The Budget Challenge | How Food Influenced My First Budgetting Last 2015

Days ago I consulted @smaeunabs regarding the #thebudgetchallenge contest she is hosting, my query was about those budgetting experience wherein is it for present or in the past. Thankfully, she said it is okay for previous budgetting experience. So today, I’m gonna share my budgetting experience last 2015.

Last 2015 especially during the first semester of academic year 2015 - 2016, I was a student back then and it happens to be the peak of my curiousity especially on the food and health industry wherein it took me almost a year of research, reading and testings (yeah, in the sense that I would try the foods that they say are beneficial to yog, I’ve tried the worst and the best and because of the I did know the dark sides of medical and food industries; my family especially my mother is worried on me at that time, because I tried lots of ways of eating or diet to be short, I just told them to trust and just don’t hinder me, I know what I am doing despite losing lots of weights at that time. And to make the story short I was successful, thanks to our Almighty Father for helping me in that very momentous event in my life.)

So talking about the budgetting I had done back in my college days, my mother and uncle agreed to gave me a daily allowance of 150 pesos (3 bucks) which is good for my food, fare, school stuffs and etc. When I started to become particular of the food that I eat and being a label nazi (thanks to my lots of reading of articles relating to food) I have discovered that the foods that are raised and grown organically especially red meat and crops are TOO SCARCE and TOO EXPENSIVE, during that time the organic food awareness is at its early stages here in Cebu whereas in the Imperial Manila, there is an increasing awareness with regards to organic food especially in the city of Makati wherein they had Salcedo Market and Legazpi Village Weekend Markets. Thankfully I discovered Cebu Farmer’s Market which at that time is only doing Saturday business at Handuraw Cafe in Gorordo Avenue. The farmer’s market are the organization of farmers that are growing their crops and produce traditionally, at first I was hesistant but upon lots of questions I had raised from each vendors/farmers I was convinced and decided to follow and started saving to buy organic eggs and some crops like spinach and bitter gourd. At that time, I have read about the Ketogenic Diet, wherein it as diet of Low Carbohydrates, High Fat and moderate in protein otherwise known as LCHF to its followers. That time I discovered the butter from cows and fats from animals are beneficial to our body since they all have saturated fat. But that factor is beneficial if those animals are grown traditionally not conventionally. So I have read that butter from Anchor would be a viable option from lots of positive reviews that I have read. At that time also when I have further research on Saturated Fats I was so happy to know that Extra Virgin Coconut Oil are a very good source of Saturated Fats and since our country is a tropical nation lots of coconuts can be found in here and before I’ve known Peter Paul’s Extra Virgin Coconut Oil, I had to resort on making my own virgin coconut oil which I had achieved 3 times all of which done without the aid of heat, since if we apply heat the aroma of the virgin coconut oil disappears. So at that time I am very eager to spend some bucks just to have these three foods that are the basic of Ketogenic Diet which are as follows: Organic Eggs, Butter and Extra Virgin Coconut Oil.

So here are the prices of each product.

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The organic eggs previously cost around 14pesos per egg and its a hefty price for me. After lots of surfing in the internet, I found out their supplier which is the Kabilin Nature Farms (their farm is in Balamban, Cebu; see photo below) wherein its store in the city is just meters away from Handuraw Cafe and because of that I was able to convince the supplier that I am a student and if they can allow me to buy the eggs at 9 pesos each, meaning 270 pesos per tray of eggs. Every week at that time I buy 1 tray of eggs.

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Next, is the Unsalted Anchor Butter at 227g costs roughly 105 pesos (around 2 bucks) and there was a time wherein the price went down to 99 pesos (roughly 2 bucks). As for this product, I buy either 1 or 2 pieces since I need to alternate the two items: extra virgin coconut oil and the butter.

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Lastly, the price of Peter Paul’s Extra Virgin Coconut Oil for 250mL is 169.50 pesos (3 bucks). As for this product I buy either 1 or 2 since I need to do this alternately for the following products: extra virgin coconut oil and the butter.

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So how did I managed to buy those three items on a weekly basis?

As for me, I need to do a drastic change in my spending of my daily allowance, since most of my money at that time goes to lots of buying sprees of apples and sometimes everyday buying spree of flowers for my ex-girlfriend at that time. I decided to make my expenses solely on my fare from going to school and going home from school. At that time, the fare for students is 8 pesos from Cabancalan I Elementary School to Savemore Maguikay (colloquially known to Mandauehanons as Hiway) and 7 pesos from Hiway to UCLM. So basically 15 pesos going to school and going home is 15 pesos also, so that makes up 30 pesos. Since I am having a daily allowance of 150, and I am having a Saturday class at that time which is the Power Plant Engineering, a major subject for Mechanical Engineering students. So I will be having 720 pesos of weekly savings.

So here are the calculations in greater detail:

Daily Savings = Daily Allowance - Daily Fare
Daily Savings = 150 - 30
Daily Savings = 120    
Weekly Savings = 120 * 6 = 720 pesos (6 days since I am only having 6 days of classes)

Expenses:

Product	Cost (Pesos)	Number of Pieces
Organic Eggs	270	1
Extra Virgin Coconut Oil 250mL	169.50	1 or 2
Anchor Unsalted Butter 227g	105	1 or 2

Total Cost if 2 Anchor Unsalted Butter Bought = 649.50 Pesos
Total Cost if 2 250mL Extra Virgin Coconut Oil Bought = 714 Pesos
Remaining Money: Bought either crops or sweet potato.

Either way around, I managed to have the diet run for almost 6 months wherein only two weeks of December was the one I missed.

Right now, I am now working as a Junior Engineer / Mechanical Design Engineer I’m trying to make another stint for this WOE (Way of Eating) it is very hard this time around, hopefully I can manage finding solutions and ways for me to get in that type of diet. Maybe, I’ll start with a 100 pesos daily budget since I have a meal allowance from the company which is worth 30 pesos, so all in all around 130 pesos everyday, wish me luck for success and I’m gonna bring it on!

I guess that would be all. Special thanks to @smaeunabs for hosting this #thebudgetchallenge.

Thank you for spending your precious time reading this somewhat complicated article because it is just the tip of the iceberg of what I did last 2015 which I considered to be lifechanging, successful and something that I can apply in the foreseeable future or even today if I apply it but I need to have my bullets all lock and loaded before Imma fire the gun.

Much love and respect.

Ace | @josephace135