July has flown, and August has arrived. A wet end to last month and a wet beginning to this one. And life goes on. Yesterday’s Hash was a street walk in Alta Vista and Barretto, places I walk every day. I bailed about halfway through and retreated to the On-Home venue at It Doesn’t Matter to get a head start on my other hobby–beer drinking. I’ll share some Hash photos at the end of this post.
After the Hash, I participated in a brief bar crawl with a few other Hashers. Voodoo, Thumbstar, and Whiskey Girl were more than enough for me. My Whiskey girls, Jen and Kim, said they had never seen me so drunk. On the other hand, I wasn’t so drunk that I forgot them saying that, so there you go. Woke up on time this morning and set about my usual rituals.
My driver picked me up at Swan’s for the weekly grocery shopping excursion to Royal. Swan and my other helper accompanied me as per usual. And by the way, Swan is now officially on my payroll, giving me a total of four employees. This week’s grocery expenditure was 14,700 pesos.
As previously reported, I tracked my expenses through the month of July just to see where the money goes. Looking at the numbers, there were a couple of surprises:
Budget: 275,000 pesos Expenses: 316,000 Balance: -41,000
Once again, I overspent my budget, which is not surprising. The challenge is unraveling the “why” and, more importantly, figuring out what I should do to rectify the problem. Here’s where the money went in July:
Groceries: 71,000 (I’d like to get this down to 60,000. That’s still a lot, but I don’t want to scrimp on my grocery purchases. I’ve earned the right to eat what I want, even at a premium.)
Helpers/Driver: 39,000 (That’s pretty much a fixed expense, and it will be going up some now that I’ve employed Swan)
Lady Drinks: 38,000 (Yowzah! This was one of the surprises. I’d like to cut this spending in half)
Rent: 35,000 (This will rise to 40,000 after the move)
Dining: 29,000 (Given how much I spend on groceries, I shouldn’t spend this much in restaurants. On the other hand, I don’t want to deny myself the pleasure of dining out whenever I feel like it. I think I’ll budget myself 20,000 here)
Beer: 27,000 (Is that all? Damn, that’s showing some self-control! Staying in this range should be fine)
Charity: 24,000 (I’ve got my regular projects–the mountain mama MJ and the schoolboy in Bohol. I think 10% of my monthly budget is a good target in this category)
Utilities/Phone: 11,000 (It is what it is. Gotta keep those lights on!)
Shopping: 10,000 (This is mostly clothes and shoes and the like. That amount each month is probably about right)
Tips: 10,000 (I used to be a bigger tipper. Now, I usually give 10% of the bill, sometimes more to a “special” waitress. Not much room for reductions here)
Prescriptions: 7,000 (Gotta keep the old man alive, whatever the cost)
Gifts: 6,000 (I’m trying to recall what gifts I bought. All I can come up with is money I’ve given Joy to help with her kids. I might track that kind of spending as “charity” in the future)
Transportation: 3,000 (Trikes and Jeepneys…no room for savings here)
Entertainment: 3,000 (I honestly don’t remember being entertained last month)
Hash: 2,000 (Now there’s a bargain!)
This month I’ll establish a budget for the various categories and see how well I do abiding by those limits.
Okay, let’s do those Hash photos from yesterday:
And that’s all I’ve got about that.
I’ll be doing something different this afternoon. Swan invited me to visit the RSL meeting. That’s an Australian group similar to the VFW, except they are open to everyone. I’ve seen them around town on bar hops, and they are well known for their charity projects. So, we’ll see if I’m a good fit.
The best things in life are free But you can keep 'em for the birds and bees Now give me money (that's what I want) That's what I want (that's what I want) That's what I want (that's what I want) yeah That's what I want Your loving give me a thrill, But your loving don't pay my bills Now give me money (that's what I want) That's what I want (that's what I want) That's what I want (that's what I want) yeah That's what I want Money don't get everything it's true What it don't get I can't use Now give me money (that's what I want) That's what I want (that's what I want) That's what I want (that's what I want) yeah That's what I want Well, now give me money (that's what I want) Whole lot of money (that's what I want) Whoah yeah, I wanna be free (that's what I want) Oh, money (that's what I want) That's what I want, yeah (that's what I want) That's what I want
And then my morning coffee with Swan.
One of the symbols for the Buddha is an empty throne. Does that empty chair mean Swan is some sort of wisdom figure?
and it will be going up some now that I’ve employed Swan
What’s she doing for you that’s different from what the other helpers do?
The long and short of it…Leech My Nuggets and Tiny Cunt
Quite a pair.
Nice pics of the walk despite the rain.
Couple of comments on your expenses:
Does your grocery expenses include food for your workers? $1300 USD for one person for a month seems really really really high!!!
I would have thought your dining and grocery bill would be flipped.
In any case, you are spending almost $2000/month on food for one person (if that is just for you)? WOW!!!! That just seems like a crazy amount.
(of course, if that amount includes the food you buy for Joy et. al., your helpers, etc, then it is a bit more understandable, but still seems high.)
Spending more on lady drinks than rent would seem to indicate a budgetary imbalance, especially if the lady drinks don’t lead to a, ahem, logical conclusion. Perhaps these expenditures belong in the charity column. And then you’re spending quite a bit more on charity than rent. Your pera, your choice. But remember, your landlord ain’t in the charity business. And neither are most bar girls.
Drain, no question about it, those lady drink expenditures are way out of line. My goal is a 50% reduction. It would make more sense if that were a barfine budget, but I’m not interested in bargirl takeout. In my mind, I do try and justify this expenditure as “charity” work–the girls rely on drink commissions to augment their meager salaries, and I feel sorry for them sometimes. Still, there are better ways to spend that money, and you have to draw the line somewhere. I’ll figure it out.
Brian, yes, that grocery expense includes food and supplies for my live-in helpers. I could reduce what I spend by being more frugal with my purchases–imported goods ain’t cheap, but I really don’t want to live a life where I deny myself things I want unless I have to. Right now, I can afford to fill my cart without paying attention to the price of the items, but I think some future prudence may be warranted.
It’s kind of the same with the restaurant category–that includes food I buy for companions or the bargirls. Last night I bought Swan a mango shake for 250 pesos. I bought a side of fries at Mugshots for me (150 pesos) and chicken wings (350 pesos) for the girls. So, I spent 3x more on food for others than I did for myself. I guess it’s just the way I roll.
Kev, the only symbolism of that empty chair is Swan’s continued desire not to be photographed. Take from that what you will.
Swan is technically my part-time caregiver, and I guess that once I move in, I’ll find some things for her to do for me. The real purpose for hiring her was to provide cover for her to live under the same roof and be seen in town with me during her 365 days of mourning. I’m her boss, not her boyfriend.
Life is grand…you living a rich life…you deserve it and you help alot of people…what is money afterall if you don’t spend it…you can’t take them to your grave…life is short, eat drink and be merry. 🥰
Thanks for your encouragement, BW.