Day#20: Maximize customer loyalty programs.

Posted by on Dec 9, 2009 in 25 Days to Healthier Finances, Consumer habits | 0 comments

This is Day #20 of “25 Days to Healthier Finances”, a series of blog posts where Frugal Pinoy readers and myself work on 1 task a day to make our financial lives better. Please stay tuned for the next installment of this series, which will be up tomorrow. Here’s today’s installment:

Today’s Task: Maximize customer loyalty programs.

If you frequent particular malls, grocery stores, and other establishments, chances are you have some kind of customer loyalty card (or were at least offered one). Some examples of these programs include the Laking National Card, Mercury Drug’s Suki Card, and the SM Advantage Card. If you already have a customer loyalty card or plan on signing up for one, it helps to learn about the following things:

  • Any partner establishments which will allow you to earn and redeem points,
  • Expiration dates for membership and unredeemed points,
  • Discounts and freebies you get with your loyalty card, and
  • The availability of any additional opt-in services. (For example, the SM Advantage card allows you to opt-in for life insurance with 20 of your points.)

Many customer loyalty programs have their own web site, so a simple Google search can pull up the information you need. If this isn’t the case, the next time you’re visiting the establishment, request a brochure or flyer that can give you more info.

Of course, doing this only makes sense if you frequently go to that establishment and its affiliates. Otherwise, it’s going to be a waste of time. For example, it makes sense for me to get an SM Advantage card because I frequently go to SaveMore grocery, Makro, and Ace Hardware. If I only visit these establishments once or twice a year, it’s not worth the hassle.

Are you a member of any customer loyalty programs? How do you take advantage of it?

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Day#19: Quit an expensive habit.

Posted by on Dec 8, 2009 in 25 Days to Healthier Finances, Frugal Tips | 0 comments

This is Day #19 of “25 Days to Healthier Finances”, a series of blog posts where Frugal Pinoy readers and myself work on 1 task a day to make our financial lives better. Please stay tuned for the next installment of this series, which will be up tomorrow. Here’s today’s installment:

Today’s Task: Quit an expensive habit.

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We all have habits. Some of them are healthy while others can be destructive if we do them mindlessly. The truth is that some habits have negative consequences on our finances. While we can live with most of these consequences, there are some cases where we can’t afford them. Here are some examples:

  • That (almost) daily morning coffee.
  • Smoking.
  • Going shopping as therapy.
  • Sending forwarded text messages to your entire contact list multiple times a day.
  • Dining out with family or friends during payday.
  • Buying lunch from fast food chains rather than bringing your own lunch.

But how do you quit a habit? The first thing you should try is to figure out how much it’s costing you. How much do you spend on that habit per week? Per month? Per year?

After doing the math, find out if your income allows for this kind of expense. For example, when I was still a student, I noticed that I bought bottled water and other drinks each day during lunch. This cost me P30 per day, and since I was usually at school 6 times a week, this seemingly minor daily expense cost me at least P700/month. At that time I was probably earning only P9,000/month since I was just starting out as a freelance writer. I was also the breadwinner, which meant that the P700/month was more than I could afford for something as simple as water. Realizing this, I just brought my own bottle to school every day and refilled it at the water fountain.

If your expensive habit is something you can’t give up completely, then consider simply cutting back. Instead of the daily cup of coffee, why not reduce it to three times a week? Even this simple change can give you a lot of “extra” money which you can funnel into your savings, emergency fund, or an item that matters more to you.

What expensive habits do you have? Can you afford to have them?

Image by vivekchugh from sxc.hu

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