August Expenses – $1034.11

Here is a breakdown of my expenses for August.

Household$32.02
Mortgage/Apt$115
Utilities$240.79
Entertainment$26.43
Transportation$299.33
Food$246.65
Phone$8.69
Health$10.34
Travel$54.86
Support$0
Total$1034.11

August’s expenses were quite reasonable.

Entertainment expense was for an Amazon Prime subscription, one month Thailand Netflix, parking, a couple of movie tickets and two waters at the movies. In Thailand, I can get Netflix for only $4.88 a month and it still works when I return to the U.S.

Rent was $115 for our apartment in Chiang Mai.

Transportation included $11.98 for gas, $3.95 for Songtaews, and $283.40 for six month of car insurance.

My food expense was $246.65. That is divided between $112.14 for groceries and $134.51 for restaurants. This is typical for when I’m in Thailand. I expect this expense will go down slightly this month.

My phone bill was $8.69 for one month of service in Thailand. It will be roughly the same for this month.

Utilities came in at $240.79. Electric and water in Chiang Mai came to $38.34. The remaining amount was for electric, water, and internet at my U.S. residence.

The household expense was for a haircut, a power strip, facial tissue, and various other household items.

Travel expense included $44.28 for airfare. That total includes airfare from Chiang Mai to Bangkok and a seat selection fee for my Air Asia flight from Bangkok to Tokyo. It also includes $2.81 for my hotel in L.A. Most of the hotel expense was paid for in points or covered by my annual CSP $50 hotel reimbursement. Lastly, the travel expense includes $7.77 for a taxi from the Chiang Mai airport and a $2 tip for my LAX hotel shuttle.

I provided $0 of support to my wife since I was in Thailand and was able to cover all expenses directly.

This month’s expenses will probably about the same since I will be in Thailand for most of the month.

How was your month?

July Income $5212.75

Here is a breakdown of my income for July.

Interest$144.42
Bank Bonus$100
Ebay$245.31
Other Selling$88.49
Dividends$15.43
Job$3353.81
Cash Back$19
Amazon Merch$4.15
Tax Return$1209.14
Mystery Shop$33
Total$5212.75

July was a great income month. Working lots of overtime plus getting my federal tax return made for a nice income total for the month

Dividend income came in at $15.43.

Interest income was $144.42 Keeping my money in a high-interest account plus some in T-Bills made for a nice return.

I received $100 from a bank bonus.

I made $245.31 from eBay. This is pretty good considering I was working overtime most of the month and not spending much time on eBay.

I made $88.49 from sales outside of eBay.

I received $19in cash back.

My federal tax refund was $1209.14. It was received later than usual this year since I had to paper file so I could get an ITIN for my wife.

I received $33 from a mystery shop. Getting paid $33 to eat a burger and fries and then spend about 20 minutes reporting information on your shop is a pretty good deal.

I made $4.15 from Amazon Merch.

I made $3351.81 in job income. I worked 26 days straight on my last project and racked up quite a bit of overtime. Job income will be way down this month as I am in Thailand and not working.

It was great to have a solid income month. I’ve finally restored my cash savings to where they were at their highest level last year. How was your month?

July Expenses – $1219.15

Here is a breakdown of my expenses for July.

Household$23.41
Mortgage/Apt$0
Utilities$182.04
Entertainment$20.29
Transportation$109.07
Food$107.17
Phone$185.52
Health$0
Travel$287.66
Support$303.99
Total$1219.15

July’s expenses were reasonable.

Entertainment expense was for an Amazon Prime subscription, lottery tickets, and a book.

Rent was $0 because I didn’t break it out of the support total.

Transportation included $90.47 for gas and $15 for a flat tire repair.

My food expense was $107.17. That is divided between $44.28 for groceries and $62.89 for restaurants. This was low because I got very cheap meals when I ate out and had a couple of free gift cards.

My phone bill was $185.52 for one year of service with Mint Mobile.

Utilities came in at $182.04. That was for electric, water, and internet at my U.S. residence.

The household expense was for a hand soap, a photo pillowcase, and a small gift.

Travel expense included $218.40 for airfare. That total included airfare from Bangkok to Chiang Mai, airfare from Bangkok to Tokyo, a seat selection fee, and award taxes on a future flight from LAX to Taipei. I managed to snag a business class seat on Starlux Airlines when Alaska had them available for 60k miles for less than a day.

My other travel expense was $29.26 for a hotel in Manila where I had an overnight layover.

I provided $303.99 of support to my wife. That was mostly for the rent and utilities for our Chiang Mai apartment.

This month’s expenses will likely be a little higher since I will be in Thailand.

How was your month?

June Income – $2118.77

Here is a breakdown of my income for June.

Interest$89.34
Bank Bonus$500
Ebay$234.11
Other Selling$80.97
Dividends$18.96
Job$1157.06
Cash Back$34.18
Amazon Merch$4.15
Total$2118.77

June’s income finally got back to where I need it to be.

Dividend income came in at $18.96.

Interest income was $89.34. This went up a lot since I had a lot of my savings in a non-interest paying account in order to qualify for a bank bonus that paid out at the beginning of the month. After it paid out, I moved my savings to a higher interest account.

I received $500 from a bank bonus. I had to tie up quite a bit of money for a few months to get this. It was still a lot more than I would have earned in interest.

I made $234.11 from eBay.

I made $80.97 from sales outside of eBay.

I received $34.18 in cash back from a credit card and a shopping portal.

I made $4.15 from Amazon Merch. I need to add some more designs and see if I can increase this source of income.

I made $1157.06 in job income as I started a new project late in the month. I ended up working 26 days straight on that project and racking up quite a bit of overtime. My job income will be considerably better this month.

I was glad to finally have a solid income month. How was your month?

June Expenses – $887.92

Here is a breakdown of my expenses for June.

Household$37.84
Mortgage/Apt$113.99
Utilities$236.30
Entertainment$41.97
Transportation$53.87
Food$142.56
Phone$0
Health$5.84
Travel$115.55
Support$140
Total$887.92

June’s expenses were pleasantly low. I started a job during the last half of the month and ended up working 26 days straight. The time spent working meant less time to spend money.

Entertainment expense was for an Amazon Prime subscription, a trip to the movies, a local Comic-Con and lunch with a friend.

Rent was $113.99 for my wife’s apartment in Chiang Mai. That total includes electricity and water.

Transportation was $40.37 for gas, $12 for an inspection and $1.50 for a car wash.

My food expense was $142.56. That is divided between $58.56 for groceries and $84 for restaurants. This was low because I have been eating out less and getting cheaper meals when I do eat out.

Utilities came in at $236.30. That was for electric, trash service, and internet at my U.S. house. Thailand utilities are included in support.

My phone bill was $0 since it is prepaid.

The household expense was for a haircut, toothbrush, reading glasses, tissues, flossers and other household items.

Travel expense included $115.55 for award ticket fees and a change fee. I had to change my plans again this month so about half of this total has been refunded.

I provided $140 of support to my wife.

This month’s expenses should be about the same.

How was your month?