I am from Taguig City. I grew up in Metro Manila but we have a home in the province (Boronggan,
Samar) which I wish to visit someday.
I am 23 as of year 2016. Most of the people around me will agree that I look and think older than my
actual age.
As of this writing (November 2016) yes. I’ve been single ever since I started SavingsPinay and I think
my standard was actually set higher because of the blog. For me the right one should be financially-
able and can accommodate the lifestyle that I need and I want. You can visit my personal blog
IzzaGlino where I mostly write about my singleness.
Yes I do have a day job. I work as a Technical Documentation Specialist in an IT firm at Makati City. If
you want to know what Technical Documentation Specialist do CLICK HERE. Follow up question
normally is how much my income is as a Technical Writer. I won’t say my exact income for privacy
reasons but technical writers have competitive salary. You can read How Much Do I Really Make?
and Where Does Your Income Go? for a better explanation and glimpse on my financial life.
The same year I started SavingsPinay I understood that one source of income is not enough. This
realization led me to a number of talents turned extra income. Below are the different things I've
tried and I am still doing to make extra money. I also mentioned some related links that will help you
more in your journey.
Become an Event Emcee for all Occasion. On October 2011 I created an online
advertisement about my talent in hosting. I have never hosted professionally but people around me
knew that its something I can and I love to do. I used to emcee school programs and family
gatherings plus I took up a Communication course. In 2011 alone I manage to emceed about 50
special occasions. To date I am still hosting and its one of the side jobs that gave me soooo much
extra money. READ: Becoming an Event Host for All Occasion in the Philippines
Wedding Planner/Wedding Coordinator. I also widen my horizon in event management and
tried to sell my service as a wedding planner/coordinator. It was a nice experience sharing my ideas
to the couple and helping them sort out ideas for their big day. I created my own wedding
coordinator team and have been to Tagaytay, Antipolo, Batangas etc.
Makeup and Hairstylist for Special Occasion. My love for makeup made me earn instant
extra income. I have widen my event management experience by applying my knowledge in makeup
and hairstyling. Making debutant, bride, entourage and guests beautiful makes me happy.
Invest. One of the biggest financial decision I've made so far is opening my FAMI-SALEF
account. It is a mutual fund investment where you and other investors money are pooled together
to fund a common financial goal. There are no guarantees when it comes to investing but the
younger you invest the better. Time will be your greatest ally to make your money grow. I have
shared most of my FAMI-SALEF investments here.
Start a Blog. If you love writing and sharing on the internet then why not start a blog? You
can earn through advertisements, affiliate marketing, sponsored posts and the traffic you get
through your blog. There are many who've found massive monetary success online and this is such a
great avenue to relieve stress etc. Click this for all blog-related posts.
Create a YouTube Channel. If you’re comfortable talking to the camera like me then why not
start your own YouTube Channel? I have a beauty and lifestyle YouTube Channel that helped me
earn some money through ads and views. All you need is a good camera, laptop, internet connection
and you're ready to go.
Create an Instagram Shop. I also tried selling stuff online through Instagram. Creating your
store is free, marketing is fast and the return of investment is good. There are a lot of things you can
sell online from clothing items, accessories, phone cases, baked goods etc.
Freelance Writing Online. With my degree in Journalism I decided to try doing some
freelance content writing work online. It turned out great with clients from abroad asking for web
pages and other writing materials for a high pay. $$$ READ: Becoming a Freelance Content Writer in
the Philippines
Thank you first and foremost for the opportunity. Hosting special occasion is something I really enjoy
doing. I host not only weddings but also debuts, milestone birthdays, company events, etc. I charge
depending on type of event, location and duration. To reserve your date do email me personally at
izzaglinofull@gmail.com. Hosting fee range from 5,000-9,000pesos.
Sure! If you think that my writing style fits you and your business you can as always shoot me an
email at izza@savingspinay.com.ph. I do write for blogs and brands of different genre. Send me a
message of your specific request and I’ll reply immediately.
It all started in 2013. I was working as a Marketing Assistant in a milk tea shop at Aseana Pasay and
have been living from paycheck to paycheck. READ: My Life, My Job, My Career and the 6 Success
Tips that Helped Me. One day I realized na ayoko na. It is time to change my financial situation. I go
online and search about savings, budgeting and investing. I found helpful sites like Ms. Kristine of
CallMeKristine, Ms. Maria of PinasforGood, Ms. Jill of FrugalHoney and Ms. Lianne of The Wise
Living. My interest in personal finance grew right away. I go to business and investment section of
book stores and feed my mind. I even bought my first financial book – Ang Pera na Hindi Bitin by
Ardy Roberto.
During that time I was already blogging at www.izzaglino.blogspot.com which is a beauty and
lifestyle blog. Personal finance is a very different topic so I decided to create a new blog. Hence,
SavingsPinay was born. At first I was just sharing about my personal journey and have no
expectation at all that the blog will be big. Nagulat na lang ako when my post So I Entered the
Wrong BPI Pin Thrice went viral. From then I decided to create more informative post and to widen
my niche to common valuable topics involving money.
Majority of my time is spent reading. I love reading other financial blogs and learning from them too.
I also enjoy digging to Pinterest for added blog post inspiration. For me blogging is part of my
identity already and I am really proud whenever I have a new post published. Aside from local
personal finance bloggers I mentioned in Question #4 I also love reading Making Sense of Cents,
Smart Passive Income, Mint Notion and The Extra Income Project.
Also you may notice that most of my posts are personal basis like My Swirl Rewards Card from The
Coffee Bean, which I really have and enjoy the benefits. The post How to Retrieve Your BPI Express
Online Account Name and Password also happened to me and I really did the process I mentioned
on the article.
I have to say that the effort I put on my blog varies depending on my mood and my work load. I have
days when I am super productive and some days I just rest and succumb to my laziness. But to
answer the question below is how “my ideal” blog process works.
Weekend is a big part of my working process. I do a lot of batch work every Saturday and
Sunday. For example I take a lot of photos for IzzaGlino and my Instagram (@izzaglino) on
Saturday morning. By afternoon I edit and schedule all of my posts to be published the
following week.
Sunday is all about planning for next week’s content. I go over my Google Calendar where
my Editorial Content is located. I do necessary changes in case the topic is already irrelevant.
If I feel like blogging for a particular topic I put it on the best date possible. Aside from
content planning, I also do admin tasks like filing photos and documents to the right folder,
tidying my desk (and my room) and so on.
Monday is all about outlining the posts I’ll write for next week. I have an Evernote notebook
for SavingsPinay and IzzaGlino where I outline how the blog post will appear. I also use
template for common posts like First Impressions, Weekly Notes and Monthly Quick
Recaps.
Tuesday to Thursday is all about writing as many blog posts as possible. I just write and write
during these days whenever my day job permits me.
Friday is photo editing day. You all know that I use template photo for SavingsPinay as well
as IzzaGlino so my blog looks cohesive.
The above is just for the writing process. Other part of my life as a blogger involve social media
marketing (which I still lack), networking and replying to emails and so on. It’s like a business to be
honest. Your efforts will determine the outcome of your blog. But it’s rewarding after all. When I
read email and personal messages from people who are inspired to take over their finances thanks
to SavingsPinay I feel really proud and happy.
I love all of my posts and each post published is part of what makes SavingsPinay, SavingsPinay. But
yes I can pick my favorites based on how good I have written them and the amount of effort I put to
write them. Here’s my list in no particular order
40 Financial Habits for Life
23 Motivational Hacks for Young Achievers
10 Things You Can Do in Your 20's that will Change Your Financial Life Completely
15 Smart Ways to Earn Extra Income
13 Things You Need to Deal With After Graduation
30 Do's and Don'ts of a Successful Person
5 Habits That Can Boost Your Savings
8 Smart Money Moves To Do In Your 20s
Confessions of a Personal Finance Blogger
How to Invest Your 5,000pesos?
How Much Do I Really Make?
Turning Your Salary to Income
How to Achieve Financial Stability in Your 20's
Different Ways You Can Apply the 52-Week Money Challenge in Your Life
Do It Yourself Spending Tracker
When to Quit Your Job and How to Do It
Blogging is a big part of my life and it is a part of myself that I’m truly proud and thankful for. If you
really see yourself as a blogger then my biggest tip is to start now. It’s easy to create a blog
nowadays and you can find a ton of online tutorials for it. Next is to write posts that are valuable to
your audience. Your blog has to be helpful in order to gain organic readership. If you are just
blogging for the money then you won’t enjoy the whole blog life. You will easily get tired and burn
out. You need to be passionate about it.
I have a couple of posts on my trips such as Pampanga, Tagaytay, Caramoan and hiking adventures
at Mt. Manabu and Mt. Daraitan. I believe most of my trips are within the budget naman. Next year
I plan to visit more places talaga and really establish a travel fund. Also I’m in the process of getting
my passport para makapag out-of- the-country man lang ako.
If you want to stay frugal when travelling you have to do a lot of preparation. I love creative a
planned itinerary so I know how much I have to spend. Oooops I actually have a post about traveling
on a budget pala. You can read everything HERE.
Yes I do accept guest posts on SavingsPinay. As long as you article is related in budget, saving,
investing, career and productivity and retirement. Also I read the guest post and assess whether it is
good to go on the blog or will be loved by the SavingsPinay readers. Here are sample guest posts I
have received and posted here on the blog: Philequity Dividend Yield Fund First Impression From
Geli and 4 Useful Tips To Live Below Your Means by Kyle
Currently the blog is open for ads, sponsored post opportunity, product or service-specific review
and brand ambassadorship. I love working with companies in the field of personal finances. I work
with small entrepreneurs, women-focused business, new investment vehicles, financial apps,
personal finance books, money talks/workshops etc. and will be happy to work with you too. You
can shoot me an email at izza@savingspinay.com.ph or go with the Work With Me section for
further details and arrangements.
I started the campaign to financial freedom in 2015. Back then the blog started receiving attention
from women and men all over the world. Being financially free means having sufficient personal
wealth to live without having to actively work. For more reference on my financial freedom journey
you can click the following related posts:
How Do You Picture Your Retirement Age
Is Financial Independence a Realistic Goal for Pinoys
Why I Chose To Be a Financially Independent Pinay
2. I really want to fix my finances. How do I start?
I do receive a number of questions about fixing their finances and I come up with possible step-by-
step procedure. Now if you really need a helping hand I suggest you contact a financial expert so you
have someone to talk personally regarding your money situation.
BECOME AWARE. It all starts with knowing and acknowledging your current status in life.
This will ultimately help you in creative your roadmap to success. Just like in any
mathematical problem you need to know the given before you can come up with the proper
solution. I suggest the following step-by- step guide on knowing your current status:
1. Take one day to undergo a personal financial check-up. This is a day dedicated for
you to examine you financial health (and wealth).
2. On your check-up determine you current net worth. Net-worth is equals to your
assets minus your liabilities. Read my post Why You Must Know Your FInancial Net
Worth Now! or request for the 2016 version of Financial Net Worth Template.
3. Once you have a clear knowledge on your financial net-worth you can now
determine which areas you need to undergo operation. Do you have enough
savings?! How about your credit card debts? Is it too much?! Do you own a thing
that you don’t use anymore but still has a competitive market value?! Knowing your
financial net worth will ultimately help you decide for yourself how to treat the root
cause of your problem.
MIND YOUR SPENDING. Becoming a wise spender is a must in order to fix your financial
situation. The art of financial planning is not only centered on creating a budget, building
your savings, growing your investments and planning for your retirement. Proper spending
should also be discussed.
o Spend with your means
Live a life focused in growing your money instead of wasting it. Mind how
much you earn and practice living within your means or less. Helpful post: 4
Useful Tips To Live Below Your Means by Kyle
o Follow a Budget
For me a budget is just one of the biggest foundation of a strong financial
foundation. Try to learn how to create your first budget, how to effectively
use one, how determine your budget categories and more. Budgeting won’t
guarantee that your overspending attitude will stop but doing one
religiously will give you a benchmark to follow on your daily or monthly
expenses. Helpful posts: Frequently Asked Questions about Budgeting,
Anatomy of a Successful Budget, Budget Categories: A Basic Guide for Your
Next Spending Plan and How to Effectively Budget Your Money.
o Avoid Impulse Shopping
Be very intentional on how you spend your money. As much as possible
avoid impulse shopping. Plan ahead of time whenever you make big
purchases. Keep a grocery list with you don’t buy unnecessary ingredients or
products. Also try the very famous no-spend day or no-spend month
challenge which generally means you will ban yourself from shopping within
a specific time frame. Helpful posts: 7 Awesome Tips That Will Help You
Stop Wasting Your Money and 5 Steps to Become a Smart Shopper and
Deal with Your Shopaholic Syndrome
AVOID DEBT. Many SavingsPinay readers will share their debt struggle to me and look for
advice. I honestly don’t know what to say because I’ve never experienced being in debt. And
I also don’t plan to be in debt. Now in case you are reading this and you are in big financial
trouble or debt then the first thing you need to do is creating a debt-payment strategy. Try
to list down your debts and arrange them from smallest to highest. Also take note of the
interest earned for each debt. Now focus on paying the smallest debt first then work your
way to your highest debt. Every time you finish to pay a small debt take that money to pay
for your larger debt. You’ll be surprised how easy diminishing your debt can be. Of course
you need commitment in this.
SET GOALS AND PLAN YOUR NEXT ACTIONS. Another great tip I can share to you is setting
goals. I enjoy doing this on my wee hours because it gives me so much inspiration to work
harder. Think about your life and what you want your life to be in 3, 5 or 10 years from now.
Create a bucket list that includes travel plans, things you want to do before you die and
more. When you start planning and visualizing your ideal life you’ll be able to focus on
possible next actions that will help you get to where you wanted.
I do receive a number of questions about fixing their finances and I come up with possible step-by-
step procedure. Now if you really need a helping hand I suggest you contact a financial expert so you
have someone to talk personally regarding your money situation.
BECOME AWARE. It all starts with knowing and acknowledging your current status in life.
This will ultimately help you in creative your roadmap to success. Just like in any
mathematical problem you need to know the given before you can come up with the proper
solution. I suggest the following step-by- step guide on knowing your current status:
1. Take one day to undergo a personal financial check-up. This is a day dedicated for
you to examine you financial health (and wealth).
2. On your check-up determine you current net worth. Net-worth is equals to your
assets minus your liabilities. Read my post Why You Must Know Your FInancial Net
Worth Now! or request for the 2016 version of Financial Net Worth Template.
3. Once you have a clear knowledge on your financial net-worth you can now
determine which areas you need to undergo operation. Do you have enough
savings?! How about your credit card debts? Is it too much?! Do you own a thing
that you don’t use anymore but still has a competitive market value?! Knowing your
financial net worth will ultimately help you decide for yourself how to treat the root
cause of your problem.
MIND YOUR SPENDING. Becoming a wise spender is a must in order to fix your financial
situation. The art of financial planning is not only centered on creating a budget, building
your savings, growing your investments and planning for your retirement. Proper spending
should also be discussed.
o Spend with your means
Live a life focused in growing your money instead of wasting it. Mind how
much you earn and practice living within your means or less. Helpful post: 4
Useful Tips To Live Below Your Means by Kyle
o Follow a Budget
For me a budget is just one of the biggest foundation of a strong financial
foundation. Try to learn how to create your first budget, how to effectively
use one, how determine your budget categories and more. Budgeting won’t
guarantee that your overspending attitude will stop but doing one
religiously will give you a benchmark to follow on your daily or monthly
expenses. Helpful posts: Frequently Asked Questions about Budgeting,
Anatomy of a Successful Budget, Budget Categories: A Basic Guide for Your
Next Spending Plan and How to Effectively Budget Your Money.
o Avoid Impulse Shopping
Be very intentional on how you spend your money. As much as possible
avoid impulse shopping. Plan ahead of time whenever you make big
purchases. Keep a grocery list with you don’t buy unnecessary ingredients or
products. Also try the very famous no-spend day or no-spend month
challenge which generally means you will ban yourself from shopping within
a specific time frame. Helpful posts: 7 Awesome Tips That Will Help You
Stop Wasting Your Money and 5 Steps to Become a Smart Shopper and
Deal with Your Shopaholic Syndrome
AVOID DEBT. Many SavingsPinay readers will share their debt struggle to me and look for
advice. I honestly don’t know what to say because I’ve never experienced being in debt. And
I also don’t plan to be in debt. Now in case you are reading this and you are in big financial
trouble or debt then the first thing you need to do is creating a debt-payment strategy. Try
to list down your debts and arrange them from smallest to highest. Also take note of the
interest earned for each debt. Now focus on paying the smallest debt first then work your
way to your highest debt. Every time you finish to pay a small debt take that money to pay
for your larger debt. You’ll be surprised how easy diminishing your debt can be. Of course
you need commitment in this.
SET GOALS AND PLAN YOUR NEXT ACTIONS. Another great tip I can share to you is setting
goals. I enjoy doing this on my wee hours because it gives me so much inspiration to work
harder. Think about your life and what you want your life to be in 3, 5 or 10 years from now.
Create a bucket list that includes travel plans, things you want to do before you die and
more. When you start planning and visualizing your ideal life you’ll be able to focus on
possible next actions that will help you get to where you wanted.
Investing comes with inevitable risk factor. You need to be prepared financially and intellectually so
you’ll know where to really start investing. Identify what type of investor you are. Do you want to
invest on a short-term or long-term? Are you a risk-taker when it comes to investing? Are you willing
to wait 10 years before you withdraw you investments?
Now there are a lot of investment vehicles you can choose from and you need to research each for
you to know what will satisfy your need and want. I personally started with a Mutual Fund because I
have no prior knowledge about stock investing. I have shared my story here. You can also try UITF
which is similar to mutual funds but offered by well-known banks instead. Others also choose to
invest in the stock market directly.
Basta overall my number one suggestion is to only invest in something you know. Take time to study
the product and learn from testimonies of others. If you want to read more posts about investing
just click the link.