I am a big fan of Peso Sense  Facebook Page, specifically the #IponChallenge stories and testimonies the page shares.

I enjoy browsing and reading through real accounts of people who have succeeded in their saving goal through dedication and commitment.

With Quarter 1 done, I know most of you are pondering upon your 2021 goals and resolutions. Most of the time, to save an x amount of money is top of the list.

Through the years I stumble upon #IponChallenge stories that inspired me the most. Stories that provided a new technique or approach on how to save money fast.

So today I decided to gather in one single post all the best testimonies from our ka-Peso.

Hope you will learn something new in this post. Thank you to Peso Sense for creating such an amazing page that teaches Filipinos the value of saving. For proving that small amount of money saved regularly works.

Related:

How To Save Money Each Month: A Definitive Guide for Pinoys

Common Money Mistakes Pinoys Make and How To Fix Them

How To Make Money Blogging for Beginners

1. Savings First, Gastos Later

This is the very first how to budget story that led me to Peso Sense’ Facebook Page. The sender shared how she and her husband manage their finances on a monthly basis. The idea of a wallet organizer is A-MAZ-ING, following the Envelope Method.

I also noticed how in the end the sender shared that the very first account they put money into is their Savings. They set aside 20% of their income to save and budget the rest on the other categories. Paying yourself first before anything/anyone else!

If you feel inspired by this budget story you can start by buying an organizer just like in the photo above. The sender mentioned she got it at National Bookstore. Once you have the organizer ready, list down your budget categories.

Budget categories are the very items you will allocate the money with.  Below are some budget categories for your reference:

1. Tithes. This consists of 10% of your total income. Other variants of this budget category will be Offerings, Missions (if you are supporting a missionary) and giving fund.

2. Bills. Bills refers to all the daily, weekly or monthly subscriptions that you need to pay with. Under Bills are the following:

Tuition Fee

Kid’s Allowance

Electricity

Telephone

Internet

Cable

Water

3. House. Though this could be included in the Bills category but I choose to separate this one to give you a much thorough breakdown on sub categories that you need to allocate money with when we talk about house.

Rental Fee

House Loans

House Repair Fund

Property Tax

4. Food. This category is of high importance for we need to eat in order to live. If you are someone like me who still is in the care of parents then the only item to budget is the daily breakfast and lunch. Dinner will sometimes be care your Mom same with how the weekend goes. (Thanks to the tight family culture of Filipinos) But for others who live independently and or are Moms below are much more specific allocation.

Groceries

Dine Out

Treats

5. Transportation. Personally, this is where most of my income goes since I choose to ride conveniently on an FX (Skyway) going to and from work. In short, I choose convenience over saving here. Below are other sub categories:

For those who commute will be a dedicated transportation allowance.

For those who own their car:

Fuel

Tires

Oil Changes

Maintenance

Parking Fees

Repairs

6. Investments. If you have different investment instruments then you need to allocate an amount for each.

Short term and Long term Healthcare plans

Insurance like Auto insurance and the like

Mutual Fund, Stocks and the like

7. Emergency Fund. This is something that you need to put emphasis –building your emergency fund. Put this as part of budget allocation so you won’t forget to put aside some money. You might also try the other funds I created that had renewed my financial life.

Fun Fund

Financial Goal Fund

8. Personal Expenses. This is anything that have to do with you or your family on a personal level.

Clothing Allowance

Load Allowance

Gym Memberships

Haircuts

Salon Services

Cosmetics

House Help

Subscriptions

9. Miscellaneous. There are expenses that just come along the way so it’s better to put aside some amount some reasonable amount.

Once your categories are ready plan out how much you will put in each category. Just carefully decide based on your current salary. Don’t forget to prioritize. The 50-20-30 Budget Rule might help you understand how to divide and allocate your finances.

2. Tithe!

Do you tithe? This post from Peso Sense inspired me so much to remember the beauty of tithing. That it is all about us, giving back to what is due to Him. He had (and continually) provide us with our needs. Blessings upon blessings. Who are we to rob Him of that 10%.

Tithing is not really about our money. It is about our hearts. God wants to know where our faith depends. I really can’t express much of what tithing is all about but this status from Sir Marvin Germo author of Stock Smarts series says it all. Please read and ponder upon:

It’s you setting aside 10% of what you gained and not putting it in stocks, bonds, or using it for your daily expenses. It doesn’t make sense when you think about it.

However when you look deeper, it is you saying that God, I trust my 90% will stretch far better than 100% with me just trying to do it on my own. Tithing is never about money. But it’s more about how well and deep do we know that we have a Father who loves us so much that He will provide for our needs not because of how good we are but because of how good He is.

Tithing is us responding in love. Saying God, you have Blessed me with so much. Here’s 10%. Thank you for Blessing me with 100%. We don’t tithe to get Blessed. We tithe because we know because of Jesus we are already Blessed.

Happy Sunday. Invest in things that last forever.

3. Small amounts matter

There is no small small amount for your savings. Instead of prolonging your savings thinking “tsaka na lang pag may pera na ko”, save now. This sender shared how saving P 200 a month let her save around P 10,200 before 2016 ends. That may be small for some, but still that savings is enough to invest in the stock market or to open a mutual fund account.

Or have it as your baby emergency fund.

4. Saving for Your Kid’s Future Fund

This is a very good tip for SavingsPinay readers who have kids. Start saving for their future now. The little amount you save today will go a long way when they reach their high school or college days. Saving for your kid’s future fund now will release you from the burden later on.

We all know for a fact that tuition fee increases year after year, so providing for your child/children now is just idea.

Just like what the reader shared you can put the money your child/children receive during Christmas and birthday to sustain the fund. Any extra amount will do actually as you still have the luxury of time in your favor.

Another tip I have for you is to put it on a Money Market Mutual Fund instead of a regular savings account. Money Market is more on capital preservation, investing in a diversified portfolio of short-term, highly liquid fixed-income securities, term deposits, and other money market instruments. There’s not much risk compared to investing in stock market or an equity mutual fund.

5. 52-Week Money Challenge Reverse and Bi-Monthly

As much as I love the idea of 52-Week Money Challenge, I can’t seem to succeed in doing it.

What is this 52-Week Money Challenge?

The 52-Week Money Challenge I believe started with Life as You Live It. Kuripot Pinay did the Filipino version and it became really popular in social media and made it even in the national television.

It is a way of compounding your money in a different interval so it will still be simple and cost effective to you. Below is the excerpt from Ms. Rhea of The Kuripot Pinay on how the challenge is done:

You will need the following:

A goal. This will keep you motivated to save and save. Simply imagine getting your most coveted gadget by the end of the year.

A Piggy Bank. You can use a plastic container, a bottle, a jar of just about anything. This will be called a grownup piggy bank.

Template.  The challenge has an existing template that we can print out and tape in our piggy bank. However, since the amount is in dollars, I took the liberty to edit the dollar part and translate it into Philippine Peso. Plus, I altered the dollar equivalent to Php50.

I tried doing the challenge last year but I sadly I failed. I can’t seem to find the right motivation to really stick to the plan. There are a ton of ka-Peso who shared their success stories in doing the 52-Week Money Challenge and the post above is one of my favorites.

Doing it on reverse and bi-weekly works for two reasons:

1. Most of us have more money in December so it’s easier to save the amount required on the challenge.

2. Most of us have our pay day every two weeks (15th and 30th) so if you follow this schedule it is way easier to track and commit.

This approach is way better to be honest. I don’t like to make any promise but with this technique I might try again to save money using the 52-Week Money Challenge.

6. Find an Accountability Partner

This is another inspiring story of how accountability partners such as your bf/gf or perhaps a sister, a friend or even your Mom/Dad can motivate you to save. having an accountability partner can greatly help you stay on course. having an accountability partner can greatly help you stay on course of your saving goals.

There will be another person to remind you to save. If you feel like giving up or if an emergency situation happens, your accountability partner is there to encourage you.

Ask your boyfriend or your spouse or your best friend to join you. Introduce the challenge to them and if they find it interesting you can have an instant accountability partner. I don’t have a boyfriend so my accountability partners are my SavingsPinay Readers. I hope we can succeed and win this challenge.

7. Act on Your Goals

This is such an inspiring story on how action on your goals work! The sender is very clear in his goal, he knows what he wants and won’t stop until he achieves it. They say a goal without action is just a dream. Stop dreaming and take action instead! You can’t be a millionaire by sleeping. You have to act and to really work on your goals.

I seriously adore the quest for financial freedom of the sender. I love how he just keeps on moving forward, taking every possible course that could lead to success.

8. A Dedicated Location for Each Saving Goal!

Nung nakita ko yung photo na ito di ko mapigilan mapangiti. It’s so nice to see different piggy banks with dedicated savings fund. The idea of putting your left-over money to  dedicated location no matter how small or big there is, is so nice.

Even with a small salary there is still a way to save money. Every piso counts ika nga.

Saving money is a real challenge. You have to devise ways to keep your focus on the goal. Keeping it visual, nakikita mo yung progress through the use of alkansiya is such a great idea.

Anyway below are some things to do whenever you feel discourage to reach your savings goal:

Keep a “why” note. The best way to get back your courage in saving money is to remember your “why”. Before doing any of the saving challenges you see in this post of in Peso Sense FB Page, try to establish the reason first. Is it for down payment to your dream house or condo? Is it for a Europe trip? Is it to give back to your parents?

Remember your progress. Look at that amount you already saved! Create a chart or graph to give you a clear glimpse on how close (far) you are to your end-goal. This will give you the right boost to keep on saving!

Watch my Power of Alkansiya video here:

   

9. Save and Invest

Another smart use of your savings is to finally invest in stocks. The story of the sender encourages not just to stop at “saving your money” but also to remember how important investing is.

What’s the difference between saving and investing?

When you save, you are putting your money at rest. Whatever money you saved will not make you rich but it will be readily available in case you need it.

When you invest, you are putting your money at work. Whatever money you invested could give you higher return compared to saving.

Once you completed your emergency fund, it’s best to start investing for your future. If you keep your money on a piggy bank instead of investing it, your money will never work for you. When you invest your money you are making your money work and let it generate some return in years to come.

Currently my investment includes a mutual fund, a direct stock investment and online farming. Above these, I have a set aside savings account and I continue to hustle on the side!

10. Matrix of Savings and Expenses

This is such a brilliant idea! A matrix of savings and expenses to help you ponder upon between the two. This could actually be a good budget template, although the tithe part should have been 10%.

I do love the if and then situation at the bottom part of the matrix where you have a clear visualization on how much money you should save in a month and then money for expenses left. It’s also nice because the sender gave the “in three months and in 1 year” breakdown giving you an added motivation to save.

Final Notes from SavingsPinay

Peso Sense continues to be the top resource for inspiring stories and testimonies from common Filipinos who have put their savings first before anything else! Below are some of my key takeaways from reading through the 10 Best Peso Sense Ipon Challenge Stories:

Commit to your goal.

Most of the success stories mentioned above started with a goal in mind. You will notice how committed they are in achieving their saving goal. They don’t let discouragements from others set in. They continue saving money no matter how small.

 Just start.

Don’t wait for tomorrow or next month or the coming New Year to save. You can actually save money starting today. Do it now because sometimes “later” becomes “never”.

Have a dedicated location.

If you are really eager to save for a travel fund or an emergency fund for example, then open a separate savings account! A dedicated location will help you a lot to save. You can easily track down how much money is in your savings and it will not mix in with your allowance or expenses.

Tithe!

Always tithe the right way. Give back to God what is due to Him. You will be amazed by the transformation that will happen in your finances the moment you put your trust to God and not to anything else.

Share your success.

These senders could have kept silence on their story and how much money they saved but they didn’t. Most of them got inspired too from reading other’s success stories so they knew sharing their own story matter.

I hope this post and reading the rest of the 10 Best Peso Sense Ipon Challenge Stories I mentioned inspires you to put your saving goals on top priority! Happy saving!

What’s you favorite Peso Sense Ipon Challenge Story?