It’s the first day of April and April for our family is the month that we consider the most momentous.  Aside from it being Hannah’s birthday month.  April seems to be the month when we are always in for a change.  Two years ago, April was the month when we transferred to Bonifacio Heights and this year, we are going to move back to our house in Angono, Rizal.  A year ago, hubby was reassigned to his present assignment and this year, would be his reassignment again to another post. This reassignment would mean that we would not get to see hubby almost everyday but every other weekend instead. Well, that would be the price for getting a 25% additional instructor’s duty pay. Hehe. This is also the month when we are expecting something big for hubby’s career which would translate into a 500 peso increase in his basic pay and added responsibilities.

With change, also comes major expenses.  This is the month that we have to shell out money for Diana’s (our car) registration. Don’t ask me why our car has a name, I think that it’s a guy thing.  This is also the month when we will be enrolling Hannah in her new school. Being a product of “traditional schooling”, I was shocked when I asked what the miscellaneous fees would include and they said that a bag with the school’s logo and school supplies are mandatory for students.  Talk about money making! We have no choice but to go along with this so-called “rule”. I just hope that the bag and school supplies are sturdy enough to last for many years.  Just being practical you know! Of course, there’s the celebration for Hanna’s birthday and hubby’s career “advancement”.  As a family, we don’t celebrate birthdays and the like by throwing a party, we would rather eat out together with our families or prepare food to be eaten at home.  We prefer intimate gatherings but this time, with hubby’s celebration, we need to include his men whom he will be entrusting to another troop commander.  I don’t mind the expense this time though because I know most of his men and they deserve to be included in this celebration.  As the saying goes, they work hard and they party hard!

We are not daunted by these prospects for we, as a family, welcome change and we know we can weather anything through family support.  Here’s to April and the things it will bring into our lives!

If there’s one thing being I haven’t been used to in the past 4 years plus that I have been married to a military man is moving every so often. In the past 4 years, it was like being deployed with him. We have lived in four different houses in the past 4 years. It would have been alright if we did not have a house of our own but I find it rather absurd to be living in another house besides our own.

And now, after living here for one year, my husband has come up with another moving plan! So, that would make it five houses/locations now. Here are the options he has outlined in a memorandum he sent me:

Option #1 - Stay at GHQ until our daughter is grade one and my brother would be the one who would rent out our unit. Most of our things would then be left here at the unit and wait for the approval of our other loan and for Maynilad connection at Angono.

Option #2 - Stay at Angono, rent out our unit to a non-family member regardless of our loan approval and Maynilad connection.

Option #3 - Stay here at our unit, rent out our house in Angono regardless of loan approval.

And here was my reply, sent via a memorandum, too:

Option #1 - Renting out our unit to my brother is still not sure because it would be dependent on my sister’s civil status, who he is sharing a house with at the moment, and even if our sister got married, my brother would most likely just stay at our parent’s house. My brother also mentioned that it would be too expensive for him if he was the one who would rent our unit and besides, it wouldn’t be the returns we would be expecting on renting out our unit to someone else.

Option #2 - Staying in our house in Angono would mean bigger returns for us if we rented out our unit to a non-family member. Staying in Angono would be cheaper for us because the cost of living there is much, much, much cheaper than staying in the city. There is an SM already a jeepney ride from our house. So, living in a province and not too far from “civilization”. Going to Ortigas or Cubao is also one jeepney or fx ride from us. Staying in Angono would mean eating fresh produce as there is a wet market near our place. With regards to the water bill, staying in Angono would mean a cheaper water bill because that would mean we would have less people staying with us. It would just mean Hannah and me most of the time, so water consumption would not be too expensive. There would be no association dues or if there would be, it would be much lesser than what we are currently paying. There would be lesser utilities as cable is not available in that area. Hannah can have security with regards to her studies. She would be able to continue her studies in one school only up to high school. No more transferring. There is also a Kumon center near us at Angono where she can continue her Kumon. I have a garden at Angono where I can lose myself taking care of my orchids.

Option #3 - If we would continue staying here in our unit, it would be very costly because of the absence or the proximity of a wet market. Even if there was a wet market here, produce here is VERY EXPENSIVE. Not to mention that we always have people staying here out our unit meaning more bills for food, electricity, and water. Don’t get me wrong, I love having people over; but sometimes, you just want to have a little family time together. There is also the very expensive association dues we have to pay monthly and the added bills we have to pay because of the cable. I do not have a garden here and I miss my orchids which are currently in Naic. Schools here are very expensive even if they are not one of the “known schools”.

So, if I was going to ask you on your opinion, which of the three options would you be amenable to? If you haven’t figured it out, I am leaning towards option #2.