Expenses Report: August 2017

OK. So I've been using this app for a few months now, still very much considering whether to purchase the full app (USD 4.99 oh!) or to continue using the free version. I'd give you a breakdown of my expenses but I'm still working my way around this thing. 

As always, Bills and Facilities are my biggest expenses for the last 3 years or so, approximately around B$1300 per month. I hope to clear my credit card by the end of the year and start to increase my savings then. I'd very much love to share what I've learned over the years of earning my own money, and investing it on things I didn't thoroughly think about prior to making my decisions. 

So, not a lot of Yays for August because I ended up being quite broke. Yay because it was a celebratory month; 

• Threw a birthday surprise for my parents and baby brother (funnily, I was also throwing one for myself, lol!)
• Bought presents for my parents (after so long wei)
• Took my brother for a birthday treat
• Bought wedding gifts for newlyweds friends
• Bought birthday gifts for my nephews

Nays:

• Spent half of my savings on an impulsive trip to KL and Melaka (had to pay 3 separate accommodations - was not too confident about staying in a capsule or budget hotel)
• Pets' needs increased by 50 %, which took up the remaining of my savings
• Decided to pamper myself when I didn't really have to; Facial Treatment, Hair Cut, Body Massage etc 

No sunshine and rainbow for me in September either. Savings will fully be used to pay for my car insurance and road tax, and am definitely not going to fly off in the next 3 to 4 months. I am truly hoping that my calculation would be right because my next car servicing will cost me up to B$1500, which I expect to pay with my bonus. (boo, not going to enjoy my bonus again)

I'm also trying to find extra funds for a medical treatment. I'm currently going through a minor condition that has been bothering me for about a month now, as a result of a medical condition that I've had since I was 6. It has gradually gotten worse, and the effect that it has on me today has convinced me enough to take some serious measures. I chose not to share this publicly but I'm considering to sell off my paintings to help me get the extra income. 

This particular one is for sale at B$250, if anyone's interested:

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First Expense Report of 2017

Okay, NO, these are not my last month's expenses but a summary of the last 4 months.

I mentioned in my previous post about coming across this Malaysian Personal Finance Blogger who runs an awesome blog called Ringgit Oh Ringgit. What really got my attention was this Monthly Budget Update that she does and the fact that she's able to share something that most of us would deem as "confidential" or private. 

Frankly, I hesitated on wanting to post this up but I guess I wanted to do something other than my usual sappy and emotional writings. I've only started tracking my expenses about 4 months ago using the MoneyLover App, which took some time to get used to but it's probably one of the most user-friendly app there is. I'm still using the free version so I'm only allowed to have 2 Wallets: 

1. Bank Account (expenses made through this account should have a small credit card symbol next to it)
2. Cash (expenses made through this account should have the symbol with hand holding cash, cause yknow take ma money!) 

I feel like my report is still a little disorganised and I'm still trying to find my ways around it but it's so easy to see what's my biggest expenses are: BILLS AND UTILITIES. 

What do the bills comprise of? 

Well, from car loan to credit card payment, phone bills, the internet, and electricity. Having a luxurious car means spending 1/3 of your monthly income just to pay for the loan. It wasn't a very wise decision but I LOOVE my car and I knew that I wouldn't have been able to afford it 7 years from now. 

A number of my monthly spending is quite set in stone: Bills & Utilities, Savings, Food & Litter for Pets and Moolahs for my parents. It's the rest of the expenses that are quite interesting to review on, I guess...

FOOD & BEVERAGES:

• I spent approximately $70 on this per month. I've cut down a lot of cost/ expenses this year because of the unforeseen commitments over the last 12 months. On average, I would spend around $2 to $6 a day on meals (Brunch and Lunch as I don't really eat for dinner). If you bought food from stalls, you could get 4 different food (Nasi Pusu, Popia, Begedil and Karipap) just for $4. FTW.

GROCERIES (+Personal Care Products):

• Approximately $250 per month. I'm the least mindful person when it comes to grocery shopping. It's like I would just grab whatever I want but it's also realising that I've been buying less stuff or the same items but paying more than I did 3 years ago because, in this poor economy, everything is just more expensive. 

PETROL:

• An average of $70 per month. Thank God I live in a country where fuel is still cheap. It normally costs me $32 for a full tank which would last me for about 2 weeks considering that I drive a minimum of 60km-80km per day.

FAMILY:

• There are 3 sub-categories under Family: Parents, Pets and Home. This made the second largest expenses per month. Over the last 12 months, I've been paying a lot of Medical Expenses for my pets, which has also drained out a lot of my savings. This month alone, I've rescued 5 more kittens (unfortunately 2 died) and adopted another cat. Having brought these cats home somehow made my other cats sick so it's a vicious and exhausting cycle of trips to the vet each month.

• Since my dad has retired for almost a year now, it has changed our family's economy quite drastically too. Considering that I earn the highest income in our household, it's becoming a responsibility to step in and help around. 

SAVINGS:

• Haha, tinggal habuk. 😅
• I do have a habit of putting aside a sum of money each month of which I'd only use towards the end of the month and when necessary. I have not been able to save consistently so I've started the Fives and Fifties method. However, it's so challenging because I'm a pretty cashless person but I do hope it'll bring positive outcome eventually. 

AVERAGE MONTHLY EXPENSES:

• Approximately $2,700 because I think the Monthly Average stated above is not realistic enough. My biggest expense in the last four months would be July because it was Raya and I spent quite a lot to help my parents out. 

• Yeah, I am trying to be prudent with my spending but I can't help having 9 cats and probably expecting more since we just brought home a girlfriend for Mojojojo. Aiyayay. 

So there you go, my first budget report and probably not as fun as Suraya's. I am figuring out ways to earn extra income but that'll require time and commitment. So far I've two things in mind, to offer B&W film developing services, or to sell my paintings. I'd really love to get something very fancy for myself this year so I guess I'll have to force myself to make time and commitment. Please pray that I don't give up on these. 

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I WISH FOR MY LIST TO STOP GROWING

Wishlist (noun):

           "a list of desired things or occurrences"

A couple of months ago, I came across Suraya Zainudin on Twitter who runs a website/blog called Ringgit oh Ringgit. I was particularly interested in her personal budget and expenses logs, and how she uses less complex terms to explain financial matters. If you know me, anything that's not Arts and Social Sciences related, I would normally find it hard to understand. 

Because of her blog, I've started using the Money Lover app to track my expenses as well. Did take some time to get a hang of, but I think it's one of the simplest and user-friendly app there is. I ought to upload my charts in the coming months. 

Anyway, recently she reposted one of her older post on Twitter where she talked about her Wishlist: "My 'I want this but I won't buy it' List." Sounds familiar? I'm sure we all have this list tucked in our drawers somewhere. 

Personally, I have two wishlists. One that I hope to be able to purchase should my budget allow, and two the "Want but Won't Buy List". Let's start with the latter. 

1. An awesome cat tower: Like why won't I want to spoil my cats right? But I've been buying toys for my cats that had been left unplayed. So I doubt they'll even need this tower right now. 

2. An automatic cat litter: When I do think about it, I thought about splurging a lot of money for my pets. Not sure if the automatic cat litter is worth the money though but it's quite tempting! Similarly, I do want to buy an automatic cat feeder as well. 

3. A Chanel and Prada bag: Hohoho, who am I kidding right? This is ultimately just something I've always desired. I've stood in front of their stores many times just wondering if I'll be able to afford them one day. I probably won't. Ever. 

4. A Fujifilm Instant Smartphone Printer: I would love to be able to print out the photos on my phone instantly, but you can print out 3R photos for $0.20 each. It's bigger and cheaper, while an Instax (2R) costs $1.00 each. Go figure. 

5. This panda light cause, why not? It's super adorable! 

6. A Vespa and a Class 1 License: I've been dreaming about these for a long time, until my trip to Jakarta where I was so close to riding an Ojek. I didn't know why but I got so worked up and anxious about riding a scooter there. So I've been reconsidering and contemplating a lot, and realising that perhaps it's just not that important after all. 

7. Rega P3 Turntable: Umts Umts Umts Umts. Turn the music up in here! So at the moment, I have a portable record player, a Satchmi Motorino II, which plays just fine. It's a lot better than Crosley really, but if I could upgrade, a Rega P3 will definitely hit the right spots for me. Mmhmm. 

8. Dyson Hair Dryer and Vacuum Cleaner: Damn, futuristic electronics just get me sometimes. But I'm too stingy to spend on anything that's way over my budget, even if it's practical and make a good investment. 

9. An iPad Mini, iPhone 7 and Macbook Air: Once you go Apple, it's hard to want to trust other brands really. I guess these are all for the conveniences. I do have an iPhone 6 and a Macbook Pro, but I also want to be able to have portable and lightweight gadgets for work purposes. As for the iPhone 7, nafsu. 

10.  A Rimowa Luggage: That shiny rugged looking luggage never failed to make me drool. 

11. A treadmill: Because I would love to start jogging and running but at the comfort of my own home. Tell me again why treadmills are so expensive? 

12. Yamaha Digital Piano and Recording Microphone: No, I don't know how to play but I'm a keen learner. Always wanted these since I was a little girl, but never really thought of getting them myself. Lol. 

13. INAX toilet: Soft-closing, hygienic and water-efficient. What more can I say? But they're not cheap though. INAX has one of the most expensive toilets too, costing about $17,000 to $23,000. Yes, because who doesn't want an odourless, heated lid with LED light and sound module toilet in their room? 

14. Extensive Art Supplies + Digital Drawing Pad: If there's anything I miss about London, it's definitely my school's Art Studio. I've always dreamt of having my own studio, with painting supplies everywhere, from acrylic, oil to watercolour. I don't know why I wanted a digital pad though when I don't even sketch that much. 

15. Adila Long's Songket Clutch and Wedding dress (+Nurita Harith's): Because P.R.E.T.T.Y

To be honest, this is a lot harder to list down than I anticipated. I guess most times these desire for the things that I wanted but probably won't buy usually come off as temporary wishes and temptations. 

However, I would also love to share the things I've been trying to save for: 

1. A Hybrid Bike: Ever since I started cycling again, I haven't stopped thinking about buying my own bike. But how can I cycle without one then? Well, my uncle has been kind enough to let me borrow one of his bicycles but I thought it's such a hassle having to pick and drop it off every week. I've been putting a hold on this because I'd love to be able to buy a quality bicycle. It's an investment because Quality over Quantity goes a long way. I know that I can get a really good one for $700. 

Retrospec Hybrid Urban Commuter Road Bike

Schwinn Discover Women's Hybrid Bike

2. Fujifilm XT-20 with 35mm f1.4 and 27mm f2.8 lenses: Can I please have this for my birthday? Please? Thank you. 

3. To become PADI Certified/ Take Swimming Course: I love the ocean, but I don't know how to swim. So one or two of the things on my bucket list is to learn how to swim and then take diving courses. Once I'm done, I plan to fly off to Lombok to dive! 

4. Furnish my Office and Bedroom: I've been thinking about this for a while but haven't been able to come around to purchase anything. I would love to buy a carpet, a sofa and a mirror for my office, and then a coffee table for my room. Seriously, furniture are expensive, okay? 

5. 2.5hp Split Air-Conditioner: I AM DONE with this heat. This is a long term investment, but $700 is a lot of money, and the kind that I don't have right now. Just to share with you, for 2 years or so now, I've been sleeping with two fans. My old AC decided to break down in the middle of the night, and when my dad told me that it could be the compressor, we all know it's better to buy a new one instead of trying to fix it. 

6. Shoes and Brogues: Been too long since my last pair. 

7. Clear my Credit Card: A bad debt that I wish I could clear very easily. It sucks because it's having a credit card that I can't even use because HSBC didn't want to issue me a new card since my salary doesn't go there anymore. I hope to get this out of my way pronto! 

8. Have all my cats neutered: For health reason. I've also been hoping to take the stray kittens that have been lingering around my house for a check-up. 

9. A One-Plus / Android phone: While my Xperia Z still functions okay, I think I would still love to upgrade my work phone. 

10. Travel Budget: No specific destination but I like to save some money for travelling. I hope to make it to Europe somehow. And Insya Allah, for Umrah too. 

So my birthday is in two months. You are welcome to grant any of my wishes. There are still many things I could list out, like an Espresso machine, Chanel Perfumes, Endless supplies of Victoria Secret's body mists collection and so on. But please, I have enough socks for the next 3 years. 

Not sure if I'll be able to purchase much from this list, but priorities are to clear off my debt and make long-term investments such as an Airconditioner and refurbishing my bedroom. I wish my list was more girly, listing out all the make-up and skincare products but I really have no idea on any of those things. Gadgets and Electronics really do get the best of my interest. Did I mention I want all of The Sims editions and a Nintendo Switch? No? Ok. 

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