We spent a reasonable $3,280 in December considering it’s the month of giving. I guess with the intention of sticking to a budget of $42,000 in 2017, we have already subconsciously tried to pare down a bit of the excesses in the last month of 2016.
The entire year’s spending is in and we actually spent about $52,000 for 2017 which translates to a monthly expenditure of about $4,300.
I guess I will be dedicating a post to the breakdown of our expenses in the next few weeks. Analysing it will probably give us a better chance of our expenses becoming even more optimised in 2017.
Here’s Dec 2016’s expenses:
Eating Out: $678.30
Hawker ($189.70) – It’s going down, as I start cooking for my lunches more often.
Fast Food ($24) – Just a dinner at Carl’s Junior
Restaurants ($464.60) – The highlight was probably the lunch out with ERSG as we enjoyed a nice and rather quiet lunch at Tunglok Seafood. There was also a couple of good meals at Jack’s Place and Paradise Inn.
Groceries: $167.80
Supermarket ($167.80) – We prepared for a Christmas Eve barbecue and spent quite a big on chicken wings at NTUC.
Beverages & Snacks: $66.80
Snacks ($57.20) – I tried out some overpriced Bingsu and didn’t like it. I also bought some confectionery like “pong bia” from a trip to JB.
Drinks ($9.60) – I think just two cups of Koi and some sugar cane
Utilities: $191.37
Electricity, Gas & Water ($94.82) – Electricity usage was much higher at 321kWh for this month as we tried out our new air conditioner in the living room for a few days. 15KWh of gas and 6.7 Cu M of water make up the rest of the utility bill.
Cellphones ($96.55) – $51.55 for me and $45 for the Mrs for our mobile services. Mine comes with upsized data.
Transport: $134
1 EZ Reload transaction for me and 1 for the Mrs. There was still some cab rides to my camp at the start of the month and quite miraculously, I stopped using those services the moment my reservist ended. I guess it shows that I don’t really need these conveniences in my general daily life.
Miscellaneous: $357.40
Clothes ($120) – The Mrs bought a couple of dresses and I bought a couple of T shirts. After some housekeeping, I realise I have stockpiled like 15 new T shirts in my cupboard.
Gifts ($150) – The Christmas exchanges with our class mates and gifts for our nephews and nieces. It’s a love-hate affair.
Online ($87.40) – A shoe rack and some accessories for the Mrs. EZ Buy is making it more convenient and cheaper to shop.
Total: $1,595.67
Overall Total: $3,280.67 (included fixed expenses of $1,685)
