Low-Income Earners of Nueva Ecija: Their Budgeting and Decision-Making before and during the Covid-19 Pandemic

Abstract

This research described the budgeting and decision-making before and during the COVID-19 pandemic of purposively selected low-income earners in Nueva Ecija, Philippines. Through this study, the researcher would be able to compare and evaluate the financial strategy and plans of the respondents. The researcher used the descriptive research design through a survey questionnaire administered to 60 respondents and found out that they earn between P150 to P420 ($2.58 to $7.22) per day. They had changed their budgeting before and during the pandemic, and additional expenses were included during the pandemic, such as the budget for internet load. Daily finances and prices of goods and services were their main factors in deciding when and how much to spend. The respondents are coping with the expenses before and during a pandemic, however, before the pandemic, they still can allocate money for savings, but during the pandemic, there's no money left for savings.