Comparing Prices: VEGGIES (Landers VS. Robinsons VS. SM Hypermarket VS. Wet Market)

Comparing prices for veggies that I regularly buy. 


Where do you shop? 


Note:

First picture: Landers
Second picture: Robinsons
Third picture: SM 
No picture for veggies from wet market. You can refer to my previous wet market posts for prices. 


Conclusion:

Prices vary talaga. More than 50 percent higher ang mga supermarkets compared to wet market. The price of convenience nga naman no? Here's the result of my careful comparison, from cheapest to most expensive:

1. Wet Market
2. SM Hypermarket
3. Landers
4. Robinsons





Tomato:

Landers: Php 188.75/ kg 
Robinsons: Php 62/kg
SM Hypermarket: Php 75/kg
Wet Market: Php 40/kg






White Onion

Landers: Php 89.75/kg
Robinsons : Php 160/kg (See the picture above for reference)
SM Hypermarket: Php 97/kg
Wet Market: Php 60/kg







Garlic 

Landers Php 144.75/kg
Robinsons Php 185/kg (See the first set of pictures for reference)
SM Hypermarket Php 123/kg
Wet Market Php 70/kg 





Baguio Beans

Landers Php 109.75/ kg 
Robinsons Php 80/kg
SM Hypermarket Php 78/kg 
Wet Market Php 50/kg

Sayote


Landers Php 52.75/kg
Robinsons Php Php 69/kg
SM Hypermarket Php 48/kg
Wet Market Php 10 each 


Carrots

Landers Php 99.75/kg
Robinsons
SM Hypermarket Php 90/kg 
Wet Market Php 56/kilo 

Cabbage

Landers Php 99.75/kg
Robinsons Php Php 62/kg
SM Hypermarket  Php 52/kg
Wet market Php 40/kg 

The Things I Did For Him

I am still at the anger stage of grief. I can’t sleep well. I can’t eat well. I’ll go out with my friends, probably watch a movie or something (Solo: A Star Wars Story), just to distract myself from these awful things I’m feeling. I feel like I can’t breathe. I am

angry at him, for not grabbing all the chances that I gave him to make his life better. Here are the things I did for him and some of the awful things he did to us:

• I sent him to rehab for 3 years. He said he was ready to change and I believed him. Cost: almost Php 300k
• I helped his daughters with tuition fees.
• Gave his wife money so she can study nail art. She has a very good job now. They’re separated.
• Yah, the rehab did work.  He got fat. We saw a big change but then he had falling out with his group. I don’t know the reason. He relapsed. 
• I was still abroad when he relapsed. I don't have any idea about that. I gave him money so he can look for a job. I don’t know exactly how much, but I supported him.
• I sent a total of ten boxes to prepare myself for my pinas for good moment. I instructed them not to open it until I get home. Pagdating ko dito, all of them were either pawned or sold. Hindi naman ako nag kulang sa kanila ng padala. He asked sorry. I forgave him. After all, stuff lang naman ‘yon. They could be replaced.
• They also pawned my land title to my lola. Nagka-utang din sila doon. I still forgive them.
• He turned my mom into a punching bag. When I returned home, ang daming pasa ni mama. But still, I let it pass. Baka things will get better, I thought. Besides, I wasn’t there when those things happened. 
• He said he wanted to start over. He’d like to go to his friend’s farm and probably find a job there. Naniwala naman ako. I gave him Php 10k. One week later, bumalik. But I still forgave him.
• I bought him a jeep with franchise( Cordova-New Bridge) Php 250k. It was his dream. I made it happened for him. I thought, “Hey, he could drive, my mom will have her sari-sari store and younger brother and I could work= happy family.”
• He became very abusive. When I was in the process of constructing my house, he was one of the workers with Php 350 per day. He never contributed anything at all, but that’s okay, I thought. He said kasi na he was helping her daughters. I found out na hindi totoo.
• I found an injection in the bathroom and I confronted him about it. That was the starting point of our downward spiral.
• He became very abusive to my mom. One time, I went out but before finally leaving home, I was standing in front of my house and I heard him shouting at my mom asking for money. 
• We had confrontation and arguments two times. He was shouting, throwing things. I said sorry but I told myself and I also told him na if this is going to reach three times, I will call the police.
• It happened the third time. I overheard him shouting at my mom to fetch water. I told him, "Why don't you do it yourself?". He was just watching TV lang naman. He was shouting and throwing things again. Being true to my words,  I called the police. Super abusive na eh. Doon ko na pinalayas. Why would I let someone abuse me in my own house and ako pa ang nagpapalamon sa kanya? NO.FREAKING.WAY.
• I secured a restraining order. He was shouting and making a scene outside. He chased me with a knife. It was the most humiliating moment of my life.
• I'm glad that at that time, the jeep had a flat tire so he wasn't able to take it. He left and he took the newly-bought battery and the stereo plus 2k. I was advised by the tanod to give him 2k so he can go to Pagadian. He never reached Pagadian. He was texting pa my relatives asking for money coz nag land trip lang daw sia and he was stuck in Dipolog.
• He had been texting me threatening things. I hired a security guard for a month coz I felt like he was going to attack anytime.

And so that’s the story. 

I wasn’t the only one who helped him. Before I went abroad, my paternal relatives had been helping him na. Sooooo many chances, all of them gone to waste.

Now tell me, I have all the rights to be angry, right?

Done watching “Solo”. Daenerys was there. Vision was there. 

I’ll rest my eyes and my heart for tonight.

He is an HIV-positive.

Three days ago, a man came knocking on my door.

It was my eldest “evil” brother. I didn’t answer. I called the police. I have restraining order for him. Why the hell would he dare go near me?

Police didn’t come, but the subdivision’s peacekeeping officers drove him out. 

It has been almost three years since the most humiliating part of my life happened. (Dig it up in this blog if you like)

Few hours ago, a van parked across my house. Two guys were knocking on my door. They were from the rehab center where I sent my brother years ago. I was mean to them. They said that they would just relay some information about the result of my brother’s medical exam. I said I don’t care, that I already gave him tons of chances in the past but all of them have gone to waste. I kept yapping about “what I did for him” and “what I gave him”. And they said, “We don't want your financial help ma'am, we just want to relay some information that your brother is positive for HIV”

I was still yapping. I said, “Well, you shouldn't have told me about it. Go tell her wife and my mom. That’s the result of his life choices."

After they left, I cried buckets. I am crying right now in fact. After he all he did to me, to my mom, he is still my brother. I don't have the heart to forgive him yet, but I’m hoping that my I will be able to find it sooner rather than later. 

FYI: He got the HIV from injections.

Wet Market: Current Prices of Fruits and Veggies+ What I Buy This Week+ House Maintenance

Note: Php 1 = $ 52.37

Note: I still got some food left from the other week's wet market trip. I still have fish and meat in the fridge. 

Eggs Php 5 each ( $.095 each)
Mangoes Php 80 per kilo ($1.53 per kilo)
Avocado Php 80 per kilo ($1.53 per kilo)
Watermelon Php 40 per kilo ($.76 per kilo)
Sayote Php 8 pesos each ($.15 each)
Chinese Cabbage Php 35 per kilo ($.67 per kilo)
Headed Cabbage Php 40 per kilo ($.76 per kilo)
Carrots Php 56 per kilo ($1.06 per kilo)
Garlic Php 70 per kilo ($ 1.33 per kilo)
Tomato Php 40 per kilo ($.76 per kilo)
Rice Php 45 per kilo ($.85 per kilo)
Kakanin Php 25 ($.47 each)
Pork Steak Cut Php 236 per kilo ($ 4.50 per kilo)
Regular Ground Pork Php 145 per kilo ($2.76 per kilo) 

Bought at Robinsons Supermarket Lapu Lapu last week, except for bananas

Gardenia Bread Php 62 ($1.18)

Peanut Butter (Robinsons' Brand 340g) Php 80 ($1.53 340g)

Lettuce Php 225 per kilo ($4.29 per kilo)

Vitality Dog Food 15 kgs Php 1,870 ($35.67)
Toothpaste for dogs Php 325 ($ 6.20)

Why do I buy a lot of Sardines? I am feeding two neighborhood stray dogs everyday
Bought these at La Nueva Public Market Lapu Lapu

Kim Sardines Php 10 each (The cheapest sardines I could find) ($.19)

Yema Php 25 per bag 30 pcs  ($.47 per bag 30 pcs.)

My water tank got broken so I had it fixed and these are the materials.

Plumber fixing my water tank
One of the disadvantages of owning a house is that things get broken so you have to pay/save for maintenance 

BPI Express Credit Card: How to Reverse Annual Membership Fee (No Threats Required)

Thanks to the person who commented about this trick on my post "BPI Express Credit Card Detailed Timeline: From Application to Delivery"
 Whoever you are, your advice worked! :) I didn't have to threat the costumer service in order to reverse the annual membership fee! :)


The conversation went something like this:

Me: Hi! Is there anything I can do to cancel my annual membership fee? 
CS: Hold on one moment, Ma'am. Let me see what I can do with that. 

Few seconds later....

CS: Okay ma'am. I already waived your credit card annual fee for this year. You will be able to see the refund next month. 



Note: I called on May 5th. I got the refund on May 8th.


Simple as that. 


My advice: You shouldn't delay reversing your annual membership fee. Once you found out that you have been billed for that, you should call the costumer service right away. I think that's why my friend wasn't able to successfully ask for reversal because she was billed two months ago na. 

“Oi, Ba’t Hindi Ka Nag Business?”

I always get asked this question, especially when people know that I used to be an OFW. Why I didn’t get into business nga ba? Here are my reasons:

• Because I haven’t found a business I’m excited about.
• Maybe I don’t have any business bones in me. 
• I’m too afraid that if I start a business, it would consume my time.
• I consider business a headache. Like I said, I don't have any business bone in me.

As I always said in my past blogs, “I want to work not because I have to but because I want to.” And modesty aside, I am already there. The recipe for this?:

Zero debt + keeping lifestyle as low as possible= Freedom and options

OFWs, pag uwi mo sa pinas and you choose not to get into business, beware you will be asked this question tons of times.

Wet Market and Landers: Monthly Supply and Prices

Note: I still got tons of meat, fish and eggs from  last month's wet market  trip so I didn't buy them this time, though I did buy 6 pcs. of eggs. 

I'm running out of lettuce for my daily sandwich and I need more tomatoes because the tomatoes I got won't last me a month. I'll get them at SM since I'll be watching Deadpool. 

Wet Market Location: Mactan, Lapu Lapu Public Market.

$1= Php 51.74

Add caption

Banana (Lakatan) Php 40/ kilo ($.77/ kilo)

Sayote   Php 20 each ( $.39 each)

Eggplant Php 60/kilo ( $1.16/kilo)

Carrots Php 60/kilo ($1.16/kilo)

Pechay Php 15 per 1/4 kilo ($.29/ 1/4 kilo)

Cabbage Php 40/kilo ($.77/kilo)

Cucumber Php 50/kilo ($.97/kilo)

Eggs Php 5 each ($.097/each)

Rice (Sinandomeng) Php 44.50/kilo ($.86/kilo)

Clothes Hanger (12 pcs) Php 55 ($1.06/12 pcs.)

Clothespin Php 39 ($.75)

Clothes brush Php 20 ($.39)

Shoe brush Php 15  ($.29) (I'll actually use this for my feet. TMI I know! But once you are wearing flipflops almost all day, your feet needs some good scrubbing while in the shower at the end of the day. :) ) 

Kirkland Fish Oil  Php 799.75 (on sale from Php 899.75) ($15.44)
Isoprophyl Alcohol 500 ml Php 79.75 ($1.54)
Krem Top coffee creamer 450g Php 76.75 ($1.48)
Sanicare Paper Towel Php 102.75 ($1.98)
Bread Php 84.75 ($1.64) 
Spanish Sardines Php 129.75 ($2.50)
Soyfresh Soy Milk 1L Php 62.75 ($1.20)
Spam Hot and Spicy Php 128.50 ($2.48)
Nestea Milk Tea Php 113.75 ($2.20)
Ginger powdered tea 360g Php 125.75 ($2.43)
Lady's Choice Mayo refill  470 ml Php 142.75 ($2.76)
St. Ive's Lotion 645ml Php 249.75 ($4.82)
Ziplock 1/4 size 24 pcs Php 199.75 ($2.31)
Brown Sugar 1kilo Php 45.75 ($.88)
Surf Powder 3.6kg Php 249.75 ($4.82)
Canola Oil 1.5L Php 144.75 ($2.79)
MY San biscuit Php 259.75 ($5.01) 

Paying Real Property Tax in Philippines: Schedule, How Much I Pay, Discounts...

Below is my actual real property tax receipt. I paid it on January 10, 2018.

Total Real Property Tax for the year 2018: Php 939.60 

Note: Prices in open and close parenthesis "( )"  refers  to discount.

Schedule of payment  without penalty if paid in installment basis:

1st installment: January 1- March 31
2nd installment: April 1- June 30
3rd installment: July 1-September 30
4th installment: October 1-December 31