Someday Is Not A Plan

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Someday Is Not A Plan: How OFWs Can Build a Real Exit Strategy to Come Home for Good

By Lolo Melvyn | Published in Ang OFW Real Talk

Someday Is Not A Plan graphic showing an OFW exit strategy and freedom number calculation by Lolo Melvyn

Someday Is Not A Plan: Replace vague homecoming wishes with a concrete financial blueprint and firm return date.

📌 Quick Links & Freedom Resources:

Overseas Filipino Worker, how long have you been saying to yourself, “Someday, I’ll come home for good”? How many contracts have you signed, telling your family that this next two-year stint will be your last?

Here is the hard truth every worker abroad must confront: Someday Is Not A Plan. “Someday” sounds hopeful, comforting, and reassuring when you are missing your loved ones late at night. But “someday” has no date on the calendar. Without a written strategy, working abroad quietly transforms from a short-term temporary sacrifice into an endless life sentence with no release date.

It is time to change that pattern forever. In his landmark book, Until We Meet Again: The OFW’s Blueprint to Financial Freedom, Family Boundaries, and Coming Home for Good, author Lolo Melvyn C. C. Valenzuela challenges you to replace vague promises with a concrete OFW Exit Strategy. This article will walk you through replacing “someday” with a real written plan, calculating your exact Freedom Number, enforcing healthy family boundaries, and building an unshakeable bridge back home.

📺 Watch Lolo Melvyn’s Real Talk Video:

Why Someday Is Not A Plan: The Hidden Overseas Trap

Every year, millions of Overseas Filipino Workers send billions of dollars home, earning praise from international institutions and government bodies like the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA). Yet despite earning higher wages abroad, thousands find themselves trapped in a repetitive cycle of contract renewals.

Why does this happen? Because relying on “someday” leaves your future entirely to chance. When you say “someday,” you fail to define three essential milestones:

  • The Target Date: The exact day, month, and year you land permanently in the Philippines.
  • The Target Capital: The precise sum required to transition safely without falling back into debt.
  • The Target Cashflow: The reliable local income streams that replace your monthly foreign salary.

Without these metrics, money sent home vanishes into daily living expenses, unbudgeted requests, and poor investments. To break out of this cycle, you must realize that Someday Is Not A Plan. You need an active, structured roadmap like the one outlined in our comprehensive OFW Freedom Starter Kit Explainer.

How to Calculate Freedom Number for Your Return

Instead of hoping for an endless fortune before packing your bags, you need to calculate your specific Freedom Number. As taught by Lolo Melvyn in Until We Meet Again Lolo Melvyn, your Freedom Number represents the exact annual income your household requires back home so you no longer depend on an overseas job.

The Freedom Number Calculation Formula

[ Realistic Monthly Family Expense ] x 12 Months = Your Annual Freedom Target

Let’s look at a practical example:

₱40,000 Pesos/Month x 12 Months = ₱480,000 Pesos / Year

Knowing that Someday Is Not A Plan allows you to focus on a clear goal: generating ₱480,000 per year locally. You do not need millions sitting idle in a low-interest bank account. You simply need reliable vehicles to generate that target income. Safe, government-backed tools available in the Philippines include:

OFW Remittance Management: The 3 Piggybanks System

Sending an unstructured single lump sum remittance back home is a major financial risk. Within days, funds vanish without clear tracking. To build a proper OFW Financial Freedom Blueprint, you must divide your income immediately upon receiving your salary using the 3 Piggybanks System:

  1. Piggybank #1: House Expenses (Operational Fund). The exact budgeted amount for food, utilities, rent, and daily living. This is the only portion your family freely uses for routine needs.
  2. Piggybank #2: The Homecoming Fund (Secret Return Account). Kept in a separate account under your exclusive name. This account funds your transition back home and remains untouched by daily requests.
  3. Piggybank #3: The Emergency Protection Jar. Capped for medical or disaster emergencies. Any surplus automatically rolls over into your Homecoming Fund.

Eliminating Cash Leaks with Direct Online Payments:

Stop remitting untracked cash for tuition, electricity, or medical bills. Use direct digital payment platforms like Bayad Center or online banking apps. Paying providers directly ensures your money goes exactly where intended, preventing accidental cash diversions.

Family Boundaries: How to Stop Being a Human ATM

To ensure your financial plans succeed, you must learn to set healthy boundaries without guilt. Overseas Filipino Workers often feel pressured to satisfy every money request due to cultural obligations or misplaced guilt. But as detailed in our popular Stop Being a Human ATM Guide, you cannot secure your children’s future while funding non-essential requests from extended relatives.

Lolo Melvyn introduces the Inner Circle Rule to help manage financial requests:

The Inner Circle Boundary Rule

YOUR INNER CIRCLE: Your Spouse + Your Children + Your Aging Parents
OUTSIDE THE CIRCLE: Extended Relatives + Friends + Acquaintances

Remember this golden rule: You are never obligated to sacrifice your Inner Circle’s future to satisfy outside requests. When asked for money beyond your budget, ask yourself: Does saying yes take resources away from my own child’s education or my return fund? If yes, deliver a firm, polite refusal.

Polite Script to Refuse Non-Essential Requests:

“Gusto ko man pong tumulong, pero may strict budget na po akong sinusunod ngayon para hindi rin kami maubusan sa hinaharap. Sana maunawaan niyo po.”

(Translation: “I want to help, but I am following a strict budget now so that we don’t run out of money in the future. I hope you understand.”)

For more scripts and communication strategies, visit our OFW Real Talk Archive.

Executing Your 12-Month OFW Homecoming Plan

Because Someday Is Not A Plan, you need a structured timeline for your return. The biggest mistake is buying a flight ticket impulsively without a buffer. Lolo Melvyn recommends building a Transition Bucket—a dedicated cash cushion covering your first 12 months back in the Philippines while local income streams adjust.

The 12-Month OFW Exit Strategy Timeline:

Timeline Key Milestone Action
Months 12 – 10 Set your exact return date, calculate your Freedom Number, and start filling your Transition Bucket.
Months 9 – 7 Audit government accounts, health insurance policies, and local documentation in the Philippines.
Months 6 – 4 Finalize local investment vehicles, small business models, or remote employment opportunities.
Months 3 – 2 Clear employment contracts, finalize travel logistics, and verify transition savings.
Month 1 Pack your bags, brief your family, and return home with total financial security.

Conclusion: Replace Someday with a Real Plan Today

Stop wishing, stop guessing, and stop leaving your family’s future to chance. Remember always: Someday Is Not A Plan. A written blueprint, backed by calculated numbers and clear family boundaries, is what brings you home for good.

Take the first step toward your freedom today with these resources from Lolo Melvyn C. C. Valenzuela:

3 thoughts on “Someday Is Not A Plan”

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