Hi,
sorry guys kung tabian kaayo ko recently, there are a lot of unsaid things. but today, i love to share this with you one of the best things in life na na-realize nako when covid began: home cooked foods. yes guys, that's right better than jollibee, restaurants. sa among balay wala man jud kaayo mi naga luto og mga extravagant filipino foods like caldereta, afritada, ginataang gulay, sinigang na baboy or fish, foods na makita lang nimo sa mga filipino restaurants. because of work and hectic schedules, no one would really do efforts to rediscover this beautiful foods. og kung huna hunaon nimo, it's so pricey for me to spend almost 1,000+ pesos for the ingredients alone, gasolina, time pa nimo muadto og mall. sa balay it's always the mainstream easy cooked foods. mao before covid time i was so in to food panda deliveries i was so amaze nga whatever i want nga pagkaon nga naa sa akong huna-huna pwede na nako mapalit, like kung gusto kog tortang talo makapalit ko, hangtod niabot ang pandemic didto na ko nakaila ang Grab Foods coz compare sa food panda mas syncronize ang deliveries and maka communicate pa ka sa driver--i can make alterations. maskin naa ko sa office or sa balay, i can eat whatever i want to eat.
sorry guys mejo off topic na ba ko? pero mao jud ni ang sugod sa story. please bare with the writer :)
so, year 2020 to mid year 2021 grabe akong gasto. i am not millionaire or a person nga "extravagant" job. i was just a common and ordinary person, nga wala lang jud koy ginagastusan sa akong life coz i was living under my parent's roof.there was a time that i am spending TOO MUCH of money just for the foods, and mura bag kato na time akong tan aw sa amount sa delivery fees kay piso ra. I wasn't thinking "straight". i was spending too much coz i don't like to be in isolation with foods. if i like food, 95% of me wants to share food with people na gusto nako ma experience nila akong joy, na maskin naa ra ko sa balay i can eat the food na gusto nako.meaning akong gina order na food is more likely good for 3 or more persons depending kung kinsa akong kauban ana. wala ko nag huna-huna na i am wasting money, wala gani koy tarong nga savings na ana na time. hunaa gud, pandemic + kaon = hagba jud ka financially. i even linked my credit card to my grab app kay para maskin wala koy kwarta i can still buy, pay, and enjoy. back then, the only realization i had was " life is temporary" why not eat want you want haha
until finally, by God's grace, nakamata ko sa akong "not okay" lifestyle. na realize nako na i was so addicted with buying foods online. i realize wala na ko naka save og money. dili ko shopper guys pero mura kog every day shopping sa pagkaon. kung mangutana mo, nanaba ba ko? yep, i gain weight usahay i lose the weight, average lng jud akong timbang, the foods na akong wala na ginakaon is home foods. that time, if dili na ko feel mukaon sa food sa balay, i will buy another food. ang importante guys nakamata nako sa realiad nuh.
wala na ko gipakuyawan akong self sa pag stop. first i gather the facts and kung unsa akong current financial situation. i put goals na mag ipon balik, to pay first my investments. and gi kwenta na ko na tanan. that was way better than spending all the money on foods na dili man nako need. Â ang first nako gibuhat, tanan na akong balance sa credit card gibayaran nako tong Dec 2021. nag decided ko na dili ko magpalit og any new clothes or something new sa christmas. i paid them all maskin advance na ako status, wala pay due pero gibayaran nako. so all my allowance, salary, 13th month... TANAN... gibayad nako sa credit card. because niabot na ang amount og ing-ana. walang wala jud ko sa dec 2021 guys. halos tanan trabahante nag celebrate sa 13th month buy spending something, but i rather pay my debts first so that i can start a new goal sa 2022. ako man gung gina huna-huna na, unsaon man nako pag ipon kung naa koy ginabayaran nga utang pa sa credit card? so need nako e back to zero tanan. Â i wanted to start year 2022 with a different perspective.
so balik sa akong una na statement, one of the best things in life is home cooked foods. mao na akong gina search guys. how can i achieve cheap home cooked foods without spending too much money. then na isip na ko, daghan man diay og calenderia/eatery sa gawas sa office why not buy foods didto, actually gapalit man jud kog pagkaon sa calenderia pero naka stop ko kay kapoyan kog baktas kanang init ang adlaw, manimaho pa jud tag bata na nagdula dula sa adlaw. wala sad kaayo ko nagabaon kay unsa man say ma prepare sa morning na bag o pang mata ang mga tao. og kung magbaon sad ko, bugnaw na sad ang food. dili jud nako na bet, bahalag itlog akong sud an basta init ang rice og ang egg. so nangita kog eatery na worth it ang pagkaon. previously tong mga eatery na ako nakaonan diri banda sa office, di jud nako bet, mao sad ma discourage ko, walay something new pud na mga putahe. hangtod naka discover ko og eatery na lahi lahi ilang putahe sa MWF and TThS, ganahan kaayo ko kay lami jud silag foods. ang challenge lang kay layo gamay sa amo office need nako mubaktas back and forth og approx. 15 mins, usahay ulan pa jud, ushay pud perting inita. pero didto gihapon ko naga order og food then sa office ra ko mukaon. then kadugayan, na realize nako naay kulang. ang kulang kay ang temperature sa food. i don't like eating food na bugnaw na. most sa mga calenderia diri, dili naman jud tantong init. warm-warm nalang sia tungod kay taod-taod napud sia giluto. good thing lang jud pud kay fresh pa jud ang foods og init ang rice. pero still dili pa sia the best para sa ako. and then kadugayan nangita kog bag-ong calenderia, because as time goes by natingala ko ilang food baho man og cockroach, it really pissed me off. super. mao nibalik kog food deliveries napud, for the meantime. hangtod naka discover kog bag ong calenderia dapit ra kaayo sa among office, bag o ra sila nag open, ganahan ko sa ilang foods, something new pud, naa sad akong favorite na vegie dish. so nag stick ko didto. since 11am ko nagapalit og sud an (kay kung 12 pa ka mupalit wala nay mga sud-an, sold out dayun), og ang lunch time kay 12pm, bugnaw jud ang foods. so nangita kog way para ma init, hangtod naka agi kog item sa shoppee nga food steamer, baonan type iyang size tama lang jud sa foods na ako gina order. nasulbad ang tanan. so every time mag order ko sa 11am, ako initun balik quarter to 12, and pakals na dayun. lami kaayo ang feeling guys. kanang init imong ginakaon. worth it.
that's it. until now i am satisfied. i can eat the foods na gusto nako kaonan, init ang food pag kaonon na ko, and affordable price pa. i was spending less than 1/4 amount sa akong daily spending sa una. makaingon ko na, i was proud of how things turned out.
narealize na ko na not all expensive things are the best things in life. rather, it's about meeting daily needs in a rational way. i am not saying na wala na jud ko naga order online, naga order nalang ko kung naay mga celebrations or mga ana, at least not to the extent na dili na ko maka save. not everything that makes us happy is worth it. some times the best things in life are hidden, it needed effort or sacrifice para makita nato na mao diay toh. the food is not big deal for me, my financial status is. but foods are beautiful too, what is life without beautiful food? right?
am i sharing too much? gusto pa jud ko mag share pero my eyes are killing me. needed to rest.
sorry hehe and thank you for making my piece exist.
love,
A
