Topic · 5 pages
Budgeting a paycheck
Frameworks for splitting one overseas paycheck across life abroad, padala and savings, plus the real cost of a trip home. Tools, not advice.
Splitting an OFW paycheck: abroad, padala, and savings
A neutral framework for splitting one OFW paycheck three ways — living abroad, padala home, and savings. A structure to fill in, not advice.
Cheapest way to send money to the Philippines (USD→PHP)
What the World Bank US→Philippines corridor records for fees, FX margin and total cost at USD 200 and USD 500 — sourced and dated, not a recommendation.
One sender's year: what actually counts against the balikbayan allowance
The allowance is counted per sender across a calendar year, and routes that never feel like shipping a box still count against it. How the counting works.
The one who left: the financial-pressure side of being the family's abroad
Being the relative abroad is a role, not just a paycheck. A plain account of how the asks accumulate, and why it is structural, not personal failure.
The real cost of going home: planning a summer trip back to the Philippines
The plane ticket is the smallest line in a trip home. A plain breakdown of what a visit actually costs, and why summer is the expensive season.