Expenses - February 2019

Total - S$3,219.40

First full month in Singapore since I left the workforce last August. Despite that, or probably because of that, spending this month fell within my budget of S$4,000. And this was CNY month, which typically sees the maximum monthly outflow in the year, because of traditional red packets that are given to my parents.

Top category was "Gifts - given", which took up c.35% of total monthly expenses. This was attributed largely to CNY as explained above. In addition, my partner's birthday is in February, and we went out to have a nice memorable dinner, plus a useful birthday gift that would hopefully aid her in her practice going forward.

Second largest category was "Vacations", as I cashed out some miles and exchanged some SGD for envisaged spending during my overseas trip come the first half of March 2019.

And third was "Eating Out", as I spent more time outside breaking bread and downing drinks with friends and family during the festive CNY season. Also, this was the first whole month that I was in Singapore, albeit this being a short month, so this category seems just about right.

Total spending came up to S$3,219.40, which is c.19.5% below my monthly budget. Thinking back, this is pretty much the sweet spot, and adjusting for one time expenses such as CNY red packets to parents, it could have been lesser. However, the important thing is that at no time did I feel that I had gone overboard, or that I should be spending less.

It does feel extremely gratifying to be able to have the capacity to deploy resources in exchange for happiness, and this is something I'll always be thankful for.