Friday, April 4, 2008

The Looming Jomanian Financial Crisis

Like what the government said, there is no need to panic.

But in analyzing my spending habits this past two months, it appears that I'm tapping my funds beyond my ability to earn them.

This is where my money goes:

P3,000 - Postpaid Line Payment
P3,000 - Credit Card 1
P1,500 - Credit Cards 2 and 3 (approximate)
P1,250 - Eclipse Gym
P 900 - Skycable
P1,000 - Jowa Expense (The Secret Support Funds)
P1,000 - Night Out/Day Expedition Expenses

It does not include the surprise expenses that can reach up to thousands of pesos depending on where I'd spend my money. The data above only shows my recurring monthly payments that is beginning to cut deep into my savings.

Like what I've said, there is no need to panic. But if this cycle goes on until June, it will significantly limit my ability to keep my monthly savings. Much as I would like to cut my expenses down, I'm afraid that I consider these payments of great urgency. There is no way I will be able to shift from Skycable to Destiny after they upgraded our connection several days ago. I could not put a temporary hold on my workout for fear that my efforts of two years would go to waste once I stop going to the gym. The jowa support could not be cut down as well. I kept a promise to myself to help him finish his studies even at my own expense. Lastly, it would still take months before I finish paying my card debts. Cutting down on payments would only lead to a buildup of interest, which could also threaten my ability to pay my debts.

So what are my choices to address this potential crisis?

1. Find a racket. PEx offers a lot of online part-time sidelines that I could try. The problem is, would I have the committment to keep my contract to these sidelines?

2. I have thought of putting some ads in my blog. However, I realized that the reason why I'm able to blog frequently is because there's no pressure for me to post in my journal. I blog for fun. Besides, I don't think i'd be able to sell my life story, it's just beyond my values. Knowing this min mind, i'd rather keep my entries free of any finanicial strings.

3. I would have to push my sister to find a job. The problem is, after she was turned down by IBM last January, she felt more at ease being a bum at home. Maybe I should befriend some PLU headhunters... but it would mean I'd have to create another G4M account and pimp myself in cyberspace all evening.

It's my aim to detach myself from material concerns - as part of my effort to awaken my spirituality. However, there are times I get distracted especially when you know that all your earnings for 15 days would only go to bill payments. Lucky for me that my income sources remain stable. But if it would be threatened by external factors - like when the Sikyu Agency fails to collect its bills from our clients, I would seriously get into trouble.

All I ever want in life is to be secure financially. I don't need that much money... I'd be happy with just enough for savings and to keep my family's modest standard of living uninterrupted. But in times like this, I don't have a choice but to let my survival instincts take charge of my life's rudder. I would have to keep my options open.

Despite these concerns, I sense that income opportunities are just around the corner. I have faith that I won't go down like what my pessimist side suggests. Nevertheless, to keep myself aware of my financial situation, it's good to nudge myself so I could draw up some plans and keep them inside my wallet.

This way, I could brace myself for an impact if and ever the real crisis comes.

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