Andy Hough

Here is a breakdown of my income for May.

May was a low income month since I was in Thailand all month and didn’t have any job income. .

Dividend income came in at $35.17. If you sign up using my Robinhood referral link we will both get one share of free stock. Thanks to anyone who signs up using my link. Every little bit helps.

I received $99.84 in cash back income. If you sign up for Rakuten using my referral link you can start earning cash back too and I’ll get a small bonus for referring you. These little bits of referral income help me keep the blog going.

I received $3.40 in interest.

I made $238.50 in online income. I had one advertiser renew their ads for the year. I used to have many advertisers. Now this is the only one. This is enough to cover my hosting and other costs so I won’t complain.

I also received $67.19 from British Airways for a flight that was canceled last year. They initially issued me a voucher. Last month, they decided to issue me a refund instead. I’ll gladly take the miles and cash over a voucher. I’m counting this as income since I did deduct the expense when I purchased the ticket last year. Perhaps, I should have used it to reduce May’s travel expense category.

I’m still in Thailand this month and not working my job so this will be another low-income month. How was your month?

Here is a breakdown of my expenses for May.

My May expenses were high which was expected since I was in Thailand the entire month.

Entertainment expense was for a New York Times digital subscription, one month of Hulu at 99 cents, one month of Peacock, Thailand Netflix, a concert ticket, and a movie visit. That was a lot of entertainment for the price.

The mortgage payment was my regular mortgage payment. I also had a month’s rent for the apartment I’m staying in with my wife here in Thailand.

Transportation was for taxis. Not having a car here is saving me some money.

My food expense was higher than I’d prefer. It was for two people, but local food is cheap here so this could be a lot lower. I’ll try to have more Thai food and less fast food/Western food this month and I think I should be able to get this total down to about $200.

My phone bill was $33.94. It will probably be about the same this month.

The household expense was for laundry, miscellaneous household items, and fees to get married.

Health expense was for one month’s health insurance premium and a one month gym membership.

Travel expense includes airfare for me and my wife from Chiang Mai to visit her family later this month. I scheduled this so we could stay in Bangkok for a day on the way back. I’ll fly home from Bangkok and my wife will continue on to Chiang Mai. Scheduling it this way reduced the number of flights I had to purchase. It also includes a flight from Chicago to my local airport when I return home.

I also spent $730.16 on expenses associated with getting my wife a visa to come live with me in the United States. This will be a long process and there will be more spent on this.

I’m not sure what this month’s overall expenses will look like. It will depend on how much I spend when I visit my wife’s family and whether I have any visa expenses due during the month.

How was your month?

Here is a breakdown of my income for April.

I received a large amount of income in April due to a life insurance payout. I will eventually be giving all of that money away. I’ll write more about the circumstances around the life insurance payout in a later post. It is a somewhat painful subject so I’ve delayed writing about it so far.

I made $34.63 from my doc review job.

Dividend income came in at $52.74. If you sign up using my Robinhood referral link we will both get one share of free stock. Thanks to anyone who signs up using my link. Every little bit helps.

I received $46.54 in cash back income. If you sign up for Rakuten using my referral link you can start earning cash back too and I’ll get a small bonus for referring you. These little bits of referral income help me keep the blog going.

I received $2.89 in interest.

I made $21.64 from eBay and other selling.

I also received $25 from a mystery shop.

I’m in Thailand this month and not working my job so this will be a low-income month. How was your month?

Here is a breakdown of my expenses for April.

My April expenses were a bit higher than normal. This was expected since I traveled to Thailand towards the end of the month.

Entertainment expense was for a New York Times digital subscription, one month of Hulu at 99 cents, a day tour for 2 in Phuket, and 3 movie visits. That was a lot of entertainment for the price.

The mortgage payment was my regular mortgage payment.

Transportation was for taxis and songtaews in Thailand. I didn’t have to put any gas in my car before I left for Thailand and I don’t have a car here in Thailand so this expense won’t be too high.

My food expense was reasonable considering I was also buying food for my girlfriend during the last week of the month. This expense will be higher this month since I’ll be buying food for two and almost all meals will be restaurant meals.

My phone bill was $25.62. It will be a little higher this month because I’m using my data more often.

The household expense was for a fee paid to the U.S Consulate to get my affidavit of freedom to marry certified, a VPN fee, a partial trash bill, and many other small things for me and my girlfriend. I spent $203.58 on gifts and charity. This was for sending money to my girlfriend. She had to quarantine for 10 days due to testing positive for Covid and couldn’t work during that time.

Health expense was for one month’s health insurance premium and some over the counter medication.

Travel expense included airfare from Bangkok to Chiang Mai, 2 round trip tickets from Chiang Mai to Phuket, one night hotel in Chicago, 3 nights hotel in Phuket, and the annual fee on my IHG card. It also include transportation to and from airports and hotels.

This month’s expense will be higher since I’m paying for two people. It will possibly be a lot higher depending on the timing of an upcoming large expense.

How was your month?