To make these figures easier to digest, I've split them into intervals of 10 days, coinciding largely with the waypoints I stated earlier. Along the way, I'll explain certain things that may not make much sense to the casual bystander.
Food
This covers meals I eat outside, or groceries I purchase to prepare meals. My groceries are usually wholemeal bread, eggs, baby butterhead lettuce, margarine, cheese, ham, tomatoes, bananas and bottled water. I may even occasionally spend money on a bag of tortilla chips or cookies. |
| That's a typical three-meal set for a day at the office - three sandwiches, two tomatoes and two bananas. |
Cigarettes
I smoke slightly less than a pack a day, so that roughly equates to me buying 9 packs every 10 days. How much I spend on the pack really depends on where I am at the moment - because different places sell at different prices.I really should quit, but then I'd have totally no vices and that would be seriously depressing.
SEF
It's two dollars a day. What's SEF stand for? You'll find out later.Others
This column is for expenses that crop up from time to time. For example, topping up of my EzLink card is pretty regular, but not regular enough to warrant its own column. The occasional miscellaneous purchase goes here.Day 1 to 10
| Day | Food | Cigarettes | SEF | Others | Total | Comments |
| 1 | 4.50 | 10.20 | 2.00 | 0.00 | 16.70 | |
| 2 | 12.10 | 10.00 | 2.00 | 10.00 | 34.10 | Others: EzLink card topup |
| 3 | 0.00 | 10.00 | 2.00 | 20.00 | 32.00 | Others: Caught a movie with popcorn and soda. (Teenage Mutant Minja Turtles: Out of the Shadows) |
| 4 | 5.90 | 10.00 | 2.00 | 0.00 | 17.90 | |
| 5 | 38.20 | 10.40 | 2.00 | 0.00 | 50.60 | Food: Some Sunday lunch extravaganza at Ishinomaki. |
| 6 | 16.65 | 10.70 | 2.00 | 10.00 | 39.35 | Others: EzLink card topup |
| 7 | 15.60 | 10.10 | 2.00 | 0.00 | 27.70 | |
| 8 | 3.20 | 10.10 | 2.00 | 10.00 | 25.30 | Others: EzLink card topup |
| 9 | 6.00 | 10.10 | 2.00 | 0.00 | 18.10 | |
| 10 | 0.00 | 10.10 | 2.00 | 38.60 | 50.70 | Others: Contracted an eye infection and had to pay for meds. |
| Subtotal | 102.15 | 101.70 | 20.00 | 88.60 | 312.45 | Balance: 687.55 |
The first ten days started out promisingly. I treated myself to a movie, and over the weekend, joined some friends for a big lunch at Ishinomaki. Not really my usual fare, but I figured my budget could take it.
And then things went downhill when both my eyes started leaking copious amounts of discharge and I got a splitting headache. Finally, His Teochewness gets sick! Yay, a legit reason to use my Medical Leave entitlement! But hold on... it's a Friday evening. Ugh.
The medical fees threw my budget slightly off, but it was early in the month.
Day 11 to 20
| Day | Food | Cigarettes | SEF | Others | Total | Comments |
| 11 | 6.00 | 10.10 | 2.00 | 0.00 | 18.30 | |
| 12 | 8.20 | 0.00 | 2.00 | 0.00 | 10.20 | |
| 13 | 10.45 | 10.20 | 2.00 | 10.00 | 32.65 | Others: EzLink card topup |
| 14 | 5.90 | 10.10 | 2.00 | 1.60 | 19.60 | Others: Detergent |
| 15 | 5.60 | 10.20 | 2.00 | 10.00 | 27.80 | Others: EzLink card topup |
| 16 | 8.50 | 0.00 | 2.00 | 0.00 | 10.50 | |
| 17 | 2.00 | 10.70 | 2.00 | 10.00 | 24.70 | Others: EzLink card topup |
| 18 | 3.20 | 10.10 | 2.00 | 0.00 | 15.30 | |
| 19 | 10.30 | 10.70 | 2.00 | 0.00 | 23.00 | |
| 20 | 3.60 | 10.20 | 2.00 | 0.00 | 15.80 | |
| Subtotal | 166.00 | 184.10 | 40.00 | 120.20 | 510.30 | Balance: 489.70 |
Nothing terribly exciting these ten days. Still recovering from the eye infection and outside of work, all strenuous activity was kept to a minimum. Less spending took place, not that I was trying particularly hard. You try getting anything done when your eyes are swollen and constantly blurring up...
Day 21 to 30
| Day | Food | Cigarettes | SEF | Others | Total | Comments |
| 21 | 7.80 | 10.70 | 2.00 | 10.00 | 30.50 | Others: EzLink card topup |
| 22 | 17.55 | 10.30 | 2.00 | 0.00 | 29.85 | |
| 23 | 8.50 | 10.70 | 2.00 | 10.00 | 31.20 | Others: EzLink card topup |
| 24 | 0.90 | 10.10 | 2.00 | 0.00 | 13.00 | |
| 25 | 4.60 | 10.10 | 2.00 | 12.50 | 29.20 | Others: Caught a movie (Independence Day: Resurgence) |
| 26 | 12.80 | 10.20 | 2.00 | 0.00 | 25.00 | |
| 27 | 9.60 | 10.20 | 2.00 | 226.00 | 247.80 | Others: Mobile bill, internet bill, utility bill, conservancy charges |
| 28 | 8.50 | 10.20 | 2.00 | 10.00 | 30.70 | Others: EzLink card topup |
| 29 | 2.10 | 10.10 | 2.00 | 20.00 | 34.20 | Others: ActiveSG monthly membership fee, Community Chest monthly donation |
| 30 | 2.80 | 10.20 | 2.00 | 11.20 | 26.20 | Others: EzLink card topup, tube of toothpaste |
| Subtotal | 241.15 | 286.90 | 60.00 | 419.90 | 1007.95 | Balance: -7.95 |
I recovered!
And just in time to catch the much-awaited sequel to the 1996 classic Independence Day.
The last ten days of the month is traditionally the most expensive, because that's when I pay all the bills, in this case, on the 27th.
On the 29th, I donated ten bucks to the Community Chest and spent another ten bucks to continue my ActiveSG monthly membership which gives me unlimited access to all Singapore Sports Council swimming complexes islandwide.
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