Empowering Women in Subic: Connected Women Subic Hosts An Innovative Meetup Experience

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  Exciting news for the women of Subic!  Get ready for the first Connected Women Meetup of 2023 , happening simultaneously in different municipalities across Zambales and beyond. The Connected Women Subic Meetup will be hosted by Jen Cajucom and co-hosted by Mitch Carvalho and Lynn Singian. It will be held on February 15, 6pm at Kairos House of Blends , located at the ground floor of the Balai Subik building along National Highway, Mangan-Vaca, Subic. And that's not all. Other municipalities in Zambales will also be holding their own meetups, with Myra Concepcion hosting Connected Women Castillejos, Melissa Moscoso for Connected Women San Felipe and April Mora for Connected Women Olongapo. This will be in conjunction with Connected Women's community-led meetups held all over the Philippines and in other countries. Since 2018, Connected Women meetups in Zambales have been hosted by Jen Cajucom and held as a single meetup for the whole province every 6-weeks. This time around, a

Smart Shopping

Do you know that we can save on groceries and still eat well?  A complete supermarket is a haven for culinary ideas, however I cannot spend luxuriously for I must follow a budget. 

Over many years of strolling through mall supermarkets, I’ve learned a few tricks that help me find the right ingredients, cook our family favorites and still control expenses.


Tapa and tocino are always requested to be included in our menu at home, due to steep prices of meat, what I do is I ask the butcher to cut meat thinly so a kilo goes a long way, dividing it into 3 or 4 servings and pack it separately for easy and orderly stacking in the freezer.

I opt to buy fruits and vegetables in season, then planning my menu around it.  Fresh fruits and vegetables are cheaper when they’re in season.  If fresh produce is not in season, prices skyrocket, so If it’s not in season, I buy canned or dried.  Fresh mushrooms, for example are delicious used in soups and pasta dishes, but dried shiitake mushrooms are perfect alternatives with longer shelf life.

I also learned to consider house brands. Mall supermarkets take the lead in coming out with their own brand at much lower cost to consumers.  Their palm cooking oil, sugar, some condiments like vinegar and tomato sauce are good buys, but of course you have to first test these items if it suits your standard.

When buying expensive ingredients, I make sure these ingredients can be maximized in a number of recipes.  It’s all in the meal planning, I compute for usage over wastage.  Some of these expensive ingredients are giving unparalleled flavor compared to cheaper alternatives. Realizing that practicality without good taste is a waste of time and money.

When I can’t decide which item comes out cheaper, I do the math. Items in foil packs of different sizes are much cheaper than the ones in glass jars or cans though having the same name of brands. I buy cooking oil, mayonnaise, coffee, ketchup, etc in foil packs and then simply refill their empty jar or container in the kitchen.

When it comes to buying luncheon meat, corned beef and sardines, I simply choose locally made.  Filipino canned goods manufacturers are producing high quality products that compete flavor for flavor with imported brands.

I also buy dry goods in bulk.  A kilo of sotanghon or spaghetti gives better value than smaller packs. Toiletries such as toothpaste, toilet paper, mouthwash, shampoo, etc. are cheaper to be bought in their big packaging for longer usage to save time and money going to the grocery every now and then.

You may try to look out for special deals, but you have to be aware that usually these buy 1 take 1 or discounted grocery items are just a month or a few months shy of their expiry dates.

I compare prices too, especially when it comes to laundry detergents and fabric conditioner, I bought a few of the cheaper brand and found out that its quality is not far behind from the popular expensive ones.

Hard earned money should be well spent, we need to save for the rainy days too!

Comments

  1. Great shopper ka pala sis. I don't do grocery hubby does...pero kung meron akong gustong lutuin yun mag grocery ako; yun nga lang ang bilhin ko yung kailangan ko lang talaga :) panay tawag pa rin ki hubby kung ang nabili good deal ba. what a shame huh? :)

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  2. nice post mommy joy, pero don't stock spag noodles and flour nag-iiba kasi lasa pag tumatagal!

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  3. hello Fotominded, my husband does the marketing during weekends and i do the grocery, ayoko sa wet market ahaha

    it's not a shame if our husbands help us do such things, pareho tayo when he's in the market, i keep on calling to remind him of the fishes that he needs to buy ahihi

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  4. Thanks Peachkins! nice of you naman, alam mo sis yun rellenong bangus ko flopped, next time papa-debone ko na nyahaha

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  5. Air, don't worry hindi tumatagal sa lalagyan ang stock kong noodles, dahil pasta lovers ang mga anak ko and si hubby ehehe

    great tip sis Air, i'll keep that in mind

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  6. Thanks Peachkins! nice of you naman, alam mo sis yun rellenong bangus ko flopped, next time papa-debone ko na nyahaha

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