminder, or a clear number to hit. For me, it was committing to 13 blog posts before 2026 ends.
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February: No man is an island, and sinking funds help a lot!
In February, I tried something I had never done before. I got my hair colored! A balayage. It sounds like a big expense, but I actually didn’t spend that much.
I have a neighbor I chat with once in a while, and I noticed her beautiful hair. I asked her where she got it colored and found out it was just at the salon in our neighborhood. Mid-tier or popular mall salons charge ₱2,500 to ₱6,500 for a balayage, while high-end salons can charge double that.
Going to our neighborhood salon saved me a lot of money. I got mine for only ₱1,500.
I also went to La Union for a workmate’s wedding and met again with some of my remote colleagues in person. Starting the year with a trip spent with people who already mean a lot to me felt amazing. I’m always grateful for the provision.
Lessons learned: Finding alternatives to costly things is important, especially in today’s economy. I also realized it’s good to have neighbors and to make small talk with them. It’s true: no man is an island.
I also learned the value of sinking funds! Weddings, birthdays, trips, and gifts for other people’s milestones are expenses we often don’t prioritize. But think about it: you get save-the-date invites months before the wedding. Birthdays don’t change either, so you can plan.
A sinking fund keeps these expenses from wrecking your budget. If I hadn’t set aside money the moment I received the invite to the La Union wedding, I would have been caught off guard by the expense.
Key takeaways:
- Get to know your neighborhood. Go outside, explore your neighborhood, and let your neighbors see you once in a while. I think it will do you good. One small talk with a neighbor led me to a ₱1,500 balayage instead of paying ₱2,500 to ₱6,500 at a mall salon. You never know when you’ll need their help, or when you can be of help to them.
- Look for alternatives before paying full price. Before booking the popular or expensive option, ask around. The neighborhood salon, the smaller shop, or the local version can give you the same quality for much less, especially in today’s economy.
- Start a sinking fund the moment you get the invite. Check your calendar for the rest of the year. The moment you get invited to a wedding, put it on your calendar and see how many weeks you have left to save for it. Look at important birthdays and decide how much you are willing to spend on gifts. Estimate the totals and divide them by the months or weeks left. Halimbawa, if a wedding is 20 weeks away and you expect to spend ₱10,000 on travel and a gift, set aside ₱500 a week. That’s what a sinking fund is all about!
Read next: Spavings: What, Why and How
March: Missing the goal is not the same as making no progress
In March, I attempted my first sub-1-hour 10K race. And I failed. I finished in 1 hour and 9 minutes instead. I knew going in that I was undertrained. Running is a sport where your output always reveals your input. I had a lot of what-ifs, especially seeing other runners who got their sub-1 flash their extra commemorative medal and take photos with their sub-1 time as the background.
Here’s a truth. When I saw on my watch that I wasn’t going to make sub-1, I relaxed. My thinking was that it would hurt more to finish at 1 hour and 1 minute, just a minute or two shy of sub-1.
Still, it was a personal record, the fastest 10K I’ve ever run. No one can take that away from me.
That same month, my parents visited Manila. We didn’t see each other in person in 2025, so it was such an emotional reunion. To finally hug them again after such a long time! They took turns staying with each of us siblings, and I was so happy to bond with them. Overall, we had a great time.
Lessons learned: The money lesson from March is about how we judge ourselves. Kung ang goal mo ay makaipon ng ₱100,000 this year at ₱60,000 lang ang naipon mo, that can feel like failure. But if that ₱60,000 is the most you have ever saved, that is a personal record. Do not let a missed target erase real progress.
At tulad ng pagiging undertrained sa race, being unprepared with money shows up when it matters most. Your emergency fund is your training. You build it before race day, not during.
A missed goal with a personal record is still progress. Count it.
Lastly, every moment with your loved ones matters, especially when you have aging parents. It’s a privilege to still have your parents with you.
Key takeaways:
- Count your progress, not just your misses. Go through the goals you set this year. Instead of bombarding yourself with your failures, start listing the progress you’ve made. Compare it to where you were last year. My 1:09 10K missed sub-1, but it was still the fastest 10K I’ve ever run.
- Make room for family in your time and in your budget. Your family matters a lot. Time with them is always priceless. The money and time you spend on your family always come back manifold. We didn’t see each other in person in all of 2025, so I don’t take visits for granted anymore. If your family lives far away, plan for visits the way you plan for any big goal: set aside a little each month for pamasahe and time off.
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April: Not every season is sunshine
April started with goodbyes. My parents went back to the province, and I was sad to be without them again. My face also broke out badly that month, with pustules, acne, and redness. I went from having my best skin in February to feeling my confidence drop, because I didn’t know what my face was reacting badly to.
But April also gave me one of my favorite moments of the year, maybe even of my entire life as an aunt. My teenage nephew stayed with me for a week. One night, we threw random questions at each other using a question wheel. It was a simple thing, but I got to know him a little better.
When I started my running era, I knew I would run a marathon someday. I was supposed to do it in January to start the year with a bang. But I guess I got nervous, and I kept putting off registering. Not until April, when I saw that the 2026 Galaxy Manila Marathon had changed its 42K route to the historic EDSA. I took it as a sign to finally sign up. I wanted my first marathon to be memorable, and a route like EDSA doesn’t come often. It was the first time EDSA was used as a running route. EDSA, with all its rich history.
Lessons learned: It’s not always sunshine and cloud nine. There will be seasons in your life when you feel sad, ugly, or like nothing is going well. That’s just the course of life.
Also, try to put money behind your goals, so they stop being wishes. When I signed up for my June marathon, I knew I had to train for it. There was no turning back!
Key takeaways:
- Hard seasons pass. If you’re going through a hard season right now, know that it will soon pass. That’s just how it is. In April, I missed my parents and my skin was at its worst, but the same month gave me a week with my nephew and my marathon sign-up. Hold on to the small good moments while you wait for the season to change.
- Raise the stakes on what you keep delaying. If there’s anything you’ve been delaying, maybe you just need to level up what’s at stake a little. Pay the registration fee, book the class, or set up the auto-debit. Once there’s money on the line, mas mahirap nang umatras. I put off my marathon sign-up from January to April, but the moment I paid, there was no turning back.
May: You are limitless as long as you commit to it
May was all about the long runs leading up to my first marathon. I did the longest runs of my training and of my entire running journey. First 25 km. Then 32 km, my “run your age” run. I am beyond grateful sa katawan ko for carrying me through those.
Outside running, I watched the Laufey concert with my youngest sister. She was the true fan, but I left as a new one. I loved bonding with her. I also went on a weekend trip to Calatagan with my Coffee Monday barkada, the very friends I made a decade ago, back when I was just starting to adult in Makati. I love that we’ve kept the friendship alive.
Lessons learned: That 32 km run did not happen in a day. It was built on many smaller runs that, at the time, felt like nothing special. I really felt myself getting stronger and stronger. When I started running, I didn’t even know I could run 5 km. Now look at me, acing 32 km across three cities: Mandaluyong, Makati, and Taguig. Every small run I did in the past compounded into this moment.
Key takeaways:
- Trust the power of compounding. The power of compounding is real. When you save or invest, it all starts small. You feel like nothing is really happening. Then one day, you look at your balance and realize it has quietly become a lot. It’s the same with running: I didn’t think I could run 5 km when I started, and in May, I ran 32 km.
- Start with whatever amount you have. No matter how small you think the amount is, put it in your savings. Just like every 32 km starts as 3 km, every ₱100,000 saved and invested starts with your first ₱1,000. Set up an automatic transfer every payday so you don’t have to think about it, and let the power of compounding do its magic.
- Keep your friendships alive. Some relationships are worth more than any return on investment. My Coffee Monday barkada and I have kept our friendship going for a decade. Make time for your people, even when life gets busy.
Related reads:
How to Create Multiple Sources of Income
24 Things You Can Do To Improve Your Finances
The Different Saving Funds You Should Own
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June: You define what success looks like, and pet care belongs in the budget
June started with a little win. I got a last-minute discounted ticket to Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire in Concert. Goblet of Fire is my favorite in the series! From ₱2,574, I got it for ₱1,700, although I had to go straight after my Saturday shift.
And then, the big one.
The biggest milestone of my running era so far is that I ran a marathon!
Last June 12, 2026, I did the Galaxy Manila Marathon. That’s 42.195 kilometers of running the most brutal race route: EDSA. Yes! I ran Epifanio de los Santos Avenue.
I got to tick off the very things I said I wanted to do for my first marathon:
✅ I want to finish the whole thing. No DNF!
✅ I want to finish strong and joyful. No injury, please.
✅ I want my first marathon to be memorable.
Now when I hear EDSA, or even just pass by it on a normal day, hindi lang traffic ang maaalala ko. I have a story too. I conquered that highway, those bridges and tunnels, on foot, on race day, with my own two legs.
A week after the marathon, I flew to Eastern Samar to visit my parents and stayed with them for one month. It was the longest I have ever lived in the province. I have so many stories to tell, but for now, I hope you can watch this video. This is also my comeback video on YouTube. Yay!
Lessons learned: There are wins worth celebrating everywhere, and they’re not always financial. Success is truly subjective. You define what success is for you. By June, I should have finished reading 13 books, but I had only read 4. Instead of stressing about it, I decided to pull myself together and just get back into reading.
When I was in the province, I also learned how hard it is to get female dogs spayed. Here in Manila, it’s free. I was there when two of my furpamangkins got spayed at the PAWS center. In Eastern Samar, spaying a female dog costs a lot. One veterinary clinic even quoted ₱15,000. Imagine! I could use that money to bring the dog to Manila instead, mas matipid pa.
I hate that animal care is not one of the local government’s priorities. It should be. I wish veterinary medicine were more accessible in the province.
Key takeaways:
- You define what success means for you. Not every win shows up in your bank account. A finished race, a discounted concert ticket, a month with your parents: these count too. Before you start a goal, write down what a win looks like for you, so you know when you’ve reached it.
- Learn to review and reset when you need to. A mid-year review works wonders. Halfway through the year, go back to the goals you set in January. Keep the ones that still matter, adjust the ones that no longer fit, and let go of the ones that only add pressure. I did this with my reading goal. Instead of stressing over 4 out of 13 books, I reset and got back into reading.
- Pet care is part of the budget. If you have a female dog, plan for spaying early. Check for free or low-cost spay programs in your area, like the ones from PAWS. Kung nasa probinsya ka, ask around and compare the cost of a local clinic with bringing your dog to a city that has free programs. Spaying now costs far less than caring for an unplanned litter later.
July: There is actually life outside Manila
I stayed in Eastern Samar until I flew back to Manila on July 20.
Somewhere in that month, I realized something I did not expect. May buhay pala sa probinsya. Not just a slower pace, but a life I could actually see myself living. Perhaps even for good.
Hindi ko pa alam kung kailan o paano.
Where you live is one of the biggest money decisions you will ever make. It decides your rent, your food, your transportation, and even your stress. As someone born and raised in the city, I always pictured growing old in the city too. But I’m grateful for the idea that there’s a life waiting for me in the province as well.
Lessons learned: Home is where the heart is. For most of my life, I thought home meant the city where I was born and raised. But that month in Eastern Samar taught me that home is less about the place and more about the people. You will always have a home as long as you have your people.
I also learned that it’s okay for your plans to change. One day you want this, the next day you want that, and that doesn’t make you indecisive. It means you’re growing. Hindi ko pa kailangang magdesisyon ngayon. But whatever I choose, it will be my decision, made for the life I actually want.
Key takeaways:
- Visit the province with fresh eyes. Gone are the days when living in the province was seen as the inferior choice. If you have the opportunity, visit your parents’ hometown. I highly recommend it. A fresh environment can refresh your inspiration, and it might even change how you see your future.
- Ask if where you live still fits the life you want. Where you live decides your rent, your food, your transportation, and even your stress. Once in a while, ask yourself whether your location still fits the life you’re building. Hindi mo kailangang lumipat agad, but it’s a question worth asking.
- It’s okay to change your mind. Home is where the heart is, and you will always have a home as long as you have your people. Decisions can change. The plan you made years ago doesn’t have to be the plan you keep forever.
Related reads:
How to Achieve Your Travel Goals in 3 Steps
How To Establish Your Own Travel Fund
Establishing a Travel Fund for Beginners
August: Small, cheap buys still add up
Confession: In August, I got obsessed with buying secondhand books on TikTok. Oo, easily influenced ako.
Each book was cheap, so it never felt like real spending. Pero ‘yan mismo ang problema. When the algorithm is choosing what you see, “mura lang naman” adds up faster than you think.
August also gave me moments that money cannot buy. I celebrated Nica’s birthday with her, the same best friend I wrote a letter to my future self with back in January. And I was able to bring one of my sisters and her family to church. That one meant a lot to me too.
Lessons learned: Small, cheap buys still add up. Sometimes it feels okay because it’s cheap anyway, or because you’re getting a discount. “Sayang naman, naka-sale na nga.” But a discount only saves you money if you were going to buy that item anyway. When you look at the total, you’ll be surprised by how much you’ve actually spent.
There should still be a limit, and it works best when you set it before you open the app, not while you’re scrolling. Once the algorithm learns what you like, it will keep showing you more of it. Being easily influenced is not the problem. Shopping without a plan is.
Key takeaways:
- Set limits on “cheap” spending. Pick your favorite “cheap” spending category, like books, snacks, or skincare minis, and give it a monthly limit. When it’s used up, add to cart and wait for next month.
- Check your totals, not just the price tags. Mura lang naman per item, pero iba na kapag pinagsama-sama. At the end of each month, add up what you spent on small buys. Seeing the real total is often enough to make you pause before the next checkout.
- Spend time on what money can’t buy. Some of my best moments in August cost nothing: celebrating Nica’s birthday with her and bringing my sister’s family to church. Not everything that matters needs a budget line.
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September: The year isn’t over until you say it’s over
September was full.
I spent 8 days and 7 nights in Dumaguete and Siquijor with two of my workmates: three days in Dumaguete, three days in Siquijor, then one last day back in Dumaguete. I had so much fun.
I joined the Isla del Fuego 10K run, my second sub-1 10K attempt. I failed again. The official race record says 1 hour 11 minutes, even worse than March, although my watch recorded 1 hour 7 minutes, which should have been a new 10K PR.
I read The Miracle Equation and learned about unwavering faith and extraordinary effort. I am holding on to both for how I’m handling the rest of 2026.
I went to the Manila International Book Fair for the first time in 10 years. Remember my TikTok book spree in August? This time, wiser na ako. I bought just the right amount of books and did not overspend.
And then, a surprise! BDO invited me to attend the Butlak Negros Trade Fair, where BDO Pay was introduced as one of the trusted payment partners of merchants and participants. I am so grateful that despite my long hiatus, there are still brands that trust my voice. Thank you to CID Communication for connecting me with BDO.
Lessons learned: My stay in Dumaguete proved once again that province life is sooo good. I love Dumaguete so much, and I promise to come back. I’d even love to stay longer next time.
The trust I built through SavingsPinay since 2013 did not disappear when I stopped posting. It kept working quietly in the background, like an investment you stop adding to but never withdraw.
That is true for money too. The habits, savings, and reputation you build in your good seasons will carry you through your slow ones. Truly, the trust you build keeps working for you, even in the seasons you stop.
Key takeaways:
- Setting a budget is a must. It can free you from overspending. The book fair proved it. After my TikTok book spree in August, I went in with a plan, bought just the right amount of books, and didn’t overspend. Wiser na talaga.
- Pair faith with effort. From The Miracle Equation: unwavering faith and extraordinary effort go together. I missed sub-1 twice, but I’m holding on to both for my next attempt. Your money goals need the same thing: believe you can reach them, then do the work every week.
- Build on what you’ve already built. Think of one thing you have built over the years, whether it’s a skill, a relationship, or a savings habit. Ask yourself how you can start building on it again this month. For me, it’s this blog. The trust I’ve built since 2013 is still here, and now I’m building on it again.
Final notes from SavingsPinay
Nine months. Nine lessons.
Isang marathon, dalawang failed sub-1 attempts, isang buwan sa probinsya, at isang blog na bumabalik.
When I started SavingsPinay in 2013, my goal was simple: to help Filipinos bridge the financial literacy gap, one content at a time. That has not changed. After so many years I still want to come up on the blog with honest, practical posts on budgeting, saving, investing in the Philippines, retiring young, and earning extra while working full-time.
What’s your biggest life or money lesson so far this 2026?
