With plenty of blog post reading to catch up ahead, I'll first do a wrap-up of April. I felt like a naughty child who failed to do what I ought to do!
I'll start with something good that has happened this month:
- borrowed some books and finished one
- we bought a travel guidebook using a voucher and ended up paying only a few dollars for it
- bleach wiped my room once, washed curtains, hung them up, changed new bed sheets
- upgraded my credit card and makes earning points faster
- opened up an investment account, which I've dreaded, and still dreaded
- decluttered magazines, found lost photos
The not-so-good of April:
- overspent my budget
- earned very little in side-hustle front
- exercised zero times
- felt the urge to spend / shop, see yesterday's post
- terribly behind on blogs and completely fallen off the frugality bandwagon
- treated a lot of important persons for dinners, my food budget exploded
- NSDs had shrunk in number since I spent a few days away and of course, paid for food and travel day by day
- NSDs had shrunk in number since I spent a few days away and of course, paid for food and travel day by day
April had seen me throwing my money (and caution) in the wind, since I was stressed out. I don't know about other people, but going on a trip stresses me out a lot, A LOT. There was the familiarizing with guidebooks, lots of decision making, coordinating, researching. All of these happened while I'm still working daytime, there were many times I wanted to say "I can't handle this". This feeling remained after I returned from the trip, as I am already planning another trip, and catching up with lots of things at the same time, opening a bank account, frequent trips to the bank, post office, here and there during lunch, when I'm supposed to wind down. I hope this doesn't sound like bragging (because I'm not), and whoever was the psychologist or something that says going on holidays give people stress can't say it any truer. Holidays isn't all about rainbows, and it gives you headaches not (just) because of money.
April's figures: overspent $3,366, savings rate saw a huge dip to 29.6% only *yikes*
What's in store in May?
- haircut. It's reached so long and thick that I sweated out from it more often than I thought: summer is here
- wardrobe switch. Can you believe it's the 2nd time I do this - meaning that we stepped into winter, and are stepping out of it now!
- more research for the trip, packing
- family gathering for Mother's Day (dinner)
- (another) granny's birthday dinner
- ideally I'd like to step up on the side-hustle earnings but it's out of my control, plus time is not really enough lately
Have a great weekend everyone!
Have a great weekend everyone!
It happens: you go off the wagon and then you jump on again. It's all fine as long as you get back on again at some point and identify what made you fall off it in the first place and why.
ReplyDeleteTrips are stressful. I agree. Especially if you are planning for other people too. Perhaps, the more you do it, the less stressed you will become? c
Hi January! If I'm a retired person with lots of time in my hands, then i would say, screw the prep and research, just wander around in the city! But alas i'm not, so i guess the prep and research had to be done, since i wouldn't want to have regrets after a trip :) if that makes any sense?
DeleteI agree with January20, you slip and slide, but then you pick yourself up and start afresh. Here's hoping May will be a better month for you.
ReplyDeleteHello Gill! It's great to see you again - i hope May will be a better month for you as well, in particularly health-wise! Slip and slide, get up and start again. Slipping and sliding is easy and it happens when you're least aware of it, getting up and in the motion takes more effort than before I must say!
Delete