what's up for us this 2008?

i forgot to mention in my last post that our new year getaway was also some sort of a planning session for us as a couple. it's because we we always believe in the saying that “the couple who plans together is the couple who stays happy together”. sensible enough, isn't it? and nothing will beat the 1st day of the year to share dreams together so there and then, amid the noise outside our room, jude and i  sat down and discussed our goals and plans for this year and made some reality checks along the process as we knew we are up against one important element… yeah, you guessed it right… money, budget, moolah.... sigh, if only money is the least of our concerns… =)

 

anyway, here’s a rundown of what you can expect from us this year:

 

-         transfer to our own house by first quarter. i’ve been looking forward for this since late last year but because of some delays, the construction of the house just started recently. it’s a simple bungalow i tell you but knowing that it’s already under our name (we will be paying off a housing loan though for ten years) is enough for us to be proud of, don’t you think?

 

-         start our own business. this also a long overdue project but we are positive that this will start very soon.

 

-         travel some more. more than what we did last year if possible. jude and i are eyeing camiguin as our next anniversary getaway this coming october. a trip to sagada this summer is also a nice idea as jude hasn’t been there (while i’ve been there twice). i was also considering to pursue my long-time dream to fly to batanes but after watching the movie “batanes” i eventually changed my mind as i find the place too rustic, which means we can’t bring iñigo with us and that’s definitely a no-no. jude also told me that he plans to go to bicol by may so it’s also in the bag now.

 

and if budget permits, i might see petronas again for a kl trip and proceed to singapore afterwards. =d

 

  -  go back to our roots and try climbing again! i’m still unsure though if i can do this   because: 1. i need to leave iñigo behind for one night; and 2. ehem… kaya ko pa ba? hehe. but jude is adamant that he will have at least one climb this year. let’s see…

 

-         conceive baby number two. should i divulge more? =D

 

there are some little plans we also made for our ourselves, for iñigo, and for the house which are:

 

-         learn photoshop and baking for me

-         learn other skill for jude

-         gardening for the front yard

-         enroll iñigo in a toddler school

-         print all the pictures we’ve had all these years

-         join more marathons and runs for jude

-         fix a personal time for each of us every month. jude can go out on this week while i can go out week after that.

-         fix a date every month. and the other week is for both of us.

-         involve ourselves in a cause-oriented group like gawad kalinga or the likes

 

and of course, the new year celebration won’t be complete without making any so we also joined the bandwagon and we too made some promises and commitments for this year. may heaven help us with these… =D

 

-         save, save, and save some more! there are tons of things we need and want to save for, which includes my lasik treatment, so we may be mr and mrs scrooge this year. the amortization for the housing loan would also start early this year so there’s also a lot of scrimping we need to do. i told you… money is never the least in our concerns. hehe. here's some measures we thought in order for us to save:

 

o       schedule our trips wisely. if possible, cut the trips we make going to metro manila and learn to say no to some invitations. prices of gas and toll are getting more expensive and we spend at least php 500 everytime we go somewhere in metro manila.

o       cut some household expenses like groceries and electricity. i know there’s something we can still forego.

o       cut further the eat-outs and food binges... we need to go on diet anyway

o       cut further the shopping and buying splurges. okay, this is for me. hehe.

 

- get rid of those excess fats and stay healthy. jog, bike and go to the gym for jude (their office has opened its own just last month so he has no reason not to…) while i can only join him for a jog. also, eat right which is really hard i tell you.

-         sleep early.

-         go to mass on time. yeah… we’re guilty of this. =(

 

jude has to add one more but i prefer not to share it with you.

 

so there you go for the things we look forward to this year. reading them makes me look more excited and yet intimated especially on the financial part but i know we can make it.

 

wish us luck! =)