We all didn't expect this pandemic to happen.  In the past four months, we've seen many shift from office work to work from home.  There were a lot who lost their jobs.  Businesses closed down.  Parents panicked and worried about their children's education.  Lastly, almost everyone fears both their health and financial conditions - and their family's future.

These days, we’ve all become more careful when it comes to managing our household. At home, moms clean more often than before. We wash clothes almost every day, sanitize everything coming from outside, eat healthy and take our multivitamins to boost our immune system, and educate our kids how to wash hands properly. Most importantly, we stay home as much as possible. And in the instances that we have to go out, we equip ourselves with face masks and alcohol.

We do these things to keep ourselves and our loved ones safe from the spread of the coronavirus. This is the new normal and we’ve smoothly adapted to it.

Apart from these safety measures, there’s one area that is often neglected or not prioritized when it comes to safety – transactions and payments. I only have ONE SAFETY TIP – DO CASHLESS or CONTACTLESS transactions. Whether you’re settling bills online or paying for your groceries in supermarkets, don’t pay cash. PayMaya. 



Here are just some of the transactions you can settle safely and conveniently with PayMaya:

1. Pay for online purchases

Shopping online has become a part of the new norm, now that we are being asked to stay at home as much as possible. For online purchases, using cashless options like PayMaya is safer and more convenient than COD. With this, there is no need to scramble for cash when your order arrives. You’re also able to reduce the risk of transmitting the virus through cash-handling.

You can use your 16-digit virtual card number for this, but some merchants also accept payments using only the mobile number linked to your PayMaya account.

2. Pay for groceries or medicines



I still prefer the QR Scan to pay option when paying for my groceries at the supermarket. You don’t need to hand any cash nor card to anyone and returned to you unsure if it carries the uninvited virus we’re all scared about. On top of that, you can also get a cashback of 1%, 10%,  or 100% when you pay via PayMaya QR. Safe and sulit at the same time!  PayMaya QR is available at Landers, Robinsons Supermarket, Rustans Supermarket, Shopwise, Robinsons Easymart, Robinsons Selections, Shopwise, Super8, Wellcome, LCC Supermarket, Metro Gaisano, Citimart Supermarket, WalterMart Supermarket, Budget Mart, South Emerald Supermarket, Prince Hypermart, and many more.

3. Pay bills and other government -related dues.

You don’t have to brave the growing traffic or risk getting infected outside, just to pay for your bills or government dues. You can easily do it in the safety and comfort of your home with PayMaya. With just a few clicks, you are already able to settle your bills and not worry about incurring additional charges for late payment.


4. Buy load for yourself or others.

You can also purchase load for yourself or your friends and family with your PayMaya app.  These items are also discounted so you know you’re getting more sulit deals by simply staying at home.

5. Add money to your account

To do all these things, you would need to have enough funds in your account. Luckily, adding money to PayMaya is super easy. There are a lot of ways to do this. If you don’t want to go out, you can just transfer money from your bank account to PayMaya via Instapay. You can also add funds to your PayMaya using your credit and debit card. But if you don’t have a bank account or a credit card yet, you can simply head to the Smart Padala agent in your community and add money from there!

Even if the quarantine will be lifted in the future, I’ve well adjusted to this new normal. To be honest, I like it better because so many good things had happened to me. My husband and I are more appreciative of each other. My children are closer than ever. I learned many new things like baking and extending my patience. I’ve fortified my personal relationship with God too. Even if it’s declared safe to go out, I still won’t risk my family’s health and safety. I will still do cashless and contactless transactions like how I am doing now using PayMaya. It’s fast, it’s convenient, it’s practical, and lastly, it’s SAFE. 

To know more about PayMaya visit https://www.paymaya.com/quick-guide. You may download

PayMaya for free on Play Store and Apple Store. Click HERE to download instantly. So remember, to stay safe and have contactless transactions, don’t pay cash. PayMaya! 

Being a working mom has both disadvantages and advantages.  The downside is that you are away from your kids the whole day from Mondays to Fridays and don't get to spend as much time as you want to.  In effect, you tend to be guilty from working away from home because you don't get to attend to their needs, do the loving chores for them, clean and dress them up, and play with them.

But come to think of it, there are advantages too.  Working gives your household a steady income, a secured hospitalization benefits, a group insurance, bonuses here and there, and for moms, a good pack of self-confidence and oozing boost to self-esteem.  The only challenge that we face most of the time is - BUDGETING and SAVING.  Because we're always out, we can't help but spend, sometimes beyond the allowance we set for ourselves daily.

So I came up with some money-saving tips for busy working moms and it was published on Glam-o-Mamas!

My published contribution on Glam-o-Mamas.com

Here's a part of the article I contributed:

Practical Saving Tips For Working Moms:

1. Walk the Short Distance instead of Riding a Tricycle or an FX – (Save P10.00) – I work in Makati City where loading and unloading areas are usually far from your company’s building. I get off around two blocks from the office building. I have two choices: 1) Ride another FX and pay an extra P10.00 on top of my P55.00 one way transportation 2) Walk. I choose to walk most of the time (except when I am not running late.) My waist may get trimmer and my pocket a little fatter.

2. Bring your Own Lunch instead of Dining Out - (Save P50 to P100.00) – We’re often lured with the countless fast food chain or restaurants around the work place. If you give in to the invites of your officemates, you spend around P50.00 to P1500.00 (or even higher) on food only not to finish the whole serving and put that hard-earned money to waste. Why not, prepare your family a delicious meal at home and bring that goodness of home-cooked meal as your baon?

3. Set Aside P20.00 a Day – Part of my 2013 goals is to set aside P20.00 a day and keep it in my piggy bank. My plan is to spend this savings for Christmas shopping (gifts for loved ones, family or friends.) This way, I don’t wait for the bonuses to come just to spend it on shopping. If you stick to this, you could save around P6,000.00 by December.

Check out the whole article HERE to know more tips on how you could save little by little daily.  Big savings come from small beginnings as they say.  We do all know that there are a lot of spending temptations when we're out everyday.  So my mantra when I'm exposed to SALEs and BAZAARs is: "Resist.. Resist.. I must Control, Resist!"  

How about you?  What saving tips could you share?