Andy Hough

March Expenses – $1101.12

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Here is a breakdown of my expenses for March.

Household$102.15
Mortgage/Apt$115
Utilities$189.60
Entertainment$17.27
Transportation$97.25
Food$110.71
Visa$94.04
Health$0
Travel$260.10
Support$115
Total$1101.12

March’s expenses were quite reasonable.

Entertainment expense was for one month Amazon Prime subscription, one month Hulu, and one month Max.

Rent was $115 for our apartment in Chiang Mai.

My transportation expense consisted of $97.25 for gas.

My food expense was $110.71. That is divided between $33.82 for groceries and $76.89 for restaurants. This is a very low total considering I ate out almost every day. I used the fast-food apps and discounted gift cards to keep my average meal cost low. All but one of my meals during the month cost $3.52 or under.

I paid $46 for a ticket from Bangkok to Chiang Mai and $84.10 in taxes and fees on a ticket from Thailand to Springfield, MO. I’ll probably change the award ticket next month which might result in slightly lower fees. I spent $41 on travel insurance, $40 on a Thai Visa, and $49 for a Motley Fool subscription. I’m considering the subscription a travel expense because I only purchased it for the AA miles and loyalty points I received with the subscription.

Utilities came in at $189.60. This was for electric, trash and internet in the U.S.

The household expense was for one item from Dollar Tree and a gift for my stepdaughter.

I provided $115 of support to my wife.

I spent $94.04 so my wife could fly round-trip from Chiang Mai to Bangkok to get her police certificate. The certificate was needed for her visa application so this is counted as a visa expense.

This month’s expenses will probably be a little higher since I will be traveling to Thailand and I will have some more expenses associated with getting my wife’s visa. How was your month?

February 2024 Goal Review

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I have set three goals to achieve in 2024. I’ll review my progress towards the goals monthly. This is the second review.

My first goal is to add $10,000 to my savings. I made a little progress on this last month. I intend to eventually use most of these savings to max out my IRA for the year. For now, I’m keeping the money in a cash account in case I have unexpected large expenses with my wife’s visa and bringing her to the U.S.

My second goal is to lose weight. I did manage to lose six pounds in January, but I gained it all back in February. I have gained even more weight since then. It is easy for me to lose weight in Thailand, but I can’t seem to lose weight in the U.S. I have made some small changes to my diet and exercise. They haven’t been enough. I need to make some big changes. Unfortunately, I am having some anxiety over getting my wife’s visa and that makes me want to eat. I need to get in a better mindset before I can make big changes to my diet.

My third goal is to run a half marathon or marathon. I made only a tiny bit of progress on this goal. I have been having trouble sleeping, which leads to me being too tired to run. I’m hoping I can get on track and start running regularly this month.

I’m off to a slow start on meeting my goals. Last month, I did better on my financial goal and poorly on my other two goals. For the first two months, I am only making progress on one goal a month. I’m off to a poor start this month as well. I will try to make these goals more of a priority and make progress on at least two of my goals this month.

February Income – $2391.63

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Here is a breakdown of my income for February.

Interest$131.69
Dividends$22.67
Job$755.58
Class Action$1.19
Cashback$38.05
Ebay$115.01
Surveys$49.85
Tax Refunds$644
Stock Sale$633.59
Total$2391.63

February was a decent month for income.

Dividend income came in at $22.67.

Interest income was $131.69.

I received $38.05 in cash back.

I made $1.19 from a random class action payment.

My state and federal tax refunds totaled $644.

My job income was $755.58. That was for one week of work. I’ll get another paycheck later this week and hopefully will have more work this month.

I made $115.01 from eBay sales and $49.85 from surveys.

Lastly, I made $633.59 from a stock sale. I rarely trade stocks outside of my retirement accounts. When I do make trades in my taxable account, I will try to remember to include the gain or loss in my income post.

I hope I will have more job income this month and be able to increase my total income. I will be heading back to Thailand in April and need to build up a little financial cushion.

How was your month?

February Expenses – $1630.04

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Here is a breakdown of my expenses for February.

Household$21.07
Mortgage/Apt$115
Utilities$122.95
Entertainment$13.27
Transportation$451.03
Food$99
Visa$130.17
Health$455.20
Travel$107.35
Support$115
Total$1630.04

February’s expenses were once again a little high.

Entertainment expense was for one month Amazon Prime subscription, one month Hulu, one month of Paramount Plus and a lottery ticket.

Rent was $115 for our apartment in Chiang Mai.

My transportation expense consisted of $341 for six months of car insurance, $57.04 for an oil change, and $52.99 for gas.

My food expense was $99 even. That is divided between $36.21 for groceries and $62.79 for restaurants. I cut back on eating out and took advantage of a several free or very cheap fast-food specials. This will probably go up a little this month since I intend to eat healthier and eat less fast food.

I paid $130.17 for a round-trip ticket from Chiang Mai to Bangkok so my wife could get her Thai police certificate which we need to complete here U.S. visa application.

Utilities came in at $122.95. This was for electric and internet in the U.S.

The household expense was mainly for a box fan, laptop screws, dog treats, and cleaning supplies.

Travel expense included $84 for a positioning flight from my tiny local airport to DFW and $18 in taxes and fees for an award ticket from DFW-BKK.

I provided $115 of support to my wife.

I spent $455.20 on 14 months of gym membership. I have yet to use it enough to justify the expense, but I will go more often this month.

This month’s expenses should be lower since I’m not expecting any large expenses. How was your month?

January 2024 Goal Review

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I have set three goals to achieve in 2024. I’ll review my progress towards the goals monthly. This is the first review.

My first goal is to add $10,000 to my savings. I haven’t made any progress on this goal. I’m hoping that I will find a job this month and be able to make at least a small contribution to my savings to get this goals started.

My second goal is to lose weight. I did manage to lose six pounds in January. I’m satisfied with that progress. I’ve gone backwards so far this month, but I feel confident I can get back on track and make more progress on this goal

My third goal is to run a half marathon or marathon. I didn’t really make any progress on this goal last month. I have joined a gym this month and aim to run on the treadmill most days. I’ve got a long way to go on this goal. I will make progress this month.

I’m off to a slow start on meeting my goals. That was expected since I was in Thailand in January. Living there helps my goal of losing weight, but it doesn’t help my other two goals. I will make better progress this month.