What's your monthly living expenses? And how to trim the expenses?

[hongsien]

Best thing is: I don't have to pay rental this year and last year, cause my flat is my girlfriends one! And she is staying with her parents, as they need her help............

To let me save money she asked me to stay there, as long as I keep it clean and don't ut in to much rubbish, as she is not using it. So, I am 'kept man'......

 

[f1to128]

Some other ways I use to reduce spending:

1. Instead of buying I try as far as possible to borrow the books I want to read from the library. There are people who do this better than me. I read about one guy who read thousands of dollars worth of books in one year. His investment was a premium membership at the library which lets him borrow twice the limit.

Anyway, I still have a number of bought and yet to be read books, and no place to keep extra books, so it also makes sense not to buy and create a storage problem.

2. Bring your own water - I used to buy water from Guardian or the supermarket. Now I bring a water bottle.

3. Transport - Minimise taking of cabs. I used to take cabs quite frequently - looking back it was because I didn't manage my time properly, rushing out to meet clients at the last minute etc.

4. Utility and Maintenance
I had some bedsheets which were washed and left in storage untouched. After a year or so yellow spots appeared. Things left unused can somehow deteriorate too.

Also had a pair of shoes on which I used liquid polish. It's good for a quick makeover but dried up and cracked the shoe soon.

Regular usage and proper maintenance is also important I feel. Utility helps you to derive value from your purchase. Maintenance extend the lifespan of the purchase and reduce replacement costs.

5. Track expenses
Record your purchases, payments, etc for say at least a month. Anything and everything. It is at least an objective way to look at your spending.

 

[ConnorMcLeod]

Wah. Your utility quite low leh. My mum can pay as high as $400 per month though we seldom on aircon.

Dude, your mom on all lights round the clock?

 

[ConnorMcLeod]

Recession or not, I had always lived simple:

my PUB bill is about SGD 43-47/month. Hardly use AC, mainly use fan. Seldom watch TV, I have no radio, only PC use alot. Lights I only use in the room I am in, or else I switch it off. But, I live alone, and come home evening only................

Change to night shift , come home only day time. Saves on lighting cost.

 

[ortega]

sign on to SAF and live there, eat there, wear their clothes
no transport cost, no utility bills

sell weekend duty can earn extra pocket money

 

[Sion]

I wash cloth once a week, and use the same shirts and pants the whole week (keep rotating), save environment, save water, save Singapore

You mean one day you wear only shirt and the other day only pants?

How do you evade the police?

 

[hongsien]

You mean one day you wear only shirt and the other day only pants?

How do you evade the police?

My shirt is long enough to cover any bird......and my pants long enough to cover my nipples........

HS

 

[Big Kahuna]

My shirt is long enough to cover any bird......and my pants long enough to cover my nipples........

HS

I offer you banana leaf from my grandma's back yard....it is disposable and environment friendly....make you taste like nasi lemak that she cooked :thumbsup:

 

[hongsien]

I offer you banana leaf from my grandma's back yard....it is disposable and environment friendly....make you taste like nasi lemak that she cooked :thumbsup:

You want the bird to taste like nasi lemak? That's hot!

 

[Sion]

Recession or not, I had always lived simple:

my PUB bill is about SGD 43-47/month. Hardly use AC, mainly use fan. Seldom watch TV, I have no radio, only PC use alot. Lights I only use in the room I am in, or else I switch it off. But, I live alone, and come home evening only................

Broadband Starhub with basic channels at home........SGD 89/month (think can save more if I start new contract)
HP plan is the most basic from Singtel, I SMS alot (SGD 45-48/month)
Food wise, I mainly eat outside for dinner mainly at hawker or food courts and simple food only, and breakfast at home (bread only), aprox SGD 5-6/day
No car, not necessary in Sin city unless you have small kids
Public transport: about SGD 80-90 (??)
I wash cloth once a week, and use the same shirts and pants the whole week (keep rotating), save environment, save water, save Singapore

Where do you keep all your money? :bsmilie:

 

[hongsien]

Where do you keep all your money? :bsmilie:

With Lehman Brothers.......

 

[Sion]

With Lehman Brothers.......

You'll still have lion share of your money if you spend it on "Geylang Sisters". :bsmilie:

 

[Sion]

Off my head:

House Installment ~1000
Car installment + maintenance ~1200
Parent ~500
Utility ~200
Town council and property taxes ~100
Personal Taxes ~300
Telecommunication + SCV ~200
Food ~1000
Insurances ~800
Investments ~1000
Entertainment ~200

~Total $6500

Never realized it's this high....really need to cut down on the big ticket :sweat: Damn...I need to get a job quick

House Installment ~ $0 Live in a cave house
Car installment + maintenance ~ $0 My feet are my wheels
Parent ~ $0 Lucky if I don't ask them for food.
Utility ~ $0 Use water from public water taps and read under street lights.
Town council and property taxes ~ $0
Personal Taxes ~ $0 No income and no tax.
Telecommunication + SCV ~ $0 Only talk face to face.
Food ~ $0 Eat fruits from the wild and fishes from the sea.
Insurances ~ $0
Investments ~ $0 A few branches a day for the future tree house.
Entertainment ~ $0 XMMs from the next cave house.

 

[ConnorMcLeod]

chinese says "create sources, reduce drains" (of $$$) so reducing living cost achieves the latter, which you have more control but has limited effect .
The former is more important in both good and bad times but harder to achieve.

well, no one said life is easy.

 

[redstone]

House Installment ~ $0 Live in a cave house
Car installment + maintenance ~ $0 My feet are my wheels
Parent ~ $0 Lucky if I don't ask them for food.
Utility ~ $0 Use water from public water taps and read under street lights.
Town council and property taxes ~ $0
Personal Taxes ~ $0 No income and no tax.
Telecommunication + SCV ~ $0 Only talk face to face.
Food ~ $0 Eat fruits from the wild and fishes from the sea.
Insurances ~ $0
Investments ~ $0 A few branches a day for the future tree house.
Entertainment ~ $0 XMMs from the next cave house.

Tarzan? :think:

 

[Dovedo]

sign on to SAF and live there, eat there, wear their clothes
no transport cost, no utility bills

sell weekend duty can earn extra pocket money

Not all SAF camps have free logging now. Some do require you to pay........especially those that have air-con + radio and so on.......

 

[Dovedo]

A person might save more by sharing a cab with 3 other friends instead of taking a bus for short trips.

For people who don't drive to work that often and still want to retain their beauty sleep, a cab might still be more affordable in the long run as compared to owning a car. In fact, parking in the CBD costs a bomb.

 

[Harry Potter]

Off my head:

House Installment ~1000
Car installment + maintenance ~1200
Parent ~500
Utility ~200
Town council and property taxes ~100
Personal Taxes ~300
Telecommunication + SCV ~200
Food ~1000
Insurances ~800
Investments ~1000
Entertainment ~200

~Total $6500

Never realized it's this high....really need to cut down on the big ticket :sweat: Damn...I need to get a job quick

car and housing a lot :sweat:

 

[AMediaLuz]

Off my head:
Investments ~1000

Never realized it's this high....really need to cut down on the big ticket :sweat: Damn...I need to get a job quick

Investment is what you saved. It's not to be considered an expense!!:sticktong