Expenditure Update: March 15

It’s actually been quite a while since we went under $3,500 for our monthly expenses and I am quite pleased to report that we did it in March! Way to go! This happened because there wasn’t big one-off expenses even though we went a little overboard on restaurants again.

Since we had accumulated quite a bit of Ringgit (we were surprised that we had almost Sing$1,000 after a quick count), we decided to spend a day there to use some of the currency up and enjoy ourselves before the GST kicks in.

April’s Challenge: No soft drinks

The monthly challenge is back again after a short break!

I was actually tempted to change it to a much more ambitious “no sugary drinks” instead. But after the no fast food experiment close to half a year ago, I really wanted to avoid the rebounding effect and not binge on sugary drinks the following month. Hopefully, this humbler target would trigger a change in me to rely more on healthier and cheaper plain water in the long run. Yeah, less Koi green tea.  😕

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Eating Out: $904.40

Hawker ($143.80) – Cheaper meals in the canteen for me and as the Mrs had to visit the company factory quite a few times, lunch expenses came down.

Fast Food ($16.80) –  Two meals at Mac. Both times, we ordered a meal, upsized it and then added a Filet O Fish. That’s a sumptuous meal that satisfies our craving for fast food.

Restaurants ($743.80) – I had my one week school holiday and I used this opportunity to catch up with my friends. Since I wasn’t at home, the Mrs also made arrangements with her friends. And most of the time, we dined at restaurants and there were a few treats here and there. Furthermore, both of us also indulged ourselves a little more this month. A trip to JB and a buffet at Swissotel were some of the highlights.

Groceries: $58.80

Supermarket ($58.80) – Mostly fruits and vegetables for breakfast and some simple dinners.

Beverages & Snacks: $66.70

Beverages ($11.70) – A can of soft drink when I met up with Kyith and 3 cups of Koi bubble tea. 

Snacks ($55) – Bought quite a few boxes of Tao Sa Pia from JB and also enjoyed a couple of bowls of Gui Ling Gao during a trip to Bugis.

Utilities: $123.77

Electricity, Gas & Water ($63.74) – We only used 161kWh of electricity, 14kWh of gas and 4.0 Cu M of water during this month. It’s quite a bit less than the previous month but the more accurate picture could be the average. Nonetheless, the dry and hot season is coming which might mean more aircon and higher usage of electricity as a result.

Cellphones ($60.03) – $28.03 for the Mrs’ plan and $32 for mine. From what I have seen and heard, we are a rarity as most of our friends are on mobile plans that are at least a tier above us. As one of the plans has reached the 20 month mark, we are pretty shocked that we need to pay >$600 for an iPhone 6 or an S6! Smartphones are really getting so much more expensive! 😥

Transport: $150

2 EZ Reload transaction for me and one for her.

Departmental: $255

Clothing ($100) – I bought a few T-shirts in JB plus one shirt and the Mrs also bought a couple of dresses. Think the per piece price is probably less than $15, which is a good deal. We are interested in popping by one of the Salvation Army stores to take a look to see if there are any peaches available.

Personal Items ($155) – Spent $25 at JB’s Watsons (toothbrushes, toothpaste and some shampoo etc) and another $130 was spent on contact lenses for the Mrs.

Miscellaneous: $15

Entertainment ($12) – We watched Insurgent in JB.

Others ($3) – A spare key for one of my cupboards at my workplace.

Total: $1,573.67

Overall Total: $3,448.67 (included fixed expenses of $1,885)

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