Maria Katrina Paras

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Frugality Tips During Global Oil Crisis

<div><strong>Key Takeaways:<br/></strong></div><ul style="list-style-type:circle"><li>There is a global oil crisis in 2026 that is causing rising fuel prices worldwide. We are feeling the effects of this gas price hike in our transportation costs, groceries, flights, and more, while salaries stay the same.</li><li>There is a way to combat this and prepare for months to come without going into panic.</li><li>We share eight simple, practical ways on how you can start saving money and navigate the global oil crisis. </li><li>Rethink how you eat.</li><li>Delay gratification on tiny treats.</li><li>Get creative about staycations.</li><li>Incorporate more analog living into your life.</li><li>Review your online subscriptions.</li><li>Use what you have and learn the art of repair.</li><li>Rethink your wardrobe.</li><li>Consume less and share what you have.</li></ul><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib fr-rounded" style="width:700px;display:block" width="700"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1775620705749pexels-danykurstudio-12357525.jpg" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib fr-rounded" width="700"/><span class="fr-inner">The Frugal Life Project</span></span></span></div><div><br/></div><p>We never thought the day would come, but it did. As of publishing, gas prices are at their highest locally, with diesel averaging Php 152/liter, and unleaded gasoline at Php 96. With the ongoing escalation of tensions in the Middle East, oil prices are still rising, affecting everything else in our daily lives. Ride-hailing costs, flights, and food prices have gone up, but salaries have stayed the same. What are we to do in the midst of such a <strong>global oil crisis</strong>? Panic should never be an option. Instead, we can take inventory of our current lifestyles and do some tweaking to pinch some pennies and get creative about how we tackle the problem. </p><p>Instead of thinking of this time as a way to &quot;punish&quot; ourselves, it&#x27;s actually a great way to <strong>review how we spend our hard-earned cash, budget in new ways, and discover new ways to live our lives</strong>. Think of it as a &quot;<strong>the frugal life</strong><strong> project</strong>&quot; that you and your family can embark on—and be amazed at how you can still enjoy life in seemingly small, simple ways.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>1. Rethink how you eat</strong></div><p>Most of us are used to just winging it when it comes to our meals. We sometimes eat what&#x27;s at home if we&#x27;re lucky to have home-cooked food, or some of us rely on eating out or food delivery apps for daily sustenance. But while these are convenient, in penny- pinching seasons, we can save a lot by planning our menu for the week, meal prepping or cooking big batches to be frozen, and planning our &quot;eating out&quot; days. Cooking at home is a project you can try with your family, as it&#x27;s a great way to bond. </p><div><br/></div><div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1775621810663rethink how you eat.jpg" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib fr-rounded"/></div><div><br/></div><p><strong></strong>When it comes to groceries, instead of impulse buying, we highly recommend you make a shopping list and stock up on the essentials as early as you can. Toiletries and non-perishable items are key for stocking up, while frozen produce and meats are also ideal for long-term use. While buying fresh from the market is always the best, we can never tell how volatile the prices will be, so it&#x27;s best to be prepared. While you&#x27;re at it, incorporate Meatless Mondays into your household menu. Meat is a lot more expensive, and also emits more greenhouse gases, so embracing more plant-based meals can also do wonders for your budget, your health, and your sustainability efforts.</p><div><strong><br/></strong></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>2. Delay gratification on tiny treats</strong></div><p>We live in a click-and-buy generation, where we are free to purchase whatever we want on an app at any given time, at any given place. The problem with this is that we often don&#x27;t have an idea of how much we&#x27;re spending anymore, given that there is no physical monetary transaction that takes place. It&#x27;s all digitized—ending up sometimes draining our online bank accounts before we know it. We&#x27;ve also become so used to spending anywhere from Php 100-500 on &quot;small treats&quot; like fancy caffeinated drinks, blind box toys, or trending foods. There is nothing wrong with rewarding yourself from time to time, but when it becomes a habit, it can also drain your wallet quickly.</p><div><br/></div><div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1775623041032pexels-kampus-6829521.jpg" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib fr-rounded"/></div><div><br/></div><p>If you&#x27;re really keen on supporting small businesses, choose to purchase your coffee or matcha latte from a small, local cafe, or better yet, buy their beans or matcha powder and make your own drinks at home. As for impulse online purchases, we recommend leaving them in your virtual cart first. Keep it there for as long as possible. If you simply cannot live without it and really need it to function, then that warrants a click on the checkout button. Delaying gratification is key!</p><div><strong><br/></strong></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>3. Get creative about staycations</strong></div><p>As fuel prices soar, flight tickets follow suit. If you thought 2026 would be the year you&#x27;d travel the world endlessly, that would perhaps need to be delayed for a bit, until prices normalize. For now, consider doing more staycations. Staying at home doesn&#x27;t mean you are being punished. It only means you have more time to appreciate your home and be grateful that you have a roof over your head. Get creative—plan themed staycations with your family! Think &quot;Pinoy fiesta&quot; at home, where you cook local dishes and <em>kakanin, </em>sele<em></em>ct an iconic Filipino movie, and listen to OPM all day long. You can even have your very own &quot;island getaway&quot; at home—get that inflatable pool out, prepare some really refreshing mocktails, fire the grill for some BBQ, and invite friends and family over! The possibilities are endless!</p><div> <em></em></div><div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1775623316097pexels-vlada-karpovich-5357342.jpg" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib fr-rounded"/></div><div><strong><br/></strong></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>4. Incorporate more analog living into your life</strong></div><p>There has been more interest in analog hobbies lately, perhaps driven by digital burnout or simply a genuine nostalgia for things of the past. Recently, we shared a list of <a href="https://metro.style/wellness/2026/3/30/how-to-live-like-it-s-the-90s-1400" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">How to Live Like It&#x27;s the &#x27;90s</a>, where things were simpler, people connected more, and being glued to your smartphone was not a reality. During a global oil crisis such as this, it&#x27;s time to go back to basics, not be pressured to upgrade your gadgets or vehicle, and reconnect to the things and people around you. </p><p><strong></strong>Beat boredom and doom scrolling by indulging in offline hobbies and sports, writing good old letters, listening to vinyl records, or resurrecting your CDs and Discman—you get the idea! You can even just spend the day in silence—no need for television or music. Simply listen to the sounds around you as you go about your day and watch those worries float away.</p><div><br/></div><div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1775626005712pexels-ron-lach-10676928.jpg" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib fr-rounded"/></div><div><br/></div><div><strong><br/></strong></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>5. Review your online subscriptions</strong></div><p>Let&#x27;s be honest: Do you really need those five streaming services? How about those pro memberships on social media apps, collage-making apps, or gaming apps? As it is, we&#x27;re already spending a lot more on shopping apps mindlessly. But if you really take inventory of your online spending, it can extend to app memberships and subscriptions you don&#x27;t really need or use. That&#x27;s an additional minimum of Php 10,000++ annual spending. This does not mean you have to unsubscribe to everything right now. Again, it takes mindful consideration of what truly adds value to your life and spending only on those. </p><div><br/></div><div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1775626249873pexels-the-six-2148199655-33206676.jpg" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib fr-rounded"/></div><div><br/></div><div><strong><br/></strong></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>6. Use what you have and learn the art of repair</strong></div><p>If you do a serious inventory of your house, you will most likely realize that you truly have everything you need. This season, tackle your house one section at a time: your closet, the kitchen, your pantry, your garage, your beauty dresser, your home office. Do a decluttering project and donate or sell what you don&#x27;t need, or enjoy the things you once bought but have forgotten about. If you spot anything that&#x27;s broken but still has potential, you can try to search online for how to repair it online. Consider it a home project season wherein you learn new skills, such as resurrecting an old radio, gluing together old China, or reworking old clothes. The key is to enjoy the process and find new joy in old things!</p><div><br/></div><div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1775626860568pexels-asumaani-17859261.jpg" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib fr-rounded"/></div><div><br/></div><div><strong><br/></strong></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>7. Rethink your wardrobe</strong></div><p>Chances are, your closet is also bursting at the seams. Before you do another impulse buy from the mall, we suggest you look into your closet, do an inventory of everything you have, and do a personal closet re-style project. What do you really still wear? What do you plan to still wear? What do you never wear? Divide them into piles, and either <strong>donate</strong>, <strong>re-work/</strong><strong>repair</strong>, or<strong> re-style</strong>. </p><p>The &quot;donate&quot; pile can go to your local church or charity, where pre-loved clothing (still in good condition) can be used by people who are really in need. Instead of collecting dust in your closet, make someone else&#x27;s day by donating clothes, bags, and shoes. </p><p>The &quot;re-work/repair&quot; pile can be the pieces of clothing that need slight adjustments so that you can wear them again. You can include these items in your repair project and learn sewing, embroidery, or tailoring! If something&#x27;s missing a button, now&#x27;s the time to sew one back on and use it like it&#x27;s brand new again. </p><p>The &quot;re-style&quot; pile contains the pieces you often use and have grown tired of wearing. This doesn&#x27;t signal another online purchase or a beeline to the mall, but instead, it means you can try new styling hacks to create new looks. Pairing a top with a new pair of pants or layering it with a light jacket can make a huge difference. Playing around with different textures, adding accessories, or doing a new type of sleeve fold can also make it look new. Besides, there&#x27;s no shame in repeating outfits!</p><div><br/></div><div><strong><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1775627450234pexels-cottonbro-6601769.jpg" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib fr-rounded"/></strong></div><div><strong><br/></strong></div><br/><div><br/></div><div><strong>8. Consume less and share what you have</strong></div><p>If you are part of the privileged few that isn&#x27;t that much worried about the rising costs of living, then one thing you can do to help during this season is to share what you do have. Think of your friends and family and make an effort to share a meal, shoulder a bill, or even offer to carpool for their kids to school or for them to work. Donating to charities is always a good idea, no matter what season, but this time, think of your nearest and dearest as well. Offer some material or financial help for your delivery riders, drivers, house help, and other staff, or simply resist the urge to flaunt whatever luxury you have in this time. Enjoying life does not mean you have to proclaim it on social media. It can mean quiet enjoyment, helping others out, and trying to contribute to the greater good. Lastly, don&#x27;t hoard goods even if you have the money to do so! </p><div><br/></div><div><strong><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1775627725294pop-zebra-kJZSIXoXrUE-unsplash.jpg" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib fr-rounded"/></strong><br/></div>

<p>Pinching pennies doesn't mean punishment. It's a way to get creative about how you live!</p>

Pinching pennies doesn't mean punishment. It's a way to get creative about how you live!

Frugal Life Project: 8 Practical Tips You Can Try During the Global Oil Crisis

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Frugal Life Project: 8 Practical Tips You Can Try During the Global Oil Crisis

Kate Paras-Santiago

Published April 08, 2026 02:00 PM PHT

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Updated April 08, 2026 02:18 PM PHT

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