February has always been eventful for Heart Evangelista-Escudero, with the Valentine’s Day coinciding with her birthday. Two months into the year, Heart says her 2024 has been ‘so far, so good, never been better.’ Dubbed as the ‘Progress Icon’ by GCash, Heart is embracing a new year with better spending, saving, and investing habits.

Heart will turn 39 this February 14. In a previous interview, this Metro cover girl shared her thoughts on aging: ‘I think people should really stop thinking about getting old. Actually, getting old is when the good stuff happens because that’s when your harvest is ready! Everything you planted when you were young, you can harvest. You can enjoy your crops and your labors of love. As we get older, it should never end,’

With her birthday coming up, we asked Heart what her plans are and what she’s gifting herself with. She shares, ‘My birthday plans? Well, I’m going to remarry my husband. So, it’s just going to be like a pajama party for my birthday dinner. Gift for myself? If they can resize this bracelet I got this morning, then that’ll be my gift for myself.’

Heart and her husband, Senator Chiz Escudero, are also set to renew their wedding vows this month, as they celebrate their 9th wedding anniversary. She even shared on social media a photo of their invitation and has been counting the days till the event. Last February 5, she posted a photo of a bejeweled bouquet with the caption, ‘She said “ flowers please “he said “ couture “ @eliesaabworld , thank you for my beautiful gift 💐10 more days to go 🥂 #chizheart #chapter2’

Heart and Chiz got married in February 15, 2015 in Balesin Island. In an interview, she shared that the wedding vows renewal ceremony is also set to take place in Balesin with their closest family members and friends.

Heart’s birthday falls on the same day as Valentine’s Day. And while she epitomizes luxury, she also has some budget tips for special occasions like that love-filled day. She tells Metro.Style, ‘It’s not about the place. Honestly ha, it’s not about the luxury of where you go. But I feel like it’s really the meaning of the gift that you plan to give your partner.’

Her husband, Chiz, has also been instrumental to her gaining financial wisdom. In fact, the best piece of financial advice she has received was from him: ‘Chiz would always tell me you may not have a plan with how to invest your money. You can get pressured about that. But the important things is you save, save, save because eventually, the opportunity will present itself and you will be prepared. So, you always have to be prepared for that.’

While she’s all about saving, she also knows the importance of rewarding oneself by splurging once in a while. Her favorite thing to splurge on is—you may have guessed it—an Hermès bag!

Heart tells us, ‘[When it comes to fashion], I’ll probably only going to splurge on a bag, which is Hermès. In the store, you can get it for about Php400,000. But if you sell it, if you need it, it’ll be about Php2 million. So, I mean, it’s expensive, but the return is bigger, so I feel like it’s a smart move for me.’

Interview by Janelle Paraiso