Good things that happened
I went to Japan!
As you will see in the expenses, I spent nearly 3 weeks in Japan this month and even though I bought all the planners, all the skincare, and all didn’t limit myself on food or transit at all, I came in under-budget! I have a lot more content – including vlogs, a tour of my capsule and train hotel, and a haul video, coming. If you want to be notified when those videos come out subscribe please to my youtube channel, I’m desperate!
This was my first non-work trip in a long time, so it was fun to not have to focus on work. I did a little bit of work while I was there, and documented and filmed quite a few things, but generally prioritized vacation over anything else.
Full March 2019 Spending Report
Total Spent: $2,073
28% of total annual budget at 25% of the way through the year.
Household & Insurance – $701.13
- Rent: $615
- Water, Commons, Garbage, Sewer: $27.50
- Electricity: $29.60
- Household Items (detergent, TP, toothpaste, razors, etc): $6.96
- Internet at Home: $0 This is now paid for by SSO’s employer due to being remote employee, was $20 per month.
Basic Food – $96.41
- Basic Groceries: $68.78 (traveling for 2/3 of the month)
- Treats (non-essential snacks): $22.64
- Coffee/Tea For Home: $4.99
Medical – $29 ***Why this is so cheap
- Health Insurance Premium: $29.00
Fitness – $38.99
- Gym Membership: $38.99
Giving/Gifts – $20.77
- Charitable Donations: $20.77
Sinking Funds – not yet spent
- Renter’s Insurance: $11.50 ($140 per year)
- Unicorn Hair: $180 (TBD if I spend this)
- Figure Skating: $50
Japan Trip – $1,210 (Approximate due to exchange rates; 100 yen = ~$.90 USD)
More information on what I bought and brought home is coming! But here’s the basics. I went wild with shopping, but it was within budget – I got a lot of things I could only get in Japan, and I don’t expect to be back anytime soon.
Flight was purchased last year, my shinkansen (high speed train) tickets were covered by Chase Sapphire $300 Annual Travel Credit, and my hotels were paid for with Chase and Hotel.com points.
Food – 43,784 ¥
- Lunch: 19,835 ¥
- Beverages (Coffee/tea): 10,050 ¥
- Dinner: 8,643 ¥
- Breakfast: 5,643 ¥
Incidentals – 13,290¥
- Museum/Temple/Tourist Fees: 9,529 ¥
- Random Stuff (ATM fees, Postcards, etc): 3,761 ¥
Lodging – 1,450¥
- Towel/Locker Fees at Hostels: 1,050 ¥
- Hotel Tax: 400 ¥
Local Transit – 11,206¥
Shopping – 65,769¥
- Makeup + Skincare : 30,023 ¥
- Clothing: 13,386 ¥
- Stationery/Planners: 8,224 ¥
- Misc (Mostly Cute Train-Related Stuff): 7,748 ¥
- Gifts: 6,388 ¥
Retirement savings: $100
Cash Savings: $302.78
OMD Business Income + Expenses Report
I don’t focus on personal income or savings any more because this year I’m focusing not on building my personal savings, but rather getting the business to a supporting-me-full-time sort of status, and I think it’s important to show where I am 27 months into this business since my income might be missing from my expense reports some months since I may not take an income from the business (as was the case this month.)
This is cash-based accounting, not accrual, so this only accounts for income received this month, not invoices billed. Some of the income may be work done in previous quarters, depending on how fast people pay me. That means that a number of the expenses incurred may be covered by reimbursements or sales received in another month.
Income & Sales: +$2585.15
- Book + Kindle Sales (net after fees): $251.98
- Online Course (net after fees): $81.81
- Freelancing: $75.00
- Patreon Memberships: $376.36
- Speaking Fees: $1,800
Expenses: -$396.59
- Travel Expenses: $0
- Shipping: $9.00
- Office Supplies: $68.97
- Hosting + Software: $166.03
- Payroll & Contractors: $100.00
- Phone: $40.00
- Client Meals: $12.59
I pay quarterly estimated taxes on my business income, so I save 30% of my net (after expenses) income in a separate account. Please note reimbursements for expenses incurred – such as travel to a gig – are not considered taxable income.
Tax Savings: $656
(30% of $2585 Earned Income – $396.59 Expenses)
The attention to detail and meticulous research that went into this article is truly awe-inspiring