Here is a breakdown of my expenses for October.
| Household | $76.73 |
| Mortgage/Apt | $123.49 |
| Utilities | $104.58 |
| Entertainment | $76.70 |
| Transportation | $26.33 |
| Food | $326.91 |
| Phone | $36.28 |
| Health | $31.94 |
| Travel | $650.24 |
| Total | $1453.20 |
My October expenses were reasonable.
Entertainment expense was for a New York Times digital subscription, an online Thai course, and a couple of trips to the movies and arcade with my wife and stepdaughter.
Rent was for one month’s rent, electric, and water for our room in Chiang Mai.
Transportation was for a motorcycle helmet and a few taxi trips. Buying the helmet, allows me to ride on my wife’s scooter which will save me a little on taxi fares.
My food expense was way up at $326.91 for the month. This was to be expected since my wife and I eat out for every meal in Thailand. Also, my stepdaughter stayed with us for 3 weeks. Since there are only two of us to feed this month, food expense should come down some this month.
My phone bill was $36.28. This is a little higher than normal since I often have to use my phone’s data rather than wife since the wifi in our room is not reliable.
The household expense was for a mattress topper, a haircut, laundry, a couple gifts for my stepdaughter and a bunch of miscellaneous household stuff.
Health expense was for one month’s health insurance premium, one month’s gym membership, and some over the counter medicine.
Travel expense includes $502.25 in airfare, $25.33 for a hotel room and the taxes on a free hotel room, and $121.76 for various bus tickets, shuttles, and taxis. Most of the airfare was spend on my wife and I flying from Chiang Mai to Buriram and back to get her daughter. I also bought a couple tickets from Chiang Mai to Bangkok for when I have to return to the U.S. next month. This month’s travel expense will be way lower. It might even be negative since I have a couple of refunds coming.
This month’s total expense will probably be about the same. Although I will spend less on travel and food, I have a big visa expense this month which will keep my overall expense level from dropping.
How was your month?
Great job keeping your expenses low. I noticed the mortgage category doesn’t include a mortgage payment. Is that because you’re in Thailand now?
Thanks. It’s a long story, but the short version is that I paid off the mortgage with the life insurance payout I got from my brother’s death. When I get back to the U.S., my mom and I will divide the utilities, home insurance, and property taxes between us. My half should be less than what I was paying on the mortgage. I intend to eventually do a blog post explaining it all.
Sorry to hear about that… didn’t know. Hope you are making some good memories in Thailand!