Here is a breakdown of my expenses for January.
| Household | $1.02 |
| Rent | $257.23 |
| Entertainment | $83.16 |
| Transportation | $36.65 |
| Food | $97.78 |
| Travel | $69.59 |
| Phone | $28.27 |
| Student Loan | $132.58 |
| Health | $269.39 |
| Total | $975.67 |
My January expenses were very low. I managed to get my expenses under my target of $1000 for the month.
Rent was low because I’m paying my mom’s utility bill as rent while I’m staying with her. This will probably be about $100 higher this month since it has been much colder since the end of the last billing period.
Transportation was for one tank of gas for my car. I also received a gas gift card for Christmas that got me most of another tank. Living in a small town and working at home I don’t use much gas. In January I drove to KC and back once and to Springfield and back twice. This month I won’t be going to KC so I should use even less gas. I should only have to get gas once this month. Since I won’t have any free gas this month the total expense will remain about the same.
My food expense went down quite a bit. It isn’t as good as it seems since my mom provided me with a lot of meals at home. My food expense was mostly for fast food and junk food snacks. I’m going to eat better this month so this expense will go down significantly.
Travel was for my Thai Visa application fee plus visa photos and postage to send the application to Chicago and to get my passport returned to me. I was going to wait until this month to get the Thai Visa. Since my expenses for January were so low I decided to go ahead and get the visa done. Applying for the visa here allows me to get a 60 day visa rather than the 30 day visa they issue upon arrival.
Phone was for one month of Google Fi phone service. This is about what my phone bill will be for the next few months. If you sign up for Google Fi through my referral link we will each get $20 Fi credit after your account has been active for 30 days.
Health was for the February premium on my health insurance plus an eye exam and a dental visit. I also had a doctor visit and 90 day refills for 2 different medicines which didn’t cost me anything out of pocket. This month my only health expense should be my health insurance premium so this expense will be cut in half.
My entertainment expense should go way down this month. I may go to the movies once to use up a gift card. The gift card should almost cover my admission. If I don’t get popcorn the movie visit will be very cheap. I also pay $1 a month for Hulu which I got super cheap as a Black Friday deal. If I stick to just those expenses I should have an entertainment expense of under $10 this month.
January was a low expense month and I think February will be even cheaper. How was your month?