I've lived my whole life in the South and it's been quite difficult to find a nice place to dine at around my neighborhood until recently. Before i've always needed to brave the heavy traffic of Alabang-Zapote Road just to get to a decent restaurant for those weekend lunches with the family. I'm really thankful for local small businesses that truly value quality.

To make things very clear, i'm not a morning person. But i do love breakfast - when i do get the chance to partake. So weekends for me are quite special. 5 days a week my mornings are on autopilot and pretty much a blur. I shower, get ready for work, grab coffee and sprint out the door. Notice i didn't mention anything about breakfast. With Manila traffic getting worse and worse, my time (i'd suspect everyone else's) for breakfast has been allocated to sleep and commute. So it's not a surprise that i like slowing down on weekends. I wake up the same time (on most days 😅) and get into the routine of lovingly preparing breakfast and then taking my time to eat and just read (or if we're being real here - watching shows on Netflix 😝). But after hearing about the new breakfast menu at Kat's Café, i was determined to get up early (as early as i could) and go for a jog with the intent to devour an awesome breakfast right after.  😂😂😂

I'm thankful i did and even more so to Kat's Cafe for not ruining my morning. I love food... and getting bad coffee and/or food in the morning just simply gets me in a bad mood. Take that one morning at Starbucks (on the few occasions that i forget to bring coffee from the house) where the barista put too much milk in my cappuccino. I mean if i wanted a latte i would've ordered a latte! And i have a tendency to take a sip when i've already walked a block away from the shop. Much too late to go back, complain and get a fresh cup. Like i said, i'm on autopilot in the morning. Sorry got sidetracked there. I think i've pretty much emphasized how what i do/eat in the morning is very important to me. More so my weekend mornings. 

I ordered a few things (too much actually) so i can gauge whether i've found a new breakfast place near my place.

I started off with hazelnut cappuccino

Merry Berry Pancakes - 2 pcs of fluffy pancakes, a generous helping of mixed berries compote, whipped butter and maple syrup.

You would think it'd be too sweet but it's actually just right! They're generous with the serving and at Php180 per plate it was a steal. I'd recommend sharing this with someone.

And topped it off with a nice, huge beauty fruit bowl good for sharing. It has a yakult base (i reckon mixed with plain yogurt) with lots of fresh papaya, kiwi, mangoes, and strawberries. And for some crunch they added some chia seeds, walnuts, sunflower seeds and flax seeds - if i'm not mistaken. There was no description so i'm going with whatever it is i could identify. At Php220, it was well worth it.

Overall, i thought the owners put value in the quality of the food and was priced just right. They're still on a soft run for the breakfast menu and it's only served on weekends but i could say they're off to a good start. I think my only complaint on my entire dining experience would be is they made my coffee too sweet and when i complained about it, there was no initiative on their part to replace my coffee. Not that i was expecting it or requested for it but the gesture would've been much appreciated and would've made up for the faux pas. If i were asked on what else they could improve on, i'd have to say they add more protein on this menu - i love smoked salmon and a nice omelette wouldn't hurt 🙌

As much as i would like (not) to pretend i love Valentines Day, I actually don't. Not that I'm bitter or anything... i just don't care much for it. Although, i do like to do something special for/with the people i deeply care for.

Anyway, enough chitchat! Let's get to it.

What you'll need:

I've never been the best in managing finances. In fact, i have been in debt. I still am (just a smidge) embarrassingly enough. The Filipino in me makes use of Bahala na  tactics that time and again have proven to be a strategy exclusively for the brave idiot. Yes, i'm not going to lie. Rewarding myself with nice vacays by the beach for a non-existent accomplishment made for great memories and credit card bills that will make any banking institution a happy kid.

But one thing i am proud of is how i managed to knock some sense into myself and sat in front of the computer to face the music. I will be forever a work in progress (aren't we all?) but here's to all of you who have not a clue on where all that hard-earned money is going paycheck after paycheck and seem to not earn enough at all. I give you - Budgeting 101 for the Financially Impaired.

1. Know how much you earn.

It could not be more simple. Write it down. If you're a freelancer and have multiple projects and/or do not have a fixed income, an estimation would do. DON'T JUST WRITE DOWN THE TOTAL. Have a breakdown of how much is coming from where and THEN SUM IT UP. This way you can easily identify how much you will earn if you're done with a project.

2. Identify your EXPENSES

This should be easy enough. Ask yourself this, "What are the things you commonly spend your money on?" I find it helpful to categorize everything. Try to do that with the help of the samples below. Once you've organized it the way you want to, map out how much you spend on each. It's always easier to start with the fixed expenses like rent, loans, etc. The more detailed you are, the easier it is for you to identify where you're spending more on and adjust your budget accordingly. 

Home 

This includes: Utility bills - electricity, phone, internet, cable, gas, rent/mortgage. Furnishing/Appliances, and Maintenance/Improvements.

Transportation

This includes: Car payments (loan), Car Insurance, Fuel, Toll (if applicable), Maintenance/Repairs, Registration/License, and Fuel.

Food

This includes: Grocery, Dine Out, Snacks, Drinks

Beauty
This includes: Clothing, Makeup, Salon/Spa Treatments & Services, Manicure/Pedicure

Entertainment

This includes: Movies, Concerts/Plays, Sports, Outdoor Recreation

Health

This includes: Health insurance, Gym membership, Doctor/Dentist Visits, Medicine/Prescription, and Life insurance

Vacation/Holiday

This includes: Transportation, Accommodation, Souvenir, and Visas/Document fees

3. Plot and Plan

Now that you're armed with how much you earn and spend, you're ready to meet ZBB. ZBB or Zero-based Budgeting is a budgeting method in which all expenses must be justified and starts from a "zero-base". Needs and costs of an organization are analyzed for which then becomes the basis in building a budget for the upcoming period - the very reason why Step 2 is important. More about this method here. 

Because of its detail-oriented nature, i find it a breeze to use as a personal way to budget money. Say you get your paycheck on a bi-monthly basis, you can set your budget period in the same way. This way, you see exactly how much money you are making and spending each period. This also allows you to be more conscious of how much money you CAN and CANNOT spend. You want to only spend what you have and nothing more. If you want to be able to save, then you spend less than what you actually earn. 

If we're all clear on this strategy, next step is to plot and monitor your financial performance. May it be a mobile app or a tedious Microsoft Excel Workbook, get into the habit of accounting for the coming and goings of every centavo you have/earn. It sounds a lot of work but if you find the right tool you'll be able to get into the habit and recording ALL of your transactions will become second nature. 

There you have it! Easy enough right? This is a start. Remember, the whole point is for you to be aware that you do need a budget. This exercise makes everything real for you. If you see how much your actual earnings are versus actual expenses you'll realize its importance. 

P.S. I've started using a custom template for 2017 which i'll share once i prove to myself its efficiency.

Hugs & Besos

-AV

You've set your stage, what's next? The fun part! Bring in the props and make use of what you already have. In this case, i found some crystal candelabras and a tea light holder lying about which worked perfectly well together. Now i know not everyone have these things lying about so what can you use instead? Glasses in interesting shapes work or even teacups could also be an interesting design element. Be creative! I spend quite a lot of time on Pinterest and it's a great channel to get inspiration. If you aren't already using it, give it a try. I'm sure you'll find some interesting ways to put together a lovely centerpiece using everyday items in your home.

Lastly, top it off with some fresh picks - how about some flowers in your yard! We don't have any fancy flowers growing in the garden but luckily we have some simple but beautiful ones perfect for an effortless looking tablescape. 

I hope you like my first ever post on the style section. More to come i promise!

Hugs & Besos

-AV

Almost every girl complains about not having enough clothes to wear when in fact, a ton of clothes is just sitting in your closet some even have tags and are unworn - guilty of this i must admit. At some point my mornings became quite stressful simply because i had no idea what to wear. Or i would have to plan my outfit the night before just so i won't have to deal with it in the morning. Even then it could take more time. And so i sought out a solution and found myself on the Capsule Wardrobe bandwagon.

I read about it on Un-Fancy. And i was just amazed on how simple yet efficient the system is. So what is a Capsule Wardrobe exactly? It's basically a mini wardrobe made up of seasonally appropriate, versatile clothes that you love to wear. If you want to read more about it, click here.

So i took that to heart, did a little bit of digging and narrowed in on what my style is about and the result is life-changing! I not only relieved myself of stressful mornings but have curbed impulsive shopping! So what did i do exactly? Let me show you.

1. I found my style

I went on a Pinterest rampage and created a mood board for my wardrobe. This allowed me to:

These 2 realizations allowed me to be armed in shopping malls and be able to decide swiftly if i should buy a piece of clothing/accessory or not!

2. I reorganized my closet

Armed with my mood board and list of things to buy, i identified which existing items in my closet matched the ones on the board and categorized it by Weekday or Weekend clothes. While doing my research on the subject i came across an article wherein one woman decided to where the same thing to work - just like a uniform, which i thought was just G E N I U S.  Read more about it here. 

Weekday

So on weekdays, i followed this uniform principle to a degree. Instead of wearing exactly the same thing, i chose 6 key fool-proof items in my closet as my uniform. Why 6? In case a laundry mishap happens, i have something to wear Monday! So on a workday, i know exactly which items in my closet to grab and guarantees that i am dressed well enough to go into an impromptu meeting with a client. Makes sense so far? Please leave a comment below if this doesn't. :)

Weekend

My weekend wardrobe is basically a more relaxed version of my weekday one. Some pieces in this category can actually still work with my weekday wardrobe with the right layer and accessories. Talk about versatility!

And that is it. Two easy steps to save you 30 minutes a day in your life!
Are you willing to give this a try? If you are, let me know!

Hugs & Besos