2009 in Review: The Best of Frugal Pinoy

First of all, I’d like to greet all Frugal Pinoy readers out there:

Happy New Year! Thank you for supporting and reading Frugal Pinoy. I hope that you continue to find this site useful in 2010. Most of all, may you have a healthy, happy, and productive year ahead of you!

Now before we leap into 2010, let’s take this opportunity to review Frugal Pinoy’s top 10 most informative articles for the year.

Does Frugal Pinoy apply to you?

At the start of 2009, I wanted readers to ask themselves if the articles I  post here are relevant to them. This was my response to some comments from both friends and strangers that the site was not applicable to them.

A Different Way of Looking at Income

Do you judge or measure your income per month? If so, you may not be earning as much as you think. This article explores the reasons why we should measure our income by the hour instead.

Money Myths: Frugality Means Sacrificing Fun

In this article, I attempt to debunk the myth that a frugal life is a hard and boring life.

6 Signs That You’re Living Beyond Your Means

Don’t know how much you’re spending each month? Feeling guilty about using that credit card? Watch out. You might be spending more than you earn.

My Investment Strategy

In this short post I talk about my decision-making process behind my investments. Hint: it has nothing to do with the hot stock tips.

Getting Out of Debt vs. Saving: Which Should You Prioritize?

When you’re trying to make ends meet as well as paying off debt, you might feel like you’re being spread too thinly. How do you choose between saving for emergencies and being debt-free?

When Listening to Experts Use Your Brain

Researchers found that when people are presented with an expert, they drop all attempts at decision-making – even if the expert is fake. Is it possible to make independent financial decisions despite all the “expert” advice we receive?

Money Myths: Can Money Buy Happiness?

Scientists learned that having enough money for necessities can buy a feeling of peace and security – but anything else beyond that is up to you.

The Hard Truth: 30 Money Questions You Should Ask Yourself

A no-BS list of questions to help you face the truth of your financial situation.

Free Download: Frugal Pinoy Budgeting Spreadsheet

I made a free downloadable budgeting spreadsheet for Frugal Pinoy readers. There’s a video tutorial to help guide you through it.

Also, let’s not forget that nearing the end of 2009, I launched the 25  Days to Healthier Finances series. In that series, I posted one article per day with an actionable task that readers (and I) can do to make our financial lives better.

That’s it from me for today. Again, I’d like to thank all the Frugal Pinoy readers (even the newcomers) for supporting and reading the blog this year.

All the best,

Celine

Image by puskar from sxc.hu

Coming up this Friday: 25 Days to Healthier Finances

Hello everyone! I’ve got some exciting news. I’ve been planning a new series of blog posts for quite some time now.

The series, called “25 Days to Healthier Finances” will start on November 20, Friday. For 25 straight days, I’ll be uploading a new blog post each day. Each post has one actionable item that you’re supposed to do by the end of that day. Some items will be difficult, while others will only take a few minutes. The difficult ones, I’ll usually assign during the weekend.

If you’re struggling financially or if you’re just getting started managing your finances, you shouldn’t miss this series. I recommend that you subscribe to receive email updates if you haven’t done so yet.

As usual, I welcome your feedback about the series once it gets started. Thanks!

UPDATE: Here’s the list of published articles from the series so far:

1. Define wealth and financial freedom.
2. Fine-tune your budget (or start one).
3. Learn all you can about one investment instrument.
4. Automate your savings.
5. Pick 2 no-spending days this month.
6. Identify employment benefits.
7. Commit to learn a new skill.
8. Sell something.
9. Level up your cooking skills.
10. Read one personal finance book.
11. Compute your net worth.
12. Evaluate your subscriptions.
13. Start collecting loose change.
14. Organize your financial paperwork.
15. Carry only one credit card in your wallet.
16. Make a debt repayment plan.
17. Know the things that you don’t care to spend on.
18. Pick a hobby you can monetize.
19. Quit an expensive habit.
20. Maximize customer loyalty programs.
21. Prepare for the holidays – for next year.
22. Discuss finances with a friend or relative.
23. Do a financial review of your year so far.
24. Write down your ideal income and expenses.
25. Make a financial plan for your future.

Image by malko from sxc.hu

Free Digital Downloads for FrugalPinoy.com Readers

Hello everyone!

I’d like to hear from YOU, the readers of this blog. I want to get your feedback and know what you think about the articles I post here. Because of this, I’ve decided to hold the Frugal Pinoy Survey.

This survey contains 7 simple questions about what you’d like to see here at Frugal Pinoy. In exchange of answering the survey, I’ll send you 3 personal finance books that will hopefully help you live a better financial life. So please put a valid email address in your entry, and I’ll send you the books in PDF format within 2 days.

Here are the titles of the books you’ll get:

• “Zen to Done” by Leo Babauta
• “Thriving on Less” by Leo Babauta
• “Investing Made Simple”

I’ll only be collecting responses until October 31, 2009.

If you’re interested in getting these free downloads, please click the link below:

Click here to take the survey now.

Thanks for participating!

Next Page »