The Amazing Peso

This morning, I have 2000 pesos in my wallet. By this evening, I only have 1200 pesos. In less than 12 hours, the amount of cash I have in hand was reduced to almost half. I spent it on only two things, food and water.

Our money is so amazing. It is so easy to spend. I am so impressed at how easy my 500 peso bill was reduced to coins. I bought food stuff for lunch and some bananas, it was down to just 350 pesos. The house help told me that we had to buy rice. I told her to get 5 kilos so it will last until the weekend, the remaining amount went down to 150 pesos. We also had to restock our drinking water and the money left in my hand amounted to 30 pesos, in 10 peso coins.

This whole scenario happened in less than an hour. That means, in less than an hour I spent 470 pesos for my upkeep.

The story of the amazing peso does not end here. By afternoon, we had to buy food for dinner and breakfast tomorrow. Total cost for everything: 300 pesos.

If you think that I buy expensive foodstuff, you're wrong. Most of the food I asked the house helper to buy were vegetables and fish. The only fruits I bought were the bananas I mentioned earlier on.

My friends and I would sometimes joke among ourselves that the 100 peso bill is the new 10 pesos. One could hardly buy anything substantial for 100 pesos. I use to spend less than 50 pesos per day for my lunch. Now I pay more than 100 pesos per day. I still eat the same kind of food, nothing fancy just the regular food we Filipinos eat.

Our 100 pesos is not enough for even the value meals of fastfood chains. It used to be enough for two persons, but now it is only enough for one value meal.

What's even more amazing with our money is that it is so easy to disappear but very hard to find and earn. Right now the average minimum wage is 275 pesos. So imagine how a minimum wage earner can balance his pay with his expenses. Go figure!