Saturday, August 30, 2008

Where Your Treasure Is, There Will Your Heart Be Also

Since for all intents and purposes it is the end of the month, time to tidy up the accounts.

During the month of August, I shelled out the following cash:

Food: $181.99
Toiletries: 44.12 (in my tally system I call this category "beauty," which makes me smile whenever I look at it)
Household-Related: 97.10 (this includes my bento boxes, my Madhur Jaffrey cookbook, and my papasan)
Metro: 130.00
Taxis: 108.00
Clothes: 45.00
Shoes: 22.00
Rent: 1290.00 (part of it being the security deposit on the dream apartment)
Bills: 318.11
One-time Supplementary Health Insurance Payment: 230.00 (my health insurance for the new job doesn't start right away, so I had to get a stop-gap)
Ashtanga Classes: 60.00
Entertainment: 13.64
Restaurants: 160.65
Gifts: 241.81

We should note a few things right away.

As soon as I move in to le dream apartment, the metro costs will plummet. As will the taxi costs, which were nearly all caused by my schlepping suitcases from one temporary stay to another.

Likewise, the restaurant costs should be cut at least by 1/3 as soon as I get back to a place which has a kitchen. (Ironically, if I had had a kitchen this week, I never would have gone to Amma last night, and never would have met up with Anna. I'd happily incur restaurant costs for that.)

Household costs, in return, are likely to go up next month. Rent costs will drop a little bit, and bills should stay exactly-the-same.

Interestingly, I spent more on gifts than I did in any other category besides rent/bills. ^__^

The most important thing, of course, is that for the first time in years I spent less than I earned, and by a considerable margin. I suppose that means I get to start saving for retirement!

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