Monday, January 25, 2016

$20 a day challenge - week 4

Day 1
No time to eat anything except come home to dinner with ayam penyet. Then went supermarket buy fruits. 
Transport: $0.88
Food: ($8.50)
Others: $7.45
Total: $8.33 ($16.83)

Day 2
Transport: $2.58
Food: $5.50 ($18.50)
Total: $8.08 ($21.08)

Summary: $16.41 ($37.91)

Day 3
Ate with principals but spent the money on cab to work. 
Transport: $11.20
Food: ($3)

Summary: $27.61 ($52.11)

Rest of days
I am quite lazy to keep up with the daily spending. It's a bit troublesome to edit through here. It's easier to just write it on a piece of paper. But anyway, I did not go shopping. So there is no extra expenses. Did not eat big meal too. Oh, I did went to try out the Boston lobster from Song Fish, $28. On average, my spending is $5 a day. So we can say additional $48? Oh I did give a $20 for a wake. So $68. 

Total spending: $95.61 ($120.11)

Overall 
So for Jan, I spent $343.80 with the budget of $600. Or if I sort of pay for everything myself, I will have to spend $765.70. Which I think is quite good. Cause there are so many meals and actual spending that I never really take note. 

Bought my sis her wallet which I never take into account. Then there is my handphone bill, insurance payment and money spend on future traveling. I mean you sort of have to book your ticket in advance. 
There will be weddings and birthdays and  farewell parties and funerals. These cost money too. Going out for dinner and dates. No matter how budget you try to be, you still have to spend money. We can always go and eat at food court or buy $2 chicken rice. But I'm not sure how long till you actually get bored. 

In the end, it's possible to live under $20 a day, provided these things are only considered for food and travel by public transport. For $140 a week, you can spend a day eating something more expensive and the rest of the days spending it as little as possible. 

I will have to do this challenge when I live on my own. It will be a fairer test and better sense of reality. 

Tuesday, January 19, 2016

$20 a day challenge - week 3

Day 1
Transport: $2.46
Food: ($37.40)
Total: $2.46 ($37.40)

Day 2
Went out with yinyang for dinner today. Decided to drop by Zara and I bought a shirt. Plus bought cakes for Mami. So, overshot by a lot today. Today is what I call real life.  
Transport: $3.16
Food: $24.20 + $26.60
Shopping: $46.80
Total: $100.76

Summary: $103.22 ($138.16)

Day 3
Went for a meeting today. So ate at a nicer place for lunch, which is quite expensive if I were to pay it myself. Transport was provided my boss and I got send back to Raffles place where I took a bus home. Mom cook dinner, so that's my day. 
Transport: $2.12
Food: ($59.30)
Total: $2.12 ($61.42)

Summary: $105.34 ($199.58)

Day 4
Transport: $3.14
Food: $3.50 ($21.19)
Total: $6.64 ($24.33)

Summary: $111.98 ($223.91)

Day 5
Mom cooked for dinner. So my share should be about $2 as I don't eat as much. 
Transport: $0.88
Food: $3 ($5)
Total: $3.88 ($5.88)

Summary: $115.86 ($229.79)

Day 6
Prata for breakfast ($1.50), yoshinoya for lunch ($8.80), dumpling for dinner ($4). 
Transport: $3.54
Food: ($14.30)
Total: $3.54 ($17.84)

Summary: $119.40 ($247.63)

Day 7
Went to PP to use up the food vouchers. Then had $30 extra vouchers thanks to a lucky spin. So lunch/dinner was only $7.90 for 3 person. 
Transport: $1.58
Food: ($9.90)
Shopping: ($132.70)
Total: $1.58 ($144.10)

Summary: $120.98 ($391.73)

Yup, that's a more accurate spenditure.

Monday, January 11, 2016

$20 a day challenge - week 2

Day 1
Ate fish soup for lunch and chips for dinner. 
Transport: $0.88
Food: $5 ($9)
Total: $5.88 ($9.88)

Summary: $5.88 ($9.88)

Day 2
Been just eating 1 meal per day. It's not healthy, but just not in the mood to eat. 
Transport: $0.88
Food: $3.5 ($5)
Total: $4.38 ($5.88)

Summary: $10.26 ($15.76)

Day 3
Off to KL for a factory visit. Food is pretty much provided by the company. Went to Uniqlo and bought some socks. 
Transport: $1.43
Shopping: RM32.80, $10.30
Total: $ 11.73

Summary: $ 21.99 ($27.49)

Day 5
Last day in KL, managed to spend some time shopping. Bought 2 pairs of shoes and one pair for Kelly. Overspent for today. 
Transport: $1.50
Shopping: RM217, $72.30
Total: $73.80

Summary: $95.79 ($101.29)

Day 6
Transport: $0.88
Food: ($10)
Total: $0.88 ($10.88)

Summary: $96.67 ($112.17)

Day 7
Mom paid for all the food I ate today. 
Transport: $1.58
Food: ($34)
Total: $1.58 ($35.58)

Summary: $98.25 ($147.75)

Monday, January 04, 2016

$20 a day challenge - week 1

Inspired by journalist who tried out the challenge and survived, I too want to try and succeed. Last year, I overspent. So this year, at least for 2 months, I want to spend as little as possible. That is doing a no buy and spending as little as possible in a day to day basis. 

Disclaimer: I work for a trading company. I have lots of food samples and biscuits on my desk. So if need to, I can always snack on them. My morning coffee is free as the office aunty will make them. Sometimes I'm lucky enough to go for events thus settling my lunch/dinner. I take the company transport to work. So if I don't go out at all, my transport cost is only to the pickup point. I am also still staying with my parents, meaning no rent, free dinner, and no utility bills. 

R said that $20 is too much, which is probably true. But $20 a day is $600 a month, which includes hand phone bills, shopping, meals and entertainment - is actually quite a fair amount. Work days should be able to save, but weekend I am not sure. I don't have much of a life, but I do love to shop and eat. So we shall see. 

Day 1 - 4/1/2016
Missed my bus, seriously those bus apps are such liars. The next bus supposed to come 9 minutes later, but no it came 18 minutes later. So tempted to take a cab, but I didn't. 
Ate minced meat noodle for lunch, drank hot tea from office. Tea bags were bought before hand, should I count it to the challenge? 
Went home by company transport. It will pass by my area, so I will get drop off. Drank Yakult (mom paid for it), ate some Pika Ambon (also free) for tea break. For dinner, cooked some veggies and meatballs (free). 

Transport: $0.88
Food: $3.00
Total: $3.88

First day a success! Cause everything is pretty much provided by mom. I think housewives are the only ones who should do this challenge. They are the ones who actually do the spending. 

Another thing, I'm kind of confused. My ezlink card is prepaid, but I take note on the daily expenditure instead of the day that I top up my card. Does that mean I'm suppose to divide everything up according to my usage or I should just take it as face value?

Day 2
R told me I should included all the things I didn't pay too. In that case, I will bracket the value I should have paid. Day 1 total should have been ($11.58). 
Kelly bought me porridge for breakfast. If I were to pay for it, it will cost me $3. My colleague gave me a piece curry puff, which I will not take into account cause it's a gift. 
I had fish slice beehoon for lunch, and used 2 sachets of tea bags for my drink ($1.00). 
Mom cooked dinner. Just a simple stirfry veggies and rice ($3.00 maybe less, but the prawns are quite ex). There was also watermelon. I ate maybe half of a quarter, so maybe a dollar worth. 

Transport: $0.88
Food: $3.80 ($11.80)
Total: $4.68 ($12.68)

Summary: $8.56 ($24.26)

Day 3
Ate granola bar, given by colleague for breakfast. Lunch time was spent with colleague who participated in the soccer match. They had $100 and they decided to spend it for lunch and was thankful enough that they include me. 9 of us, so the total is more, which will come to about $7 per person. But they were nice enough to just pay for it. 
Dinner was spent with family. So if I were to pay my share, it will be about $10.

Transport: $0.88
Food: $0 ($17)
Total: $0.88 ($17.88)

Summary: $9.44 ($42.14)

Day 4
Started the day with a breakfast set for $3.40. Is it me or everything getting more expensive? Normally it wouldn't bother me, but now I have to note it down, it made me realized just for breakfast, 20% of my daily spending is gone. Lunch and dinner, $3 each. 

Transport: $0.88
Food: $6.40 ($9.40)
Total: $7.28 ($10.28)

Summary: $16.72 ($52.42)

Day 5
Ate some crackers for breakfast. Bought them for market research, so it's free ($.25) and made some tea ($1). Lunch was a bit pricey at $6.50. R paid for dinner ($6).

Transport: $2.48
Food: $6.50 ($13.75)
Total: $8.98 ($16.23)

Summary: $25.70 ($68.65)

Day 6
Had roti prata for brunch ($2.50) and spend the day watching movie and window shopping. Dinner was with family, so that's a free meal right there. 

Transport: $1.48 
Food: ($2.50)
Total: $1.48 ($3.98)

Summary: $27.18 ($72.63)

Day 7
Watched movies online. Those sappy Halmark Christmas movies. Basically just ate one meal at 3pm at Parkway. Mom paid for it and she bought some bread for breakfast, but I ate it for dinner.

Transport: $1.78
Food: ($31.70)
Total: $1.78 ($33.48)

Summary: $28.96 ($106.11)

I think it's quite a successful first week. But you see how unfair life is. My week consist of "free" meals, that's why I am able to save. Plus the fact I restrain myself from shopping.