Could it be true? DZMM said this morning the number of cars that ply the EDSA route is down by 10 percent. Could it be that the age of carpooling and mass rail transit has finally arrived? With a P60 per liter price looming over everyone’s heads, Filipinos will be spending so much more on transportation, food and other necessities, leaving less money for everything else including big and new cars.

I dare predict that there will come a time when only men will be driving alone on EDSA during rush hour! (You know how men hate car pools. At least the men I know who hate what they call “small talk”). It’s nice too if Filipinos are cutting down on gimmick days, but hopefully not totally. I’m not too sure about the happiness index of hermits.

A Philippine Daily Inquirer editorial the other day pointed out that the rising oil and food prices have one unintended but good consequence: people are living simpler lives.

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You all love Warren Buffett, right? Would you pay $2.1 million to have lunch with the oracle of Omaha like this Chinese investment manager who decided to pick up the tab by taking part in a high-stakes online charity auction?

Zhao Danyang, 36, will have lunch with the US billionaire at a Smith and Wollensky steakhouse restaurant in New York. He can bring seven friends to enjoy Buffett’s company for, oh, maybe two hours. Three hours max… maybe.
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I can put a whole new meaning to being frugal, sometimes. And I’m proud of it. Unfortunately, the golden dust of stinginess can wear off so quickly because the next minute, I can be the worst spendthrift on the planet. Have you ever been bitten by these financial mood swings?

Here’s an example. I love my more than 10-year old Esprit wristwatch. I bought it with money I earned from my first award as a journalist back in 1997 (and I mention that here only to explain its sentimental value). In a moment of extreme klutzness, it fell from a super-high tower rack and it stopped working. The face was a mess of broken glass.

In a normal situation, I would have loved shopping for a replacement. This time, however, I was moping about in the mall, not excited to buy a new one. I kept telling myself that it’s more than 10 years old, for heaven’s sake. I deserve to buy one with a spiffy new design or a classic Omega-like look, you know?

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My half-finished survey of mommies in the Metro are coping with the rising food and oil prices by buying more goodies at the wet market instead of at the grocery. They swear that they get hundreds off their market-day budget. My previous post on Wet market versus grocery showed that wet market won hands down among MoneySmart readers.

I go to both and compare prices when I have the time. However, I have also been known to be in so much frenzy that I can get seven bags of grocery items chosen and paid for in 30 minutes. Nope, no comparison shopping there! If I did, the last time, though, I would have missed this steal.

Freshly squeezed kalamansi juice is a staple in the Duplito household. I usually buy five kilos of the little green stuff every week. Its price at the wet market last Saturday: P80 per kilo. That would have been P400. In SM Supermarket: P60 per kilo. Total price: P300. Better quality, too.

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We answered this question in our personal finance feature today:

Question: I am one of the thousands of people who live in Quezon City but work in Makati City. That means I drive some 20 kilometers to work every day, and that’s just one way. I tried commuting but it’s impossible during rush hour. With the price of gasoline going up, travel to and from work makes a huge dent in my budget. Is there any relief in sight for us? – Josephine P.

We all will have to deal with the rising cost of gas, whether or not we are from Quezon City, Bulacan, Cavite, Cebu or Davao. The most terrible forecast I have heard so far is for a full tank to cost P30,000. That’s almost the take-home pay of senior call center agents.
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(Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall leaves a blessing at St Georges Chapel in Windsor Castle after her civil wedding Prince Charles 09 April 2005. It’s easy to overspend on weddings, especially on rings when couples don’t know what to buy. Photo from AFP.)

Raising your eyebrows? You’re saying there are only four Cs?

Cut, color, clarity, carat.

Let me add one more.

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