I made up for being frugal last month :]
The coincidentally seasonally-themed pie chart of this month almost distracts you from the fact I spent double my monthly average.
Spendings Report: $3,064
And they say retail therapy is cheaper than real therapy.
Last month I said that a teacher was out recovering from surgery, that continues to be true this month which means my stress levels are hiiiggghhhh. It’s not because of the kids or colleagues but just the reality of prepping, teaching, and marking for an additional class of students.
I have found it way too easy to justify any and all extra spending under the guise of “I’ve worked hard and I deserve it” or “I’ll be paid overtime so this is like not spending money at all”. Something to keep an eye on.
Unfortunately, I don’t think my personal spending will ever return to under $1000 again (barring another total lockdown in China), bouldering has been incredibly rewarding but it is not the cheapest of hobbies. A personal goal of 2021 was also to spend more time with friends so that comes with a price tag as well. I don’t want to come across as calculating the $/hr of friendship, I’m acknowledging that it costs money and it’s something I find to be worth it.
After 4 years in China I caved and got an e-bike haha, this is pretty much 60% of my leisure spending right here. Some other big hits: Universal Studios Beijing, 20x bouldering pass, nice work shoes, and some very nice restaurants.
I biked to the local sandbank and managed to get this amazing view!
Net Worth Update
Pretty good.
Looks like it’s on track to be close to 200k by the end of 2021. I’m unsure if I’ll reach it at my current savings rate though, December isn’t exactly an easy month to be frugal in with the holidays.
All in all, a good month and I’m quite pleased with my trajectory.