Budget Update: August 2021 – Merdeka..?
Welcome to another edition of my monthly budget updates, where I break down my expenses by category and share the highlights and lowlights of the month!
How was your August? It was Merdeka Month, yet it didn’t feel like it, did it? Not when the people nor the party we didn’t vote for still remain in power.
But hey. Change what you can, accept what you can’t. When the time comes, we’ll simply vote them out again. All we can do now is survive and take care of each other.
Let’s get on to the budget part.
Budget Update: August 2021
In August 2021, I spent RM8,282.83. The top 3 top expenses were:
- Donations & Gifts (RM2,529.50) – Parents’ electric bill x 2, KindBoxProject, Sister’s birthday gift, Rider tips
- Business (RM1,485) – Graphic designer, CFP exam fee
- Utilities & Rent (RM1,454.08) – Gotta keep a roof over our heads
Cumulatively, the top 3 expenses make up 67% of my total August 2021 expenses.
My Spending Breakdown in August 2021
Here’s what I spent on in the whole month of August 2021, in their respective categories and from highest to lowest amount:
Yay of the Month:
#1 – Broke my daily website traffic record!
This doesn’t happen very often, so believe me when I say I was insanely happy 🙂 Thank you again, for the support <3
Btw the traffic surge is due to the How to Get RM10000 per Month in Passive Income (In 3 Steps) article 🙂
#2 – Received Food Vouchers after doing surveys
I got RM20 in Foodpanda voucher for completing a survey and RM200 Grabfood voucher for doing a focus group interview. Yay for subsidised dinner dates.
#3 – Subscribed to Disney Plus Hotstar
Paid RM54.90 for 3 months access to Disney Hotstar. I blame the new Spiderman trailer – that reignited my desire to watch my favourite Marvel movies all over again. But the fresh content library served as a great distraction to whatever’s going on, so I’m not mad!
Also the subscription process was smooth af. Seriously impressed.
#4 – Gave 3 talks
I did:
- Science-Backed Ways to Buy Happiness (At All Income Levels) with MyAgeing™️ Financial Literacy and Educational Hub (MyFiLE), UPM
- Bagaimana saya buat duit sebagai blogger dan solopreneur at Yezza.io Instagram Live
- Interview with Crypto Kopitiam
#5 – Ate a lot of delicious food
Altogether I spent around RM2000 on food, across expense categories Groceries, Dates and Food. It wasn’t particularly healthy but God was I happy.
#6 – Misc
Read two books:
- What Women Want: The Science of Female Shopping by Paco Underhill (we want cleanliness, control, safety and considerateness)
- Follow the Money: A Month in the Life of a Ten-Dollar Bill by Steve Boggan (satisfies my random adventure fantasies!)
Noteworthy shows:
- Vice Youtube channel’s Side Hustle series, particularly We Make $3K/Month Selling Trash
- Loki Season 1 on Disney Hotstar
- The whole Solo Travel Japan Youtube Channel (travel video with no voice!)
- Fantastic Fungi on Netflix
Bought for myself:
- 2 dresses
- Some skincare (Vitamin c serum, niacinamide 10% + zinc, rubber masks)
- False lashes set
- Some makeup items from So.lek’s going-out-of-business sale 🙁
- Lavender linen spray and lavender aromatherapy eye pillow from The Asli Co
Nay of the Month:
#1 – Double bill payments
I paid a few bills ‘in advance’, which is not technically a bad thing since it’s something I have to pay anyway, but led to higher expenses in the bills department regardless.
#2 – High groceries bill
RM1.4k per month is probably the highest groceries cost for 2 people so far.
#3 – Short-lived low-quality purchase
So this side table I bought for under RM30 barely lasted a month. I know, I should buy quality, but one was swayed by all the number of product sales.
Things to Look Forward to:
- Completing my CFP Module 3 exam
- Organising a safe dine-in experience with parents, now that we could..? I haven’t seen them in a while and it’s ok to meet them if they’re fully vaccinated and we maintain SOPs, right?
Well, that was my August 2021. How was yours? What’s your yay of the month, nay of the month, and something you’re looking forward to? Tell me in the comments section 🙂
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To read about my past monthly budget update, click here. Graphs are taken from my expense-tracking app Money Lover (find out your budgeting style)
Where do you stay for such a cheap rent + utilities? Is it inside KL?
Hi Okiri,
I’m in USJ (for now), and the cost doesn’t include utilities.