Pros and Cons of Retail and Wholesale Buying

You can read this in parts if you want- come back some other time if you can not finish one reading, because this is really a long article. But I know blogworms(bookworms) will enjoy it as well as the tips and tricks within. It is also written in Tagalog or Filipino language for my fellow-countrymen.  I set the Filipino translation in an Bookman OldStyle font to easily identify both languages.

Budgeting differs from one household to another. Why? Not just because of the household size and the amount of income differences but also the schedule such income becomes available matters too in planning the expenditures- there are those who have their salary on a daily (for self-employed individuals), and for the employed sector weekly, every 15^th or monthly basis.

Ang pag-bu-budget ay nagkakaiba-iba sa bawat pamilya. Bakit? Hindi lamang dahil sa bilang ng bumubuo sa sambahayan, sa halaga ng kinikita maging ang panahon o iskedyul kung kailan dumarating ang salapi na pam-budget  ay mahalaga rin sa pagplaplano ng mga gastusin - mayroong tumatanggap ng arawan (sa mga may sariling negosyo), lingguhan, kinsenas o buwanang kita naman ang mga namamasukan.

As a mom, I do the budgeting. Buying groceries is a bit challenging. I have learned this tip after trying one method after the other at a period of time (months of use) so I can determine which works well with my family’s weekly budget.

Bilang isang ina, ako ang nagbu-budget. Yung pagbili ng grocery ay medyo nakakahamon talaga sa ating kakayahang mga misis at nanay. Natutuhan ko itong ibabahagi ko sa inyo sa pag-subok ng iba’t-ibang pamamaraan sa ilag panahon para malaman ko kung alin talaga ang nababagay sa aming lingguhang tinatanggap.

At a glance, buying in bulk, largest pack or wholesale saves a lot. That is when you have ‘extra’ in your budget, because if you do not have you will end-up sacrificing other stuffs from your grocery list- you can not buy anymore this thing or that because your suppose-to-be budget all went to the biggest pack of milk (etc.) which is consumable in a month’s time. Sometimes, a little sacrifice can make things better too,the following three weeks milk (or whatever you bought in large pack or wholesale) will not be any more in your budget listing. It really depends on HOW MUCH you will sacrifice, if that would mean you will be short or transportation allowance to work or for your children’s schooling,  short of cash on hand in cases of emergencies IT MAY NOT BE WORTH IT.

Sa biglang-tingin, ang pagbili ng malakihan o maramihan ay nakaka-tipid ng malaki. Yan ay kung mayroon kang ‘sobra’ sa iyong budget, dahil kung wala mauuwi ka sa pagsasakripisyo ng iba pang kailangan mong bilihin sa listahan mo. Kahit masasabi nating malaki ang discount sa  bultohan, biglaan naman ang tapyas sa budget mo. Ang halimbawang budget mo para sa ibang kailangan napunta lamang sa isang napakalaking lata ng gatas na kukunsumohin naman ng anak mo pang-isang buwan e bibili ka din namanuli next week.

Ngunit kung minsan ang maliit na sakripisyo ay may mabuting dulot din naman – kung tatlong linggo namang WALA sa budget mo ang gatas (o kahit ano pa yang binili mo na bultohan). Nakadepende talaga ito sa kung GAANO ang kaya mong isakripisyo, kung yang pagbili mo na yun ay mangangahulugan ng kakapusan mo sa pamasahe papunta sa trabaho o ng mga anak mo sa eskuewela o sa perang hawak mo na nakahanda SANA para sa mga biglaang hindi masabing pagkakagastusan (emergency petty cash) malamang HINDI okay na bumili ka nang malakihan. Okay lang talaga iyon kung may ‘extra’ money ka pa bukod sa petty cash o dili kaya ay sa savings mo.

This is advisable for those who do groceries on a weekly basis because of a weekly income schedule. For a monthly basis, it is best of course to buy bigger packs or for weekly buyers,  if you are willing to sacrifice just for a week without some of the things you usually buy then go for it – like eating on a fastfood with the kids, buying phone  leather case, new socks or lipstick...not so urgent needs at all.

Ang payong ito ay para sa mga nag-gro-grocery lingguhan. Para sa buwanan mamili, mas makabubuti bumili ng malalaking pakete o kung kahit lingguhan ka mamili at ang isasakriisyo mo lang naman ay isang kain sa fastfood ninyo ng mga bata, pagbili ng bagong casing ng cellphone, bagong medyas o lipstick kaya…hindi naman talaga gaanong mahahalaga.

Shampoo/Conditioner :

I used to buy bottles of shampoo that I thought could last for almost a month of me and my daughters’ daily consumption, their dad uses men’s variety, he has a separate shampoo. I observed how fast it runs out, because it is open without a limit, my children or even I could have consumed more than we needed.  I noticed we all have this falling hair too – although shiny and silky smooth.

Not like when I  buy a dozen sachets, each sachet is good for two heads or even three of us (me and my two daughters) THAT  IS if you do not want to destroy your hair’s natural moisture with chemicals from over-shampooing.

I do not let my children use a sachet for each, everything that is too much might have an adverse effect like hair fall, dryness etc.  There is no denying that shampoos have chemicals too. It can be used daily but the amount must be managed.

Dati bumibili ako ng naka-botelyang shampoo na akala ko halos isang buwan tatagal sa aming mag-iina kahit arawan kami maligo, ibang shampoo naman ang gamit ng tatay nila. Inobserbahan ko, dahil sa ito ay tuloy-tuloy ang tulo walang limit, kapag natuwa ang mga bata o ako ay maaaring nakakakunsumo ng HIGIT PA SA KAILANGAN ng mga buhok namin.