Adulting with the train law

I was driving in my car through EDSA-like traffic in Consolacion with my colleague. We were both undecided where to have dinner; we didn't have any budget left. Although we earned decent pay from our jobs, it seems like the spending power of the peso has declined to rock bottom. We both shared the same feeling that our salary's value had diminished. Without batting an eyelash, we concluded that it must have been the TRAIN law.

I have yet to fully understand the law as it is, despite the countless caravans by the Department of Finance. News reports tell us that the prices of commodities increased.  It may just have small increments, but its perpetual increase seems to have a large effect on the daily budget. We smile at the fact that those earning an annual income below P250,000 have no withholding tax, but prices continue to soar.

Before, my P1,000 bill gave me more than a full tank at the gas station. I could even buy snacks. Today this single bill isn't even enough to last the whole week, considering the distance from my house to Cebu City.

The food prices today aren't the same as they used to be. Add to that the price increase of sugary drinks. Thank goodness, I don't drink softdrinks and all those processed drinks with sugar (except blended coffee, my bad). The money in your pocket today could just vanish in an instant. With another inflation rate looming, adulting isn't fun as I imagined it would be when I was younger.

The wise decision today is to always save for rainy days and stick to what you can afford. It may also be the best time to spend for long-term investments; you will enjoy the interests of these in the future. Just don't dive into something that may tie you by the neck for the rest of your life; you might not get to have the financial freedom you want. Travelling is also a good investment for the memory bank, but be wise in this. Make sure every centavo is worth it.

So what happened next? We settled for fast food, one of the things that I hate the most. I tried to stomach the food that I knew was unhealthy, I was hungry anyway. I looked down at the small pieces of chicken before me and tried to recall how much I paid. The TRAIN law has totally changed the landscape of purchasing.

While we do need more infrastructure sourced from taxes out of the TRAIN law, we also would want to make sure that our money goes into the right places. We only wish for them to be transparent and honest.