6 months of expenses are in. And luckily, this month’s expenditure was rather reasonable at $3,350 and it has definitely helped to lower our average for the first half of the year.
The average so far stands at $4,670 and if we extrapolate it for the rest of the year, it would be around $56,000. One could argue that the expenses were bumped up because we paid for an overseas trip for 4 earlier in the year.
However, since I am expecting to make some home improvements later this year, (installing an air-conditioner and a kitchen door), I am not holding my breath and I predict the annual expenses for 2016 are going to come in closer to $60,000 rather than $50,000.
And yes, I know I have not tabulated my annual expenses for 2015. I will do that soon before updating our fixed expenses for the next 12 months.
Eating Out: $715.70
Hawker ($217.60) – Slightly under $8 a day as we have cooked quite a few meals ourselves the past month.
Fast Food ($27.80) – A couple of Long John Silvers and a Mac meal for me as the Mrs actually managed to go without fast food for the whole month!
Restaurants ($470.30) – The expenses at restaurants are slightly reined in this month. However, Tunglok is getting an increasingly larger pie of this category’s expenses.
Groceries: $123.70
Supermarket ($123.70) – Slightly higher this month as we bought some washing powder and detergent together with the usual suspects like fruits, vegetables and ice-cream.
Beverages & Snacks: $45.90
Snacks ($27.30) – Learning to enjoy some bingsu at Waterway Point recently.
Drinks ($18.60) – The occasional sugar cane drink and a once in a week treat at Koi.
Utilities: $179.95
Electricity, Gas & Water ($81.95) – Electricity usage was at 283kWh for this month. 14KWh of gas and 6.5 Cu M of water make up the rest of the utility bill. With the increase in electricity tariffs and the increasingly hot weather, I do think $100 is not a matter of if but when.
Cellphones ($98) – I don’t really know why but 4GB of data these days are just insufficient and I actually paid an additional $5.90 a month to top up by allowance by another 3GB. So the bills are $53 for me and $45 for the Mrs.
Transport: $100
1 EZ Reload transaction for each of us.
Miscellaneous: $367
Gifts ($289.50) – A banquet lunch at one of my childhood friend’s wedding and both of us also gave some treats to some friends.
Work ($77.50) – New category to group all my freelancing expenses. It will include books, stationery and birthday gifts for my students. Made a few trips to Bras Basah the last month to replenish my supplies.
Total: $1,532.25
Overall Total: $3,354.25 (included fixed expenses of $1,822)
