Christmas 2011: In Photos
Here’s a quick re-cap of our Christmas in pictures. I never regret nagging the husband when it comes to taking photos. No matter how busy or stressed we are, having our pictures taken is a high priority. 
They always come out nice. Which makes you forget all the small holiday-related issues and just focus on the big picture. Pun intended.
The family
My girls
The boys. 
Megster and the Husband.
My little model. She wasn’t smiling because she said models are supposed to be serious.
Now that’s the Sandy that we know.
Finally, a decent shot of Meg.
Sandy watching her video message from Santa. Priceless. You can watch it here too.
From Santa
Chirpy, her favorite toy as of today.
DIY Furniture
If only I’m a domestic goddess like other people I know, I’d be all over projects like using upholstery fabric to dress up an old chair. Or painting furniture like the photos below.
Amazing how much you can save if you have the time and inspiration to create things like these. I’m all for creativity myself – it’s what I do for a living after all, but at the end of the day, I’d rather buy these pieces in a shop at a reasonable price.
Buying Special Gifts on a Budget
If you are on the hunt for a piece of jewelry or another special gift for a loved one, bad credit can prevent you from getting store financing. Quality jewelry can be expensive and jewelry stores in particular are wary of bad credit, so how can you afford an engagement ring without spending your life’s savings?
Don’t give up hope yet, you can find another way. Selling stuff from around your house, finding a part time job online or getting an installment loan can help you get that special gift sooner, even without good credit.
Selling Stuff Around the House
Going through your stuff (DVDs, video games, books and such), you’ll be surprised how many things you can sell. Selling your extra stuff on eBay, Amazon and other online market places is fairly simple. Try to at least match the lowest price (as long as it’s reasonable) and you won’t have trouble selling.
Selling items from around the house usually isn’t enough to fund an engagement ring by itself, but it will be a big step towards it. If you happen to have big things around your house like an extra TV or barbecue, it can add up quickly.
Making Online Jobs
Blogging, making funny videos or opening a hobby website with ads can also help you save for a special purchase, but like any job, it takes awhile to start getting paid. If you have time to save up, making an online small business or finding a part-time job online is a great option. Here are a few job ideas:
- Professional blogger. Talk about something you love and link related advertisements to it.
- Video blogging (vlogging) is also becoming popular. People who prefer to talk instead of write about their favorite topics tend to do videos with advertisements.
- Make a hobby website. Websites educating others about a hobby are always fun and can easily turn a profit if well maintained.
- Make something and sell it. When someone is hunting for a cat-shaped bottle opener or something unique that you can make—they will buy it from you.
Installment Loans
As mentioned above, sometimes you don’t have the time to spend making money — you need it now! If the store won’t give you a finance plan, check for installment loans online. Many online loan companies offer loans despite low credit scores and have excellent rates comparable to regular store financing.
Another benefit to getting an installment loan online is that you’ll know if you’re approved instantly. Then you can start planning for that special day sooner rather than later.
Have more budgeting ideas? Share your idea below in the comments!
And the Oscar Should’ve Gone To … (A Movie Themed Christmas Party)
I’m still high from our Christmas party last Saturday night! I see most of these guys monthly but not so much the others who live in the province. To say that it was a great night will be an understatement. We decided to have movies as our theme which was a good call since everyone got so excited to come as their favorite characters.
It was the first time that we got to use our mobile studio outside the house too. I just had to push for that since everyone took extra effort in dressing up. Of that, you will soon see on the photos below.
My friends are just too competitive words! They were all holding out on us – secretive on what they are doing, who they were going as, etc. The party turned out really great which is always the case when you are surrounded with good friends.
US: Cher of Clueless, Elwood of Blues Brothers, Danny Zuko of Grease, Holly of Breakfast at Tiffany’s
Moi as Holly
Elwood – Blues Brothers
With Bart
Mi bebes
Cher – Clueless
Big and Small Mafia
Super Family
The Simpsons
GI Joes
Gawd, I forgot her character!
Star Wars and Chicago
Incredibles
These guys are just great. It was indeed, a Merry Christmas to all.
How to Pay Back Your Pay Day Loan by Selling Non-Essential Household Items
Pay day loans are typically resorted to during emergencies when individuals and families feel they are on the verge of being kicked out their rental home, or their electricity is cut off in freezing winter. Other causes behind the urgent need for a pay day loan is a severe vehicle accident or a medical emergency involving adults and especially children, but no cash or savings in the bank.
Adults who need such urgent loans typically do not have credit cards because their credit score is very poor and no bank or Credit Card Company is prepared to extend them credit. Under such circumstances, the loan that you seek and finally get from payday advance lenders carries a very high interest rate and the payments must be made typically within 14 days, 30 days or 45 days, whichever time period is applicable.
Mom, A.K.A “Bonus Hunter”
When trying to raise a family, especially a fairly large family, any little discount helps. As parents, we clip coupons, shop on the clearance rack, and generally keep an eye open for opportunities to save money, all so that we can give our children the best possible childhood. Perhaps that’s why, when I read a recent article Online about “bonus hunters” (people who hunt down the best online casino bonuses to make extra money), I felt the light of a kindred spirit spring into being. Therefore, I decided to investigate these bonus hunters, and online casino bonuses, a little more thoroughly.
The Prey:
After a quick Google search, it rapidly became apparent that there are several Websites devoted to helping people find the latest casino bonuses. 
It also became obvious that there are several different types of bonuses and that not all of them were created equally. Some bonuses gave “credits” for playing specific games, which could be turned in for cash. However, the conversion rate was not very high (100 credits for $1 is not unusual) and you only got 1-3 credits per hand so that it seemed impossible that self-respecting bonus hunters should pursue this type of bonus. After all, although a 1-3% discount for playing their game is a nice gesture, you still probably won’t actually make money from it.
Date with my Girls
It’s been a while since I posted some photos of myself and my friends here. With so many parties + get-together that we’ve attended and will be attending, it’s just so hard to keep track of photos and stories. But this one trumps all the recent events since another friend of mine is leaving the country to pursue greener pastures. From 6 ladies, we are now down to three. I miss the first two (Lhen and Novie) who has been gone for years and will surely miss Kath, the latest to leave. Although we always keep in touch via FB/email/twitter/text/phone, there’s still no substitute to hanging out with them in person.
Anyway, just want to say Merry Christmas to all my girlfriends and thanks for everything!
Improve Education Through Innovation
With our generation today, almost everything is expected to be advanced, electronic, automatic or machine operated. With the vast evolution of technology, most people are looking forward for instant solutions and faster applications that will help make a certain job easier and simpler. Even kids nowadays are used to gadgets like the most popular PSP, Nintendo DS, Wii, Xbox and other entertainment devices and that’s why as they grow up, technologies are expected to be more innovative.
But with our various technological innovations today, we can say that the most powerful and most useful is the Internet. This has been the most common technology used all over the globe because it really has a lot of benefits from entertainment, communication and even with education.
Furthermore, there is a new method developed today that uses Internet as the main tool in developing the standard of education. It gives focus on the learning management system and it is very beneficial especially to those who are very eager to study but can’t literally go to school because of schedule conflicts or they don’t have enough time or probably they are physically impaired or disabled that they can’t manage to travel. But with the help of cyberspace, people can now enroll and choose the best course that fits their interest and capabilities.
Learning management system is a web-based program that focuses on the developments and effectiveness of any organization whether it’s an IT company, banking and finance and even media corporation and of course education. Usually, businesses or companies that hosted lsm receive a lot of benefits for the training department when it comes to managing and leading the entire team. This helps them in the delivery and development of appropriate training and leadership in many ways possible. Read more
Rockstar Girls
I’m an expert on skipping events to blog. And this post is another evidence of that. However, I just love this photo so much that I just have to share it with you!
See these girls? These are the daughters of my online friends. We met about 5 years ago just by blog hopping and look at us now. Even our kids are now hanging out and having fun together! I just love it. We have playdates now too, not just coffee meet ups. And this coming November 27, we’ll have our annual early Christmas party to celebrate not just Christmas but our anniversary as online friends.
Rock on!
Photos taken from Sam and Migo’s party.
Work Break
So what exactly are Message Therapist Jobs? I see them being advertised almost everywhere but the first thing that comes to mind are masseuse. Yet it says message so do you do therapy through messages? I’m really not making any sense, I know but that’s what you get from reading just about anything online. Anyway, I really need to get back to work now. I just took a break from designing logos since I can’t think of any symbol to draw for the last two hours. I enjoy my work a lot but not when my creative juice is dry as a prune.
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About Joy
I am Dzoi, a 28 year old Filipina who currently works as a web designer. I am a loving wife to my equally loving husband Sherwin and a mommy cow to my 2-year-old daughter, Sandy.
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