Let it ECHO's Garage Sale

Moms and dads based in Cebu, are you willing to help out little heart warriors? If you answered a big YES, then here's a weekend activity for you:

Let it ECHO, a non profit organization in Cebu, will hold garage sales every Sundays of September.Their aim is to raise funds for little children with congenital heart disease (CHD).

Who (or what) is Let it ECHO?

This is a non-profit organization dedicated to help sick kids with congenital heart defect/s. The people behind it are heart parents and individuals who have gone through the ordeal of having children with congenital heart defect/s.

I personally know a couple of co-founders, so I can assure you this is a legitimate foundation. As an introduction, I have written a post about it them in my personal blog.

How can I help?

There are a lot of ways to help:

• Buy. If you are a bargain hunter, then this a perfect venue for you. All items must go, because to the organizers, every peso counts.
• Donate. If you have pre-loved items to give, they'll be happy to accept. If you wish to donate new and unused items, even better.
• Spread the Love. Tell your friends about it. Share the information through social media sites.

Where will the proceeds go?

The funds raised will go to the foundation's beneficiaries-children who had recent surgeries or those who have a definite schedule and are still in need of funds.

We at Mommy HQ would like to help with their project. Aside from spreading the word, we will also hold our own online garage sale.

This Sunday, we will be posting pictures of items to be sold in our Facebook page. ALL sales will go to the foundation, so we hope to have your support on this. Details to follow, so stay tuned.

Free Parenting Pals Workshop (by Manila Workshops)

Are you a first time parent? Are you based in Metro Manila? If your answered YES to both questions, then you might be interested in this workshop:

My husband and I are both first time parents, and we both agree that there are tons of things we need to learn to be able to cope with the demands of raising a child. Aside from our mothers (who both live miles away from us), we turn to online research to find parenting tips.

But the learning never ends, so we continue to look for workshops or seminars that would provide is with useful information.

I would love to attend this, but we also signed up for another workshop on the same day (Manila Workshop's Okay Ka, Yaya Ko). I hope our schedule would allow us to attend future sessions on parenting.

If you would like to know more, click here.

And did I mention it's free?  Slots are limited, so hurry and reserve one! :)

Our Christmas Gifts List / Budget Tracker

image from all-free-download.com

It's already September 1st - which means, in this side of the planet, it's the start of the Christmas season. Hooray!

September is also the month I start planning for the holiday expenses. As a spendthrift on rehab, planning the expenses is a must. A few years ago, I didn't care about budgeting for the holidays-always thinking that I have my 13th month pay to cover that. When January came, along came the realization that not only was my bonus gone- I also incurred credit card debts. What a way to start a new year, right?

Nah, this wasn't intended to dampen your Christmas spirit. ;) I'm just trying to help you prevent that all too familiar post-Christmas headaches. In my experience, one of the causes of those headaches is the huge amount spent on Christmas gifts.

Why I Use A Budget Tracker

Just like Santa, I keep a list of recipients. At first, it was just a simple list. When I got married, my list doubled since I had to take into account my husband's (nonexistent) list. Because the list became longer, I was forced to create a budget for the expenses. So, the budget tracker was born.