FEATURE l 'Tingi-tingi’ Culture: The Enduring Economy of Just Enough

'Tingi-tingi’ Culture isn't just a way of buying—it's a way of surviving when every peso counts. Born from necessity, it reflects a culture where thinking small isn’t failure, but resilience. It’s never wrong to survive this way.

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"Paminta, sibuyas, bawang, betsin sa Lunes babayaran" 

When we were kids, we were the official runners of our mothers—barefoot or in tsinelas—clutching crumpled bills or coins in our tiny hands, even nothing but our mother's good name at times. Our destination was the suking tindera of Aling Nena's sari-sari store to buy the overlooked ingredients of our ulam or restock a tingi of our emptied-out groceries.  

We've all been there. As Filipinos, our households weren't stocked in bulk but in small quantities replenished when needed, often through a micro-credit system or utang built on trust. This life in sachets and packets mirrors the economic perspective of our families as daily wage earners, stretching every peso that counts. We were not living month to month but on a day-to-day survival.  

"Wala na pong shampoo, ma. Bili lang ako sa labas." 

One may wonder: Aren't bulk purchases more worth it, convenient, and cost-effective? Tingi culture may sound financially unwise, but most people only live on what they can afford each day. Filipinos strive to fulfill their immediate needs by maximizing the limited money they earn through hard work. However, more often than not, their low income falls short of inflationary living expenses.  

"Palista ka muna ng isang kilong bigas, nak." 

If you can only afford to buy for today, would you still consider the needs for tomorrow? Saving for the future becomes a luxury. The sachet economy fills stomachs and stirs pots, indeed—but it also traps generations in a cycle of consumption without accumulation. 

It’s never wrong to survive this way. What’s unjust is when the system leaves no choice but to live like this. It exposes our reality—the status quo where people are forced to think small, spend small, and dream even smaller—not by choice, but by circumstance. 

"Naubos na, nak. Sa susunod na lang 'pag nakaluwag na si mama." 

What began as a coping mechanism has grown into a culture; it has become an economy. But behind all the justifications, must the odds never be in our favor?