Heart Evangelista did not keep earnings while starting out in the biz

Heart Evangelista on her Instagram

Would you believe that fashion influencer Heart Evangelista, who has long been a symbol of luxury with her name attached to high-end labels and her face plastered all over social media and magazine covers, started late in her journey towards financial responsibility.

The socialite has been gracing television screens as a teen actress, host and video jockey, easily establishing herself as one of the prettiest denizens in show business. Surely, she must have earned a fortune, an amount not many young ladies could have ever imagined.

But Evangelista said she did not know exactly how much she was making at that time. “When I was young I didn’t hold my money. I didn’t know anything about anything,” she told a gathering of journalists and online content creators last Aug. 14.

“I didn’t know how much I was making. Basically I just worked. And I kind of started a bit late, when I was starting to think about responsibility, maybe around 25 pa,” continued Evangelista, who was not exactly inadequately financed to begin with, having been born to one of the more privileged families in the country.

“It’s not a joke to work hard. We all know how to work hard. I’m very anxious when I think about my future. As you go into your life, you think about rental income, you think about having your kids inherit it,” she added, saying she has encountered clients who taught her the ropes of investments and other financial tools aimed at building wealth.

Now that she has admittedly become more well-versed in money-matters, Evangelista said she is more intentional with her spending, making sure every peso is well spent, including how she styles her home. But she also shared penny-pinching tips that can help others feel luxurious in their own dwellings.

“It has to really be who you are. You really have to feel at home. You really have to feel comfortable. Like, I love the way minimalist looks on Instagram, on Pinterest. But truly, it’s not who I am. So I try it out, but I’m not happy. It’s like dressing up. What you put there has to have a story, has to have a connection,” Evangelista said.

“It’s all about mindset. I work hard for what I have, but I also know what it feels to start from the beginning. And it’s not about what you place there, it’s actually what you surround yourself with. So if you want to wake up and feel like you want to be a great person, it really has so much to do with the aesthetics and what you manifest and what you surround yourself with,” she said.

Heart Evangelista. ARMIN P. ADINA

There are also other things to consider in investing in a home, she said. “Aside from the amenities, location is key. The idea of having this community around you, your family is safe, you just walk around, first-world feels,” Evangelista said.

And now that the “ber” months are fast approaching, and many Filipinos are excited to start showing their Christmas spirit by displaying holiday home decorations early, Evangelista shared that she does not have her Christmas tree up for so long.

“Actually, that’s always a struggle for me. I love Christmas, and I do love the Christmas tree. Pero andaming (but there are a lot of) garland, andaming mga anik-anik (so many ornaments). May mga glitter minsan (Sometimes there’s glitter, too). I hate glitter in the house, kasi nakakahawa siya (because it gets on other stuff). Kapag may glitter ka (If you get glitter), after one week may (you have) glitter ka pa rin sa (still on your) face. I hate that,” she explained.