Budget Update: October 2020
Budget Update: October 2020
In October 2020, I spent RM7,087.30. The top 3 categories were: Donations, Rent & Utilities and Wedding. All in all, it was a comparatively lean month.
Professionally, October was such a great month! I moderated a session at #SCxSC20,
- Appeared on BNM/FEN’s FinLit webinar
View this post on Instagram
- And appeared on BFM89.9 (again!)
I also received other opportunities, both financially and personally, and also heartfelt notes from readers. This feeling of abundance… God has been kind to me. Alhamdulillah.
All of this was good, but October 2020 was also the month where I felt very high levels of Imposter Syndrome. I am fairly confident in my financial knowledge, but I also know there are so many books I haven’t read and specialisations that I haven’t mastered. More than once I went to the FPAM website and looked at the CFP page, wondering if I should get myself certified as a financial planner.
So yeah, that’s the question mark in my head right now. On one hand, I love that I sort of represent the people who don’t have financial background but love personal finance regardless. On the other, maybe that CFP certification is what I need to overcome that Imposter Syndrome. I don’t know…
My Spending Breakdown in October 2020
In this section, I’m sharing what I spent on in the whole month, in their respective categories. From highest to lowest, my expenses were:
Yay of the Month:
- YAY BITCOIN! I’m ecstatic about this, been a while since it mooned!
- [Category: Business] Had this unexpected windfall! Alhamdulillah
Me: I’ll charge RM1k for the work
Client: we discussed internally. We’re paying you RM3k 😊
!!😭 rezeki kalau nak datang, senang sangat!!
— Suraya ringgitohringgit.com (@surayaror) October 20, 2020
- [Category: Groceries] My groceries expenses were RM207.87 which was super duper low – Operation ‘eat out fridge and pantry’ really worked! I’ll probably buy more in November to replenish my food supply but it was nice to just clear out the random foodstuff lying around.
- (Note: Groceries expense is tracked separately from Donation, Food and Social, three other areas where food is consumed)
- [Category: Wedding] Pre-paid some wedding-related items, which now is in limbo since we don’t know if our reception is happening. Oh well. At least the wedding venue allows postponement without penalty
- [Category: Donation] I went out of my way to be generous in October. I tipped every food rider, paid a little bit extra and/or bought a little bit more from small businesses, donated to a few individuals and organisations, paid for my mom’s health check, paid my parents’ electric bill and more
- [Category: Pets] Topped up cat food and cat litter supply, and bought a pet feeder, which is honestly one of the best purchases I’ve made recently. Holy shit the time I’ve saved since I got it!! I got it here.
- [Category: Misc Wants] Wanted a new dress for a while. After abandoning my cart in Zalora a few times, I finally bought one… on Carousell. This satisfied my shopping mood, and I’m glad I opted for preloved item! Bonus: I got RM5 off from a limited-time promo. I LOVED the dress and got compliments on it, so it was such a satisfying purchase overall 🙂 🙂
- Took advantage of InvestSmart’s #FinPlan4U and had a nice (and free!) session with a financial planner! Asked her to review my insurance – it’s about time I get myself a Critical Illness plan.
- Had fun playing around with points systems. Used up my BigPay points to redeem some groceries in the AirAsia app (and just before the points expired too! Good timing!), and paid electric bill via Pos Malaysia App, which gave me some GrabPoints
- [Category: Misc Wants] Had an awesome haircut! Trying not to think too much of the money I could have saved if I pre-purchased it from Fave!
- Added in Syok app 🙂
- Read one book: Secrets of a Stewardess: Flying the World in the 1980 by Gretchen Ryan. It wasn’t the most well-written book (could have used a few rounds of editing), but it was really fun to read (1) how aviation was like during the ‘golden age of flying’, and (2) a real-life account of a former stewardess, who got to travel the world as part of her job.
Nay of the Month:
- The CMCO extension was expected, yet I’m still mad at it. Politics and men’s egos and quest for power I tell you. I WANT A WOMAN TO LEAD US ALREADY
- So I found out that I am only 55% healthy which is, um, RUDE but a good awakening. Find out your health score too, via the Pulse by Prudential app
- [Category: Misc Wants] Impulse-bought Stories of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town on Steam. I should have checked that the controller function is limited – can’t use my PS4 controller with it, and in the end I abandoned it because I hate gaming using keyboard.
- Feeling sad that I haven’t reached my personal goal of RM100,000 in income by now. But I also know I shouldn’t be too hard on myself, especially this year
Checked my 2020 income so far. It’s not as much as I hoped. A part of me is sad, but also a part of me is proud to even able to work at all during a pandemic. I should be kind to myself
— Suraya ringgitohringgit.com (@surayaror) October 30, 2020
Things to Look Forward to:
- Getting married, finally <3 I’m glad we didn’t rush into it. We had a long engagement, with more than enough time to talk about and make future plans, including the financial aspects of it. He’s such a positive force in my life, we both feel lucky that we found each other. Please wish the best for us <3
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)
