SURVIVING

It seems to be getting only colder these days. I know I should be expecting this but my body needs a lot more adjusting. I've had some rashes but nothing a bit of ointment could not take care of. I remember last year I had a difficult time adjusting to the cold and I was getting miserable and homesick that I was relieved to go home when our 6 months were up. But now, I don't mind the cold so much. I suppose I know what to expect and my body does too. Although Ruther still reminds me that winter will be waaay colder, I'm not (too) worried. I know that despite the cold and the bundling up and the layering and the allergies and the sniffles and the super dry skin, I would still rather be here than anywhere else.

.....

I know that Japan is an expensive country. The first time I came here I was shocked at the prices of the food, groceries and clothes. Whenever we went around I didn't want to buy anything because I just felt horribly guilty for spending that much for something. Ruther would scold me for always converting yen to pesos in my head and he would say I would never be able to buy anything if I kept on doing that. Back in Manila, a P200 blouse would be fine with me. A P500 one will have to be for a special occasion. But here, the prices are atrocious! Some would even go for as high as Y5,000! Unbelievable.

A huge chuck of our budget here would go to food and groceries. Ethan's milk, rice, canned goods, meat, vegetables, juice, fish, toiletries, etc. If we have dinner here at home that would cost around ¥500 that's a good thing already but converted to pesos, that's a bit too much for an everyday meal in the Philippines. What more if we eat out and at fancy restaurants? Oh yeah, we do eat out sometimes and hopefully we keep that to a minimum and go to less expensive restaurants but I still always feel guilty when I order something that costs more than ¥600. (Anything cheaper than that are usually side dishes.) Whenever the waitress/attendant hands me the menu, I always look at the prices first. It's kinda instinctive. I don't even know if Ruther knows I do this. I have to admit that I have always been budget-conscious. And I do feel guilty spending for myself sometimes when I remember that the boys need new pairs of socks or I would rather get that homeschooling book instead of new clothes. Which is probably why Ruther buys things for me because he knows I would be perfectly happy with ukay-ukay and secondhand stuff. Oh yeah, and I love sales. (Who doesn't?)

So with all the expensive stores and stuff in this country, it's just wonderful to chance upon discounted things that are in very good condition still. Our favorite haunt is BookOff. That's a store that sells secondhand stuff at cheap prices. I already got a lot of stuff there for the boys from clothes to bags to toys. I was able to also find this nice pink coat for myself for only ¥200! How ridiculous is that? A dark blue dress I found also costing ¥200 would be perfect for our Christmas pictorial next month. And I also got this Lego toy for only ¥1000 which retails at ¥3,700+!! Insane, right? And don't let me even get started with the 100-yen stores like Daiso. They are a godsend, really.

I suppose I still have to learn the tips and tricks of staying in this expensive country. Like the other day, Ruther told me that I should check the supermarkets on Thursday evenings because most of the food items are 50% off by then and I was like, "I didn't know that!" Oh well. It's still not too late to learn I suppose. I mean, if others have made it here, why can't we?