At that time, we don't have any savings calculator to help us compute, like how much we need to save per day. Now, kids don't have to guess how much they need to save per day. All they need to do is work their fingers at the computer and viola, they can already know much it will be. 

As we grow old and responsibilities build up, our process of saving money evolves. Some of us keep our money in the bank, and others invest in business or stocks. No matter what, there's always that thing, the goal.

Most of us who participated succeeded in doing the 'ipon challenge' (money saving challenge) and are definitely in for another round of the challenge. This time, more challenging and a larger prize.

It's not the amount that drives us clearly to save, but the activity and the thrill of the deed of saving money.

There are many different types of savings goals that we can consider. Of course, we always regard the variables in our life to save money, like our financial situation and priorities.

Here are some examples of savings goals. As I mentioned, it varies depending on the variables.

• Down payment for a house.
• Saving for a child's education.
• Saving for a vacation or major purchase.
• Having an emergency fund.

With our goal listed, here are some steps we can take to help us achieve our saving goals: Determine our goals: The first step is to understand what we want to save for and how much money we will need. It can help us determine how much we need to save each month for our goal.

• Make a budget: Look at the income and expenses and attempt to reduce the spending in areas where we can then use the money to contribute to our savings goal.

• Set up automatic savings: Let us consider setting up automatic transfers from our checking account to our savings account to help us save consistently. It makes it easier to save without having to remember to do it manually.

• Track our progress: Keep track of how much we have saved and how close we are to achieving our goal. It can help us stay motivated and adjust and make adjustments to our saving plan if needed.

• Find ways to increase our income: Look for opportunities to earn extra money, such as taking on a side job or selling items we no longer need. We can use the extra income to boost our savings.

• Stay motivated: It can be easy to get discouraged when trying to save, especially if we have a large goal. Find ways to stay motivated, such as setting small goals along the way or rewarding ourselves when we reach certain milestones.

Always remember it's important to be patient and consistent when saving. It may take time to reach our goals, but with discipline and determination, we can achieve them.

Let's talk about money and savings. 

Did you know that 53 million Filipinos have no bank accounts? That is a staggering 69% percent of the country’s population from BSP’s Q3 2021 study.

The problem? Access. Many of them lack the documents required to open bank accounts. They opt to just keep their cash at home for easy access in case of emergency.

To encourage more Filipinos to go into formal banking, GCash, the country's leading e-wallet, recently partnered with the Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) to reach unbanked Filipinos, particularly working millennials.

This is part of the top mobile wallet’s continuing innovation to empower Filipinos and find solutions to digitalize their financial transactions, including paying for their purchases and bills, sending money to their loved ones, and building up their savings so they can have greater financial security and freedom in life.

The partnership between GCash and BPI offers BPI #MySaveUp, an in-app feature in the GSave marketplace.

"The goal of GSave Marketplace is to provide savings account options that would best fit their needs," Winsley Bangit, chief customer officer at GCash said. “The collaboration with BPI allows GCash users to enjoy the bank's wide reach and services nationwide. BPI #MySaveUp gives the underbanked and unbanked Filipinos access to formal banking through the GCash app.” 

Helping further scale up financial inclusion, BPI #MySaveUp paves the way for unbanked Filipinos to easily apply for and own a formal and all-digital account sans the long application process, allowing them to start their saving journey and achieve their financial goals while earning higher interest rates.

Through this partnership, doing financial transactions and managing an account become plain sailing thru their GCash account or BPI mobile app. This new feature also offers free fund transfer from a user’s BPI #MySaveUp account to his GCash wallet and vice versa.

Users also have an option to get a BPI Debit Mastercard in any BPI branch for only P150 so they can access their account and withdraw from thousands of BancNet and Mastercard ATMs worldwide.

"We, at BPI, are committed to realizing our vision of building a better Philippines. We are committed to continuously pursue financial inclusion programs in support of the BSP's goal for 70% of adult Filipinos to have formal financial accounts by 2023. This partnership with GCash brings us closer to this target as we provide more Filipinos a path towards financial wellness," said Maria Cristina L. Go, Executive Vice President and Head of Consumer Banking at BPI.  BPI #MySaveUp users can also win monthly prizes. Every Php 10,000 saved by the end of the month or have at least Php 3,000 worth of valid transactions within the month earns them 1 #Coin which they can use to buy a game card to win electronic GCs or eGCs from BPI. Applicants can open their BPI #MySaveUp account on their GCash app. They simply need to click the GSave icon then choose BPI #MySaveUp. Once in, they can open a savings account and proceed with using their GCash profile. After receiving the email confirmation from BPI, they can then finally start accessing BPI #MySaveUp. 

For non-GCash users, they just need to download the app, upload one valid ID and wait to be verified. Once done, they can enjoy all the products and services of GCash.