Friday 25 January 2019

Expenses - December 2018

Total - S$2,863.78

Expenses came up to S$2,863.78 in Dec 2018.

Boy oh boy, it was a "decadent" month from an experiential standpoint. Flew out to Thailand and Indonesia thrice this month, and was away for 19 days. Majority of the expenses for Vacation / Diving were already front-loaded in November, given this is a cash accounting concept of expenses, so let's see what contributed to the bottom line in Dec 2018.

Largest category was Diving. This involved front loading diving expenses for a diving trip in Jan 2019 to Khao Lak, where I wanted to check out Richelieu Rock, Koh Bon and Similan Islands. Also, paid up for an add-on course module that allowed me to take on Nitrox Air in the future.

Second largest category was undoubtedly Vacation. This involved spending on accommodation and airfare to Indonesia to cross the New Year with my partner, and also for payment of accommodation for the second part of the Jan 2019 diving trip with my family in Phuket.

Eating Out was the third largest category. There were many catch ups with various groups of friends over the holiday season, and as a family, we indulged in the festivities as well. Fun times.

So I was about 28% under budget this month, and I believe I really did live it up this month, and am happy. Not that I'm challenging myself to use up my budget, but perhaps there is a case that I really am quite content with what I have at the moment, that there probably isn't any further utility from increased spending.

Let's see.

Tuesday 22 January 2019

Expenses - November 2018

Total - S$2,948.31
Expenses in Nov 2018 totaled S$2,948.31.

Diving took up c. 42% of it. Decided to embark on my Advanced Open Water Diving certification, and headed to Indonesia to complete the requisite dives. That was a pretty good few days, and it was fun to be underwater after more than 12 years again.

Vacation was the next big category. This involved hotel expenditure and envisaged expenses as I went over to Chiang Mai for a meditation retreat and a short holiday thereafter. Retreat was great, and Chiang Mai is certainly a really livable city. It does seem like a place that I'll be happy to stay for sometime.

Donations rounded up the top three categories. Spent about 3.5 weeks in Malaysia on meditation retreat over the course of Oct and Nov 2018, and donated some cash to fund living expenses. Most of, if not all of the meditation retreats are donations only, so thought it apt to at least cover my perceived living expenses.

I'm 26% under budgeted for expenses this month, and while the safety margin could have been more, am glad that I went ahead to get my diving done. That's not a cheap sport, but it's certainly a worthwhile one. Some of the scenes underwater are amazing, and it feels good to be able to have the chance to experience it in this life.