throwaway dahil alam ng kuya ko yung main ko, my bad. this is super long but no one really understands me bc they're usually middle class, which is good for them. i don't want anyone to go through what i am going through.
anyway, i'm a kid who's the child of a single mom, we're extremely poor. we're lucky to earn more than 600 pesos a week. we're months behind on rent and bills, but at least may kuryente at tubig na kami ngayon. before, we didn't have electricity or running water -- we had to ask our neighbours to charge our phones, to let us at least hilamos sa banyo nila. may issues din kami ni mama, i've got severe mommy issues 'cause of how bad she's traumatized me, but she's the only reason i'm still here, so.
but here comes yung kuya ko. may 13 year age gap kami, ako'y 15 years old right now. iniwan niya ni mama sa ibang pamilya dahil gusto ni mama magtrabaho sa ibang lugar. because of that, he grew up very loved in that family, even if they weren't blood related. may pagkain, tubig, internet, games, etc etc siya araw araw ng buong buhay niya while i spent most of my life having to cope with extreme poverty.
like my mom, i have a strained relationship with my brother. ewan ko ba't ganon siya kabobo, pero dahil mahilig siya sa anime, gusto niya akong maging "perfect anime imouto" niya. pero paano ba akong magiging yung perfect little sister niya pag nahihirapan ako araw araw? nahihiya daw siya sa akin dahil boyish ako eh pero lahat ng damit ko ay pinabigay lang sa akin at para sa lalaki. short ang buhok ko para tipid naman sa shampoo. di niya gets na wala talaga kaming pera and that we're doing our best to survive. ewan ko bakit di niya kame tinutulong eh. may trabaho siya at komfortable ang buhay naman niya dahil nakatira pa rin siya sa pamilya na iniwan siya. mas-importante pala sa kanya ang gala.
i want to try to earn money as well, but that's nearly impossible for where i am right now. i can't get gcash/paymaya or a bank account, i don't have education outside of a few years of elementary, ang maganda lang sakin ay fluent ako sa english and ok lang naman ako magdrawing na hindi realism. money equals pagkain, bagong damit, tuition, etc etc... tangina yan. i hate money and how it's influenced my family so much.
and just before anyone tries to ask how i'm on reddit if i'm piss poor -- i leech off my neighbour's wifi because at this point animal videos lang sa youtube ang ligaya ko.

Hello there phmoneysaving! I created a blog recently and I posted my Digital Tipid Tips here on this sub with some incredible responses. This is my third blog post on how to save/invest as a teenager or student but to comply with the sub's rules, I have copy/pasted my content here! Hopefully you find these helpful and insightful.

Build Your Emergency Fund

First of all, build your emergency fund. What is an Emergency fund you might ask? An emergency fund is readily available cash in case of an unplanned expense, an illness, or unexpected expenses. Knock on wood but you can’t predict when a rainy day happens. Creating an emergency fund is ideal even as a student or teenager that is dependent on your parents because it acts as a buffer. Before you can even think of riskier investments such as stocks it is best to build your emergency fund first. The emergency fund will prevent you from borrowing money and procuring debt in the future.

Just got your allowance?

Saving your money is a great habit to practice and develop especially as you get older. Close your eyes and imagine your goals. What is it that you want? Do you want to travel? Get a new laptop for online classes? Maybe finally have your dream gaming setup? The answer to these questions is to save.
Whenever you get your allowance I would advise setting aside a portion of it to save. You can park it in a high interest digital savings account such as CIMB or ING to grow. CIMB and ING currently have the best savings rate in the country with a whopping 1600% higher than most major traditional banks (BDO, BPI, etc.). Compare CIMB’s savings rate of 3.10% to BDO’s measly 0.25%. It’s a no brainer. Since they’re completely digital banks you don’t have to go through the hassle of visiting a physical branch and you can open a savings account online within a few minutes.

Pag-Ibig MP2 Savings

Pag-Ibig MP2 is an optional modified savings scheme for Filipinos that want to save more and earn higher dividends. MP2 has a higher dividend rate compared to some other investments such as time deposits, traditional savings accounts, and money market funds. You can invest for as low as 500 pesos a month and you’re free to invest whenever you please. Furthermore, Pag-Ibig is guaranteed by the government making it a great contender for a safe, low-risk investment. With MP2, the government guarantees your earnings are tax-free although dividend rates vary every year depending on the performance. Thanks to technology you can deposit in your account remotely with ease using apps such as GCash and coins.ph.
Do note that you have to be at least 18 years old to enroll in MP2.
A word of warning, please stay away from VULs. These are known as variable life insurance and you will probably have an insurance agent try to sell you one of these at some point of your life. In my opinion, if you’re just a student with no job nor dependents then there is no need to enroll in a VUL.

Invest in Thyself

“An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.” – Benjamin Franklin

“Invest in Yourself!” — I have heard this time and time again. Although it has become a bit redundant I admit there is a lot of merit in that saying. During quarantine, I had a lot of time on my hands so I completed an online machine learning course which is related to the degree I’m taking. It took me just a few weeks to complete and it came with FREE certification (so worth it). In case you’re interested, Coursera is offering 100 courses completely free with certificates!
So whether you’re a teen like me with a lot of time on your hands or a professional who wants to amp up their resume, give it a go! You can join webinars, read books, and educate yourself during this time. Creating my blog has been another product of having a lot of time on my hands during quarantine.
The internet has a plethora of online resources — financial blogs, youtubers, forums and remember..INFORMATION IS OUT THERE. You just have to find it.
I would love to hear your thoughts and feedback. Please correct me if I am wrong and missed any important points worth mentioning.
What are your personal experiences and what have you learnt from when you were younger? Any money saving advice and tips that you can give? What would you say to your younger self looking back?