Customs can really bring a whole lot to ones personality and background. Like what they say, that in some cultures women walked behind their man, the wife stays at home and tend for the kids and care for the husband and the entire household. What the man earns he offers it to his wife and family. Then the wife manages the money that the man has offered until he receives again.

Pinoy style, is quite similar to all customs around the world. We pinoy’s have picked up a whole lot from the people who have settled and invaded Philippines how many thousand of years ago.

In Philippines, is just about natural that the wife stays at home, tends the household and when man gets home he tends to him as well. He is well served from laying and picking his clothes for work, bringing coffee, taking off his shoes and his feet rest on an ottoman to getting his slippers and so on and forth. In short the wife becomes his personal assistant. His money is the family money and people think that since he is the bread winner he needs to taken cared of.

In other countries, it’s an equal share of everything and anything. And I mean 50/50.

I grew up thinking that my Mom was a superwoman. She tends the whole household and doesn’t rely on our helpers. She goes to the market with our cook to help her give some ideas on what to prepare for lunch and dinner and as a help to carry those heavy goods but she personally picks them herself. She goes to the marked every single day so that she can buy the freshest of the fresh. She do the groceries herself even if the list is already written and the money can be given to one of our helps to do so. She gets up early morning to make sure that breakfast is serve and cook in the right way. She makes lunches, dinners and snacks and makes sure that all food are served HOT.

I adapted that kind of lifestyle when I got married minus the help. We can get help if we want to pay extra and help in California is by the hour. Very costly. I used to be stayed at home mom/wife for a decade. Thankful for the decision my kids are enjoying their education properly and set a great example to them. They have learn that being their Mom I am the toughest to find but can break easily.

Now that I am back in the working mom scene, I asked my kids and hubby to help out in the household chores. So,far my kids are responding well with the chores that has been handed to them. They got lots of privilege time and earning more as well. I am so thankful that what we have decided a decade ago although a lot of critics was thrown at us are useful and being use.

Money wise it is a shared income unlike others his money is her money and her money is her money alone. In our household, we have a budget to stick too and whatever is left from that budget goes to our savings for future usage. We do not buy things even if we can afford it. First, we brainstorm and asked how bad do we need it? From a scale of 1 to 10, and 10 being the baddest that we really need it. It does help, and coupons, coupons, coupons it does help and works a miracle in a lot of ways.

Raising a family of four who loves to eat, travel and indulge ourselves with some expensive and inexpensive things. We need to budget and save a lot and during our family dinner nights we got the change to discuss things and plan things out.

Just like when I was growing up, dinner table is where our dreams were made and how our future was mold. There’s a lot of things that can happen during dinner nights and for one I am thankful that we got those nights during dinner we get to discuss and talk about anything under our dinner lights.

Thankful that Mom showed us how to cleaned our rooms, how to wash our clothes, how to iron and how to make everyday and easy way. Like she said, life is not hard, you are just making it hard.