Week 4: Sept 22-28, 2015

Expenditure: RM325.10

My week’s expenditure was just about average and according to the pattern of my last three weeks, if you ignore the big chunk of unexpected spending due to an incident… proving that you should have money set aside for emergencies. It also makes a more interesting story for this week’s entry because me moaning about being a budgeting failure is getting old. I did groceries. I went out for meals a few times. I treated myself to a coffee twice. I ate all three meals at home today and only spent RM7 on cut fruit and a cup of coffee. I am done with this NSS week.

Some time in the last 14 days, I got out of bed after a morning nap, went out to bring in the laundry, and came back into my bedroom to find that the wardrobe system (above) has collapsed across my bed, along with my hanging wardrobe. It was fortunate that it did not break anything, my face included.

While the arrangement was quite stable in its original position, I was not able to get it back up because at least one part was damaged in the fall and another part may have been the reason why it fell over in the first place. After an hour of trying to restore it to its original state, I found that it remained dangerously wobbly. I gave up, dismantled it and moved it to the storeroom.

Which left me with a problem of what to do with my clothes. A friend suggested that I bring the laundry rack in, which was a great idea. It gave my clothes a home while giving me time to look for an alternative. I knew that all I needed was a clothing rack, preferably one with wheels. Luck was on my side. The day I had time to pop by Boulevard to raid their IKEA section, they had two clothing racks available. One had wheels. It cost me RM81.90 but it’s mobile, a long-term investment and completely necessary.

It doesn’t look like I have a lot of clothes here but I still feel like I have too much, especially when half of these are special occasion clothes… stuff I only wear a couple of times a year while hoping that people forgot I wore the same thing to the last special occasion.

The more frequent wear clothes are in the drawers, and it’s become rather apparent that I’m only wearing half of them although I culled many items earlier this year.

I walked by a shop at CityOne the other day and saw that they had the same line of patch quilt pants that I got in KL and love to bits. Was tempted to get another pair because I wear those as often as I wear my jeans, but I decided to postpone that decision until later.

Two days left. I’m not planning to immediately go out and buy a boat after this is over, even if October is my birthday month and traditionally I’d treat myself to something major like a holiday. The project continues, and my spending habits warrant some more detailed analysis.

Condiment cupboard. #food #foodporn

A photo posted by Georgette Tan (@georgettetan) on Sep 25, 2015 at 11:33pm PDT

Week 3: Sept 15-21, 2015

Balance: RM55.10
Expenditure: RM262.25

I’ve neglected updating because I was really not in the mood to blog. Now nearly two weeks is over; I have one more day tomorrow before I come to the end of Week 4.

What can I say about Week 3? To say that I gave up trying to stick to a certain budget would be half true. There didn’t seem to be any point since I failed to budget realistically at the beginning. There’s a slight change to my header – the balance from the original budget is RM55.10, which I fully expect to exceed. The actual expenditure is RM262.25.

The good news is that I seem to stay between RM200 and RM300, with the amount creeping up steadily to reflect my increasing sense of hopelessness. If you think this is bad, you should see my Week 4 figure. However, something happened this week that I would consider a semi-emergency but fell under ‘Household Items’, which means it counts.

If anything, at least I’m learning what my spending habits look like when I’m trying to toe the line between saving more than usual and treating myself a little at the same time.

Week 2: Sept 8-14, 2015

Budget: RM287.80
Actual: RM232.70

The last two weeks proved my suspicion correct – a budget of RM510 which included groceries was delusional at best. I know now that I made a bad miscalculation that didn’t include the increased cost of living, GST or the fact that I now live on my own and don’t mooch meals (the bulk of the groceries) from the parents.

If I analyse the pattern, there are days when I barely spent anything and days when I spent RM100 in one fell swoop. I spent even more this week, and a lot of that was arguably avoidable. Especially that day when I was stressed from work and bought a whole lot of frivolous food stuff. I managed to avoid books or other types of entertainment, but I derive a lot of my creature comforts from food… which is a terrible slide.

At the same time, I’m also staying in and cooking a lot. I’m using up things I have in the pantry and replacing what I need. I’m keeping track of the best prices of things I regularly need to stock up on. My new favourite supermarket is Unaco Country Side Market; it’s nearby and things are cheaper.

If I included the figure that is exempted from the project, the numbers are much higher. All my bills came in this week. Being able to see my expenses is quite horrifying because I’ve been spending thoughtlessly for months although I was financially stable earlier this year.

Wally the budgeting app is not very helpful at this point. I can’t configure it to my project budget and there’s a few steps I have to take to separate the purchases or payments. In the end, I just made sure to keep recording everything I spent money on and calculate it manually at the end of the week.

I’m not sure how to proceed from here since I have RM55.10 left in the original budget for the rest of the month. Do I top it up with an extra RM200 per remaining week, or do I just do it freestyle?

I’ll sleep on that.

Week 1: Sept 1-7, 2015

Budget: RM119 = RM17/day
Actual: RM222.20

Living on RM17/day might have be far too optimistic. I forgot to add GST to the amount. Went waaaay over the weekly budget.

I decided to go easy on myself the first week. By “going easy”, I was still recording every cent spent and making conscious decisions. To some extent, it is working. This means no overpriced designer coffee just because I was bored, or filling up my fridge with too much fresh produce that isn’t going to get eaten before it rots.

However, there was still unnecessary purchases. Did I really need a jar of raspberry jam? Not so. Did I need to go for a late afternoon snack, followed by dinner, and ending with dessert? It would be better for my wallet if I didn’t, but these were things I did all the time without thinking of anything beyond instant gratification. Did I really spend nearly RM75 on things I put into my face-hole in one day? Yes. Yes, I did. And most of it was just junk.

In a way, this is good to know. I’m getting that rare big picture of where my money is going and it’s shocking. You’ll never guess what she did next. Your jaw will drop.

I’m using an iPhone app called Wally to record all my expenses. The figures you see in the image includes expenses that are not counted as part of No Spend Month (ie bills, etc.). I’m still trying out this app and it serves its purpose so far but there’s a slight learning curve that I’m still trying to get around. I’m less patient with learning the little details of apps these days. Instant gratification and all that.

I’m also keeping track of prices with another app called Grocery Genius, which compares prices of places you’ve shopped. It’s a free version so entries are limited. Anyone got a similar app to recommend? Normally I’d buy the app if I like it but we all stopped looking after the ringgit went past RM4 to USD1.

On to other discoveries and strategies.

The 250g bag of Colombian Arabica at RM28 saved me from getting coffee outside, although spending that money all at once was slightly cringe-y. I found earlier this month that my Starbucks card has a balance of RM0.30. I decided not to top it up. This was another one of my regular cash drains.

Eating a little bit healthier and cooking more. On stocking up the groceries, it’s better to err on less than get too much. I tend to stock up on stuff with a longer shelf life, so instead of getting more stuff, I’m working through what’s in the pantry. Started the morning lemon water habit because I’ve been wanting to try it out.

My plan for the coming week is to plan the social outings better, pack meals and snacks from home, get more fruits, and sell more books from my library.

Now seems like a good time to kick off No Spend Month, after a long hiatus from the blog and an even longer hiatus from the project. I guess I was pretty comfortable financially after my first attempt in 2010. I found something that worked and saw my savings crawl upwards. But it’s a new life now and the old methods don’t work any more.

I looked at my bank accounts a month ago and realised that not only do I own my credit card RM2,000, but my money was draining out. I moved to my own place in February and taken on adult responsibilities such as paying rent and utilities. But I was spending as freely as I always was, even more so when I get excited about adding a new item to the house.

No Spend Month was inspired by Small Notebook, a blog I used to follow. The premise is no spending except on basic essentials for one month. It was helpful in getting me on track before and I know I can do this again.

Here are the details (which applies to both me and the dog):

Budget

• RM510 / RM17 per day

Includes

• Eating out
• Entertainment
• Clothes
• Groceries
• Household items

Does not include

• Rent, bills & insurance
• Work expenses, including petrol
• Health expenses
• Savings

So that I can see where my money is going, I will be recording every single sen that leaves my wallet whether or not they are included or not included in this project.

The pantry is fairly well stocked, including good coffee and far too much junk food, so I don’t really have an excuse to eat out. My Starbucks card also happened to be empty – haha! Entertainment-wise, I have plenty of books to read, a few TV series and movies that I have not watched. Hanging out with friends is going to have to get pretty creative since I don’t have the budget for over-priced food.

I’m already two days in. Not only am I hyper-aware of what I’m using my money for, but my determination carried over into time management. So I’m getting shit done. Good news.

Since I didn’t get to do groceries before September, I already spent a chunk of my budget. But that will be detailed in my report at the end of this week.

Week 3: Sept 22-30, 2010

Budget: RM135 = RM15/day
Actual: RM138.65

I need to point out that this is a 9-day ‘week’ because there’s two days leftover and I originally decided to take a break early in the week but decided that won’t be fair because the total funds allocated include all 30 days.

The photo above was not a purchase but a gift. I’ve never had fresh blueberries before. I didn’t know the inside was pale yellow and it tastes like a tiny plum. It was a yummy treat for a frugal month.

But back to the topic at hand. I exceeded Week 4’s budget and I know exactly where I failed. On Sept 24, I decided to take a break from the project because I needed to get out of the house and do some writing. I knew this wasn’t possible without exceeding the daily budget but I was unable to focus at home and it was urgent that I finish that piece of writing.

I stayed out all day and spent more than twice as much money than I was supposed to. It was a breath of fresh air from being cooped up all day and I’m not sorry.

My friend Joey asked me what I did with the extra money if I didn’t spend all RM15 of it in a day. If I overspend, I take it out from the next day’s budget. If I have left over I keep it. It doesn’t carry forward to the next day or go into the piggy bank. At the end of the month, I’ll still be totalling up the expenses to see how much I saved (or didn’t save).

I did eventually meet friends for lunch or dinner a few times, but at fairly reasonably-priced places. Most of them knew what I was doing and may have accidentally or intentionally left more than their fair share of money when we split the bill. We never really cared about things like an extra couple of bucks, but it mattered to me because I was watching every dime. So thanks, friends. ;-)

So over the month of No Spend September, I spent RM424.10 out of my RM450 budget. I saved nearly triple of what I usually have at the end of an average month. I used the money and paid off nearly a third of my credit card bills. When my salary came in, I bumped that up to half the original sum. I’m halfway to paying them off!

So the project is over. Does this mean I’m about to embark on a spending frenzy? Hell no. I think I’ll keep the RM15/day budget, at least until everything’s paid off. ;-)

When I’m a bit more focused, I’ll blog about other observations of No Spend September.

Week 3: Sept 15-21, 2010

Budget: RM105 = RM15/day
Actual: RM86.90

I’m pleased to report that there wasn’t an epic fail this week. Maybe just a RM2 regret, but who’s counting?

The sandwich in the above photo is what my typical lunch looks like. It’s called the Special Giant Croissant Sandwich which I picked up from Delizze. It’s totally worth the money because it usually becomes two meals for me. The regular sandwich is RM4.50. The Giant is RM4.90. I thought I heard wrong when I first asked about it. It is stuffed with ham, lettuce, cheese and tomatoes.

I usually eat half or 2/3 for lunch, and save the rest for the late afternoon hunger pangs. I ate the whole thing for lunch once and knew that I overdid it. It’s funny how I can’t remember the last time I was stuffed to the point of not being able to move.

The RM2 regret is in the background of the photo. The mini eclairs, also from Delizze. Pretty to look at, not too bad to mush around in your mouth. But once it disappears down your throat, it just… disappears. I don’t think I would have felt any different if I didn’t eat it.

Most food gives you some kind of feeling. Maybe a bit of sugar rush, peaking endorphins, feeling it sit in your tummy purring like a fed cat, feeling pleased that you made an excellent choice in dessert. But there was nothing. Just a bunch of calories that wasn’t worth the RM2. A can of Coke would have been worth the calories, and it costs 20 sen less.

Oh, I treat myself to a can of Coke maybe once a week but I’ve been much better at just drinking water lately. I thought I drank enough water before (and I still do compared to most people) but since I learned that hunger pangs are the same for food and water, it’s easier to just throw water into the hatch. Water is free. I used to buy big bottles of mineral water (RM2 each) when I’m looser with my budget but I just bring big bottles from home now.

Drinking more water also tells your body that it’s in no danger of dehydration, so it won’t retain so much water (causes bloating). When I find that article that talks about this, I’ll link it.

The other habit that changed is that I eat dinner at home more often. I could go for weeks without coming home for dinner, but I quite easily talked myself out of that this month. Again, eating mum’s cooking not only saves money, but it’s a lot healthier too, especially when my mum’s more health conscious than I am.

I was telling Shin Yi earlier that I miss pasta and sushi a little, but fortunately, it was just a passing realisation rather than a craving. I did treat myself to some KFC today.

Being able to keep my daily spending below RM15 is something I want to keep on doing.

Week 2: Sept 8-14, 2010

Budget: RM105 = RM15/day
Actual: RM92.70

Remember how I said I’m good at thoughtlessly spending on entertainment?

Yup. In the middle of a game trance on the first day of the second week, I went and bought a casual pack at RM31. Yes, I enjoyed the game I was playing. The purchase wasn’t ideal and isn’t something I want to keep doing, but once next month’s coins are in, I’m gonna cancel the subscription.

Happily, I didn’t spend very much in the subsequent three days because it was my day off, then Hari Raya so I did my eating at houses I visited. Just spent RM6 on Thursday on lunch with my brother at my favourite kopitiam, and RM4.75 (RM2 tumbler discount) on a freshly brewed coffee at Starbucks on Sunday. So I just about balanced the extravagance of the first day and saved a few bucks along the way! (Imagine how much more I would have saved this week if I didn’t buy the game credits…)

As expected, I had to continue saying no to things I won’t have thought twice about before, like a new Artermis Fowl novel and various dinner outings with friends who probably don’t know about this project. It’s become a little bit easier to say not to unnecessary purchases, like daily afternoon snacks at work. In the long run, this is probably healthier as well.

There were a couple of purchases I decided to put off indefinitely until I get this financial situation sorted out. One of it resolved itself when my brother returned home with the packaging of the iPod Touch he gave me last year. My earphones were dying. There was a pair of the original iPod earphones in the box. Yay!

The other item I was coveting is the Black Rapid RS-W1. It’s a camera strap designed for women! There’s a curve that fits between the boobs instead of cutting across it like it isn’t there.

When I first saw it last month, I made the prudent decision to wait till the next paycheck. But the “next paycheck” coincided with NSS, so it’ll be a while before I get my mitts on this.

Nonetheless, I added it to my wish list, with an unsubtle reminder that my birthday is next month. ;-)

Week 1: Sept 1-7, 2010

Budget: RM105 = RM15/day
Actual: RM105.85

Let me start my No Spend September (NSS) updates with my epic fail of the week.

A McValue meal comes at the lovely price tag of RM12 something. I’m gonna round it off at RM13. And then I ordered the Groovy Lime Sunday, which bumped up the price tag to about RM17. To add to the irony, this was at 11.00pm on a day when I managed not to spend a cent.

Regardless, I spent much less than I usually do in a week and that alone is an accomplishment. I did fairly all right most of the time, being able to keep my spending limited to around RM15. I had days where I went over by a few bucks, but I compensate by spending less the next day.

Knowing that I have a daily budget of RM15 didn’t really make me want to spend less. It made me think about what I’d rather be spending it on. Will it be a fancy RM4 drink or Chinese tea at RM1? (Getting mineral water is often more expensive.) A cheap meal and snacks later, or no snacks after a meal I’ll really enjoy?

How did I spend my free time? There’s mostly a lot of my usual computer time and a lot more reading than usual. But I’m actually getting bored of reading. In the coming week, I’m gonna try to balance the reading with some creative writing.

There are a number of purchases I could have done without but even with that, I only went over my week’s budget by 85 sen. I’m mean, WHO’S COUNTING A COUPLE OF SENS, RIGHT? NOT ME.

I was gonna say “Hopefully I’ll do better next week” but I know I already committed my epic fail for Week 2. Possibly for the whole month.

Coming across No Spend Month over at Small Notebook was timely. I thought I was doing pretty well getting my spending and saving under control but I fell off the wagon big time the last couple of months.

I’m going to Hanoi and KL in October, and I’m still paying off my credit card bills from the last KL trip. Very bad!

I managed to put away a small amount of spending money for Hanoi and briefly considered throwing it at my credit cards to make the debt go away. But I decided that what I saved should simply not be touched for any other reason.

But for now, I have two salaries to go before I go on holiday, and a fairly decent chance of killing off those bills first.

So September onwards, I’m limited to the essentials only, so I expected to spend a lot of time alone at home with my past spending sins to keep me company.

You might have noticed that I’ve not included family in this project. I live with my parents, so I don’t have to worry about rent, utility bills and such. And my parents are already pretty damn good at being frugal. I just have to look out for myself.

That’s my objective. Here are the details.

Budget:

RM450, or RM15 a day.

Which includes:

• Eating out, which is impossible to avoid completely because of work.
• Entertainment, which I’m really good at thoughtlessly doing.
• Groceries & household items

Does not include:

• Bills
• Savings
• Insurance
• Work expenses, which includes petrol
• Health/Fitness expenses

Absolutely not buying:

• Books or magazines
• Clothes

There we go. I’ll update as I go along.

Updates:

• No Spend September – Week 1
• No Spend September – Week 2