I've been living in Taiwan and I see the same patterns over and over with kababayans who come here to work or study.

Here are the 5 biggest money mistakes — and what to do instead:

1. No budget from Day 1

Most people just spend and hope there's enough left to send home. By the time they check, it's gone. Fix: Track every NTD for your first 30 days. It changes everything.

2. Eating out every single meal

Night market food is cheap — but NTD 200/day = NTD 6,000/month. A rice cooker and PX Mart runs can cut that in half.

3. Using expensive remittance services

Western Union charges way more than apps like Wise. On a NTD 7,000 monthly remittance, you could save NTD 500+/month just by switching.

4. No emergency fund

One surprise expense and your whole month is ruined. Start small — NTD 500/week. In 5 months you'll have NTD 10,000 saved.

5. No exit plan

Many OFWs stay for years but go home with nothing. The moment you arrive, ask yourself: "After 2-3 years, what's next?" Then work backward.

I wrote a complete guide covering all of this — budgeting, remittance tricks, side income ideas, and an actual exit strategy.

It's called the Taiwan Survival Guide and it's built for Filipinos like us. 🇵🇭