udy Ann Santos talks about how she spends her hard-earned cash, how she makes it grow, and what she refuses to do with it.

Don't be fooled by her dir-poor, kawawa image on screen. If her consistently top-rating soaps, box-office hits, and product endorsements are any indication, Judy Ann Santos makes a lot of money. The icing on the cake of these moneymakers comes in the form out-of-town shows, TV guestings, and personal appearances. "Yung pupunta ka lang dun para kumaway tapos okey na," she says of her power to draw crowds-and the money.

This 25-year-old star of ABS-CBN's hit teleserye Basta't Kasama Kita has been shedding tears in front of the camera since eight. And being awash with cash at such a young age has definitely made her money-wise. "Hindi habambuhay artista ako," knows Judy Ann. And so two years ago, this hitmaker transformed herself into a businesswoman.

Today, she has a condo unit she rents out, she owns several lots that are currently appreciating in value, and from being a partner of the bar and restaurant Café Kilimanjaro on Tomas Morato, Judy An sold her share and put up her very own Kaffe Carabana.

With all the moolah coming in, it's not really surprising that despite being the bunso, she stands as the family's breadwinner. But the actress insists it's not entirely the case. "Kung sino yung pwedeng mag-abono, yun lang," says Judy Ann. "Walang binigay na obligasyon sa amin si Mommy. Okey nga sa amin yun kasi kung pressured ka sa obligasyon parang nakakawalan ng gana magtrabaho. Kung sino yung pumuno nung mga oras na iyon, siya na muna."

And since she's been the soap sensation, Judy Ann's income goes to the paying off and upkeep of the house she shares with her mom. Though her siblings (actor Jeffrey Santos and sister Jacqueline) no longer live with them out financially. "Syempre hindi masasabi ng ate at kuya ko, pero mararamdaman mo [kung may kailangan sila]."

Reward system
Although she does enjoy going to garage sales and thrifts shops, stingy is not a word to describe Judy Ann-especially at the tail of heavy workdays. "Pag pagod na pagod ako, hindi ako kuripot, lalo na sa sarili ko," she says.

Like many women, Judy An finds therapy in shopping, doing the groceries, or even going to the wet markets. "Babae eh," she sheepishly admits to the stereotype.

But if you're taking home big paychecks, buying can reach a whole different level. For Judy Ann, "Shopping galore" can mean browsing the stores from morning till evening and shelling out as much as P100,000. It's not all personal goodies of course. Recent sprees meant stocking up on groceries for two months, buying a replacement for an old air conditioning unit, and treating the family to a giant flat-screen TV.

Being in an industry that whips up images, Judy An does tend to spend a lot on clothes and shoes. "Napapansin kaagad pag paulit-ulit."

Unfortunately, it seems too that embedded in the extra X chromosome is the ability to feel in the wrong after indulging oneself. "Nakaka-guilty din kasi pinaghirapan ko iyon eh. At the end of the day naiisip ko na pwede ko pala itong pinambayad ng ganito."

Saving savvy
Judy Ann is very well rounded when it comes to saving-not afraid to spend, and not one to easily splurge. She insists however that she has yet to be an expert. "Hindi ko masasabing magaling akong mag-save, pero enough to say na natatapos ko lahat ng dapat kong bayaran." She spends and saves depending on the flow of income. "Pagpinaghirapan ko siya, itatago ko siya sa isang lugar na hindi ko siya pwedeng galawin. Pag raket, binibigyan ko na agad yung mga taong dapat unahin."

Since most showbiz folk don't have a fixed income, Judy Ann is grateful for the steady paychecks from her regular shows. How does she spend her money? "Kung halimbawa sa P100,000, babayaran ko na lahat ng kailangan kong bayaran na tao: driver, kasama sa bahay, kasama sa trabaho. Kung may matitira akong P75,000, yung P50,000 sa checking account [for everyday expenses], yung P25,000 itatabi ko. I save some for myself and then yung lump sum sa bahay na binili ko," she explains.

"Ang saving ay depende talaga sa disiplina mo sa sarili," she quips.

Birth of a business
Judy Ann's first business venture was a bar and restaurant called Café Kilimanjaro. She bought half the rights of what was her favorite hangout, and turned business partner with a friend.

"Pinagdasal ko iyon. Gusto ko talagang mag-open ng business for my mom." She was confident her mom had enough experience to manage a food enterprise. "Nasa Antipolo pa lang kami, may bar na kami doon. Hindi pa ako artista noon. Ito na yung background na nakalakihan ko. Noong mga panahong yon, may pagkaprobinsya pa, plywood-ply-wood lang noon."

Everything went smoothly at first, but unresolved differences eventually led to a buy-out of Judy Ann's share. "Hindi kami nagkakaayos, usually on money matters and conflict in decision-making. Iba yung pagpapatakbo niya, iba yung pagpapatakbo ko. Yung pagkakaroon kasi ng partnership sa business very risky. It's either you'll understand each other more or you'll drift apart. Bina-buy-out ko siya, ayaw niya, eh di buy na lang my share," she says.

When that happened, all the employees of Café Kilimanjaro collectively resigned as well. For some reason Judy Ann felt responsible for them. "Feeling ko kargo ko sila," she shares. Hence with a budget of only one million pesos, the young entrepreneur scouted for a place, found on right away, and without a specific plan in mind, re-hired everyone who resigned from Café Kilimanjaro. Last year, she opened Kaffe Carabana. The café's concept? "Gusto ko lang talaga yung parang bahay. Syempre alam ko yung gusto ng isang artista eh, yung kumportable lang ba na walang pakialamanan."

And a house is exactly what it has become fro Judy Ann-a halfway house that is. When her schedule is too tight, Juday prefers to go there to curl up in a sofa to sleep and maybe take a shower. Kaffe Carabana, which just a couple of blocks away from her home studio, is where she also gets to catch up with her mom. They rarely see each other at home.

Juday and her mom are very hands-on with the business. Since she loves cooking, she helped develop the menu. She is especially proud of her baked beef nachos, a house best seller.

On the design front, she and her best friend Dante conceptualized the restaurant. "Ang alam ko lang, gusto ko iba-iba yung gamit. Ayoko ng may magkaka-parehong furniture." True enough, the place is very eclectic. "Hindi pa nga ito kumpleto eh," she says as she tours us around. Marami pang gamit doon sa likod na pwede mo pang ilagay. Gusto ko lang na unti-unti yung paglalagay, para once in a while may nakikita yung mga tao na bago. Yung may inaabangan sila."

Spoken like someone who knows what it takes to become big hit.
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