Article by Desa Desiree Tayting (@dsdsrtytng) / Photos by Katrina Mayuga (@sohkatoa)
Admit it or not, we all go into ‘survival mode’ days before the payday. It’s what we always dread the most – Petsa De Peligro, the calendar dates before the actual payday which is 14 and 29 (or sometimes 30! *cry cry*) and I’m betting most working people can relate to this. We suddenly become ‘strategists’ as we carefully plan out how to last the remaining days before our salary arrives. Sometimes, that includes scavenging our fridges for leftovers; taking jeepneys or the MRT instead of booking an Uber, and ditching Starbucks for the company’s free coffee.
No need to withdraw from the ATM again and touch those savings you have because there are several ways on how to survive Petsa De Peligro and we’re presenting 6 amusing hacks that might be useful for you!
6 Witty Hacks to Survive ‘Petsa De Peligro’
6. Visit the makeup counter of a department store for instant free makeup!
During these ‘peligro’ days, we’re already on the edge, but we try not to look like it. We try our best to still look presentable at the office as if we don’t have critical wallet days as a dilemma. Another dilemma (especially if you believe that ‘kilay is life’ or if you always feel naked when you don’t color your lips) is when we run out of lipstick or eyebrow pencil!
Fret no more. Some wellness and beauty stores in the mall or the makeup section in the department store offer sample makeup sessions. Just pretend you’re an interested buyer of their products and they will gladly make you office-ready!
5. Get the ‘Petsa de Peligro’ Saver Pack.
Our suggested ‘Petsa de Peligro’ saver pack includes water, an umbrella and your charm. You’ll need water during these times simply because you’ll easily feel full when you drink water even with just a biscuit or a banana. Plus, your office has unlimited free water for everyone, right?
Another is an umbrella. Invest in one when you get your salary because you’ll be doing lots of commuting and walking once you can no longer afford to ride a cab or book an Uber during Petsa De Peligro. The umbrella will be your skin’s best friend against the sun rays, as well as your lifesaver against the rainy days.
The most important thing in this starter pack, though, is your charm. You will need to use your charm to make your friends treat you to lunch. If it doesn’t work with your friends, try to be charming to your mom because she might lend you some money to survive.
4. Pretend like you’re fasting and start packing your lunch.
It must be really ‘dyahe’ or awkward to say that your wallet is screaming ‘no more!!’ and you cannot join your team lunch or go out for a nice meal with your boss. What you can do is tell them that you’re fasting, so you won’t have to go outside to eat lunch with them.
Pack bananas or hard-boiled eggs for lunch, too, because those are the cheapest you can get that won’t make you hungry, at least. Don’t forget to drink lots of water, either.
3. Delete all of your online shopping apps and avoid malls and food stalls.
You know that what’s left in your wallet will just be enough to last you for a week, for 3 days, or for just 24 hours; so keep yourself away from all of that temptation. You know that if you come across a store in a mall that has big red tarpaulins that say ‘SALE’, you will be tempted to swipe that credit card, which will only make things harder later on.
This can also happen when your online shopping apps notify you about discounts or sales that will just make you spend on things you might not actually need. As such, delete or mute them during this time and just download or unmute them again when you really NEED to.
2. Visit the supermarket for free samples.
Free samples = free snacks! The only thing that you plan to buy when you visit the supermarket is basically instant noodles to make you live on a few days before the payday, but most of us know that supermarkets are also where you can get free samples of new food items. Truly, the best things in life are (most of the time) free – and the ones that’ll make you full. Thank goodness for food sampling!
1. Try Jollibee’s Jolli-savers!
Because most working people barely have time to prepare packed lunches (or even cook), the only choice we have is to eat outside. This can be a problem, especially when we need to stretch the few bills we have left. The good news is that delicious food doesn’t necessarily have to be expensive.
Jollibee offers Jolli-savers, an array of food items for as low as 30php! This is your chance to still join the team for lunch because finally, you’ll have great tasting food without being totally broke and sad. You can even ask your crush out on a Jolly date! They have the iconic Jolly Spaghetti, Burger Steak and Yum burger for Php50 and below.
To have a better image and get more entertaining versions of these hacks on-screen, Jollibee presents a first-of-its-kind web series, the Petsa de Peligro Jolliserye, depicting funny Petsa de Peligro survival tales. They will launch several episodes every 14th and 29th of the month throughout the rest of 2017 that will surely make you laugh simply because you’ll see yourself at some point in the series’ characters. Each character brings to life common office stereotypes that are humorously relatable.
The creators and cast of the Jolli-serye
This was conceptualized and executed by Publicis JimenezBasic and they shared the message that this web-series is trying to deliver – that Pinoys are still positive, happy and not “kawawa” even when trying to survive Petsa de Peligro or the critical wallet days. They will still get to enjoy good food without spending a lot with the Jollisavers.
Don’t worry fam! You’ll have Jollibee Chickenjoy again soon after Petsa de Peligro.
