on being domesticated...

I was browsing through Aggie's page when I found this. Thought it best to share to fellow working moms out there how I do the monthly budget. I swear this can be a very rough and tough and challenging job but after every balance has been made, I feel rewarded.

How many sq meters is your place, and how many people live there?
I’m not really sure about the exact measurement but my husband said that our floor area is big. It’s duplex type and 5 people (Hubby, Me, Lizzie, Yaya M and Yaya A) live there with a small dog (Bob).

How much is your electricity bill monthly? Water?
Electricity - 4500 average monthly except during the summer when I pay more (around 5500)
Water – 1200 (that’s already with association dues of 425). This is Manila Water already but I still prefer to have our drinking water delivered. So its additional 400 for drinking water.
Other utilities?
House Rent - 9000
Internet - 999 (SMART Bro)
Mobile Phone Plans – 1200 for hubby and 800 for me
Fuel/Gas – Hubby gasses up every 11 days as he works 25 kilometers away from our house and 1 full tank costs 3500 now (Mahalia Jackson I know!). So, it’s 3500*3= a whopping 10500!!! (thank heavens for LS)
LPG – 690 as of the latest purchase (May 12, 2008)
Sky Cable - 680
PLDT landline - 600
Maids (Two) – Yaya M is my daughter’s nanny so her main task is to run after her. Monthly salary is 2500. Yaya J is my all around helper. She cooks, does the laundry, cleans the house, irons the clothes, cares for Bob, watch over our house. Monthly salary is also 2500. Yaya M and Yaya J are childhood bestfriends so their working relationship is really great. If Yaya J is sick, Yaya M handles her tasks. I take care of the little girl.
Groceries? Market?
Groceries – 2500 to 3000 monthly- includes toiletries and breakfast items, laundry detergents plus the maids’ toiletries (if my grocery budget goes over 3k, I flare up hahahaha!
Market (Menu) - 4000 (1,000 per week – Market Day is every Sunday morning)
Milk – very cheap now since Lizzie only drinks Milo with Milk once a day (breakfast). The big can of Promil Kid which I bought for her more than a month ago is still there. Mga 5 timplahan more. Haha.
Pampers – no more. I am training Lizzie to sleep without nappies anymore. Hooray to that! 
Rice – I get my supply from my brother. He sends me a sack every month. Good news is we don’t finish the sack in a month so tipid talaga 

We pay for some other things like gadgets and we have Pondong Pinoy too (yipee!) but all the rest go straight to BDO - our beautiful family bank ;)