With the rainy season officially upon us, Filipinos are welcoming a break from the heat. But along with cooler weather often comes a wave of unexpected expenses, from home repairs and roof leaks to power outages and emergency purchases, making it more challenging to stay on budget.
To help ensure rainy-day expenses don’t wash away your savings, Skyro, a reliable SEC-registered lending app, shares practical tips for staying prepared and making smarter financial decisions throughout the season.
- Prioritize ‘Must-Haves’ Over ‘Nice-to-Haves’
When budgeting for the rainy season, focus on purchases that add real value to your household. Whether it’s replacing a malfunctioning refrigerator, investing in a reliable mobile phone to stay connected during emergencies, purchasing rechargeable lights for power outages, or ensuring your water pump is in good working condition, these may be more urgent purchases during the rainy season. Invest in appliances and equipment that can help keep your household safe, connected, and comfortable during severe weather.
- Prepare the Essentials
Rainy days may bring heavy storms or flooding, making it harder to leave the house or run errands. To stay prepared, consider keeping a small stock of everyday essentials, such as non-perishable food, drinking water, medicines, and other household necessities. Having these items on hand can help you avoid relying on deliveries during bad weather, when it may also be difficult or unsafe for riders to get around.
- Watch Out For Kuryente Spikes
With rainy days bringing higher electricity bills or unexpected power interruptions, it’s important to stay alert and informed. Unplug appliances when not in use and keep an eye on power outage advisories in your area.
Make sure backup essentials such as generators, rechargeable lights, or water pumps are in good working condition before severe weather hits. It’s also a good idea to keep your phones, power banks, and other important devices fully charged, and ensure you have enough mobile data to stay connected during outages.
- No “Bahala Na” When It Comes to Baha
If you live in a flood-prone area, staying one step ahead can save you both time and money. Secure important documents such as IDs, birth certificates, insurance papers, and other official records in waterproof containers. If possible, move valuable appliances and belongings to higher levels before heavy rains arrive.
It’s also a good idea to prepare a “go bag,” similar to the emergency kits recommended for earthquakes. Fill this with essentials such as bottled water, ready-to-eat food, medicines, flashlights, power banks, extra clothes, and copies of important documents.
- Repair Now, Save Later
Take time to inspect your roof, gutters, drainage systems, and household appliances for any signs of wear and tear. What may seem like a minor issue today, may it be a small leak, clogged drain, or faulty appliance- can quickly turn into a much bigger and more expensive problem during a storm. Investing in preventive maintenance now can help protect both your home and your budget.
Skyro helps Filipinos weather not only today’s financial challenges but also the unexpected expenses that may come their way. Tune in to PISOlophy, their podcast series, now available on their official YouTube page. Featuring engaging and easy-to-understand discussions on personal finance, budgeting, and everyday money management, the series aims to help consumers build greater financial confidence and resilience.
