It’s the most wonderful time of the year again! It’s almost Christmas! Many companies have already given their employees their 13th-month pay and other Christmas bonuses. There are also those who have yet to pay out the 13th-month pay and Christmas bonuses of their employees. When I was still employed, I used to get a 14th-month pay from my previous employer on top of the government mandated 13th-month pay. Some companies pay even up to 15th or 16th-month pay! But what most employees receive is the 13th-month pay mandated by law. According to the Labor Code of the Philipines, employers should pay the Christmas bonus or 13th-month pay of their rank-and-file employees on or before December 24 of each year so, people have money to spend during Christmastime. If you have more questions about the 13th-month pay, you may click this link.

There are people who have A LOT of money to spend during this season. I’m writing this post to remind people to spend their Christmas bonuses well. Here are my top 5 recommended ways to best spend one’s Christmas bonus so that it just doesn’t vanish into thin air after the holidays.

1. Spend it on experiences with the family.

I read an article that says it’s better to spend or even splurge on experiences than on toys and other material things when you are planning to give to your family members like your kids. Toys get broken or misplaced. Clothes get worn out or fade over time. But shared family experiences will forever be etched in the memories of your children and spouse. So, why not spend a portion of your Christmas bonus by planning an outing, a field trip or a family vacation for the family? You can even make this a family tradition that every family member will look forward to each Christmas and will cherish and remember long after they have graduated from college or left your home.

You can read more about this topic here.

2. Spend it on something substantially tangible that you or your family really like.

If you are going to spend your Christmas bonus on something tangible, make sure it’s something that will give you a wonderful reminder every time you see it. For example, one of the ways I used to spend a big portion of my Christmas bonus when I was still single and living with my parents was to spend it on home improvement projects. There was a time when I had our kitchen extended and renovated. There was another year when I had the entire house repainted and had the living area and facade of our house renovated. I felt good not only during the time that we had our house renovated. I felt happy and good every single day after that renovation and home improvement project because I see the fruit of my hard labor every day at home. There was also a year when I spent my Christmas bonus buying new bedframes for my brother and me. Other examples could be paying for the down payment for a new vehicle or a real estate property that you are using for investment or to buy your own house. When I was still single, I used my Christmas bonuses also to pay the mortgage on the house I bought as a gift for my parents. Then, just before my wedding, I spent part of my Christmas bonus to buy diamond earrings and a diamond necklace that I planned to use during my wedding day. Every time I use my jewelry or I visit our house where my parents still live, I remember that I spent my Christmas bonuses wisely in the past years when I was still working fulltime.

3. Donate to charity or the less fortunate.

This is another way to spend your Christmas bonus that will surely warm not just your heart but of many others as well. You can donate a portion of your Christmas bonus to a charitable institution (i.e. orphanage, home for the aged, scholarship foundation, etc), to your church (especially if they are having renovations), support an advocacy or you can organize a Christmas outreach or CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) Project, especially if you own a business, are part of the HR Department, or a leader or active member of an organization.

Years ago, I launched my advocacy on spreading the value of education and teaching students to live simply by reusing and recycling. I do this by donating copies of my children’s book Maliit na ang Palda ni Isay to elementary public schools, orphanages, indigenous children and other poor communities. The minimum donation is only P100. But if you donate P500 or higher, you can get a free signed copy of my latest children’s book as well. You may donate via BPI, BDO or Paypal. You may read more about this here.

I also started a Christmas book donation drive and outreach in relation to my latest children’s book Pasko Pa Rin. Through this book, I’m teaching or reminding children that Jesus is the real reason we are celebrating Christmas. It also teaches children to be thankful to God for their blessings particularly the gift of salvation and family. Moreover, it promotes good Filipino values and Filipino Christmas traditions. Those who will donate P1,000 or higher in our Christmas outreach will already get a signed copy of Pasko Pa Rin. You can read more details on how you can support our outreach in cash or otherwise here.

My family and I have a Christmas tradition also of giving away brown bags to street kids every Christmas. It’s our little way of sharing our blessings with our poor brothers and sisters. You can read more about this here.

By spending a portion of your Christmas bonus on charity, you multiply the happiness effect of your money. If you spend it on yourself or your family only, you only make yourself and your immediate family members happy. But if you spend it by donating to the poor, you spread happiness to more people. I believe that when we do this, we attract more blessings into our lives because we are using our resources to bless more people. If you need suggestions on which institutions to donate, I recommend these ministries that our community Kerygma Family and Light of Jesus run. You can donate to a specific ministry or simply donate to Kerygma Family here.

4. Invest a portion in the stock market by buying blue-chip stocks.

They say that we should save for the rainy days. One way to save is by setting aside some money in the bank so that you have an emergency fund. But when you invest in the stock market, you have a better chance of growing your money sooner than if it is in the bank. If you want to grow your money faster and with higher yields, you should invest in the stock market. This way, you do not lose the portion of your Christmas bonus that you invest in stocks. Instead, you are able to grow it over time. The safest way to do this is to invest in stocks of stable companies which had been in operations for a very long time. Examples of these companies include Ayala Land, SM Investments, Meralco, PLDT and Jollibee. Of course, it is best that you study how this works to better understand this investment tool. Thus, I would recommend that you join Bo Sanchez’ Truly Rich Club. My husband and I had been members of this club and we have benefitted from a lot from joining it. Our mentor, Bo Sanchez, guides us by teaching us more about the stock market, what stocks to buy and when to sell them so we earn more profit. We do not trade stocks. We invest in stocks for the long term. Bo Sanchez even taught and helped his maids and drivers to invest in the stock market by slowly buying stocks month after month. You only need to start with P5,000. If his maids and drivers were able to do it, you surely can also! One of his maids already has at least a million pesos in stocks! If you want to learn more about the Truly Rich Club or want to invest in the stock market, click here.

5. Invest in your personal growth.

Last but not least, don’t forget to take care of the goose that lays the golden egg. As what one of my favorite authors say, the late Stephen Covey, “Don’t forget to sharpen the saw.” When you invest in your growth through seminars, training, books, courses or programs where you learn and improve yourself, you continue to reap the benefits of your spending long after the holidays are over because you will keep on using the skills and the knowledge that you learned over the years. Keep on learning. The most successful people in the world are those who have a growth mindset. What you learn will last a lifetime compared to the material possessions we often buy. Moreover, you increase your earning capacity by investing in your personal growth.

Do you want to learn entrepreneurship? Do you want to publish your own book? Do you want to learn how to earn through an online career or business? Do you want to learn how to be a Hands-On Parent while Earning? We have talks and programs on these topics. You can learn these through our video talks or digital products that you can access anytime and anywhere at your most convenient time as long as there is an internet connection.

Below are the links to these talks and program.

iHOPE through Entrepreneurship

iHOPE through an Online/Virtual Career and Business

Book Writing & Publishing Talk Series

iHOPE Online Coaching Program (How to be a Hands-On Parent while Earning)

Short-Term Coaching (choose between 1 session to 3 coaching sessions)

There you have it! I hope I have helped you by sharing these options on how you can best spend your Christmas bonus this year and the years to come! Advance Merry Christmas!

So, how are you spending your Christmas bonus this year? Feel free to share in the comments!