I don’t know about you but I love CNBC’s Millennial Money and Refinery29’s Money Diaries.
Maybe it’s because I love to snoop but there’s something about learning how someone spends their money is interesting. I’d figure since I enjoy it so much, I’d share my monthly money diaries!
Without ado, here’s my September 2022 money diary.
*I will not be posting any mortgage, loans, or credit card repayments.
Week of September 1 – 3
- Strata payment – $294.93. I view strata payment as separate from the mortgage as it’s a living expense for me.
- RMT Massage – $107.80. I didn’t realize I already maxed out my healthcare benefits, so this was more expensive than I thought. The good thing is, I get a Health and Wellness spending account from work so I’ll be expensing this in December.
- TransLink (public transport) – $10.00
- Starbucks – $5.83
- AliExpress – $12.97. I purchased a new Samsung S22+ for myself and my partner so I grabbed 2 phone cases.
Total: $431.53
Week of September 4 – 10
- Superstore – $60.40
- Bubble Waffle – $16.29. I go to the office 2x a week and like to buy lunch to socialize with my colleagues.
- 7-11 – $3.15. An afternoon pick me up!
- Educational Textbook Island – $25.72. I buy PDF textbooks… so, there you go.
- Amazon Prime – $11.19
- Fido Phone Bill – $35.69. Slight discount from Rogers’ network fiasco.
- Chefs Plate – $13.31. I also received a $15 cashback so technically this week’s Chefs Plate was free! I plan on doing a bigger blog post on how Chefs Plate is helping us save money during this high inflation.
- Shoppers Drug Mart – $2.30.
- Lost in the 50s Diner – $39.82
Total: $207.87
Week of September 11 – 17
- Apple – $31.21
- TransLink – $10.00
- American Express – $12.99. The monthly AE fee went up this year.
- Sushi Garden – $47.24
- Cartems Donut – $8.10
- McDonald’s – $2.61
- TransLink – $10.00. I have an auto top-up set up so that’s why it’s recurring a few times a month.
- Rogers’ Mastercard – $198.88. I dub this a fee in my budget tracker but technically, I’m just helping my dad with some of his expenses.
- Kokoro Tokyo Mazesoba – $19.77
- The Greta Bar – $23.52. This was a barcade so I loaded up my playing card with $20 worth of credits.
- The Greta Bar – $36.27. The food and drinks during work’s happy hour!
- Stripped Wax Bar – $70.04
- Shoppers Drug Mart – $18.68. Had to stock up on prenatal vitamins, otherwise, I would’ve liked to set up a subscribe & save option with Amazon.
Total: $489.31
Week of September 18 – 24
- TransLink – $10.00
- Spotify – $14.55
- Netflix – $18.47
- Home insurance – $23.54
- Chefs Plate – $37.17
- Sushi Garden – $46.30
- Pholicious – $12.59
- Starbucks – $9.84
Total: $172.46
Week of September 25 – 30
- Amazon – $8.95. Bought a pregnancy test but I think I might switch over to the batch of dipsticks instead.
- Olive the Best – $79.99. A birthday gift for a bestie!
- E-Transfer fee – $1.50. Wished my bank had free e-transfers!
- AliExpress – $33.00
- NameCheap EasyWP renewal – $48.88
Total: $172.32
Reflections:
Honestly, this is one of the better months I’ve had this year. I was super close to keeping my spending under what I had initially intended but a few things happened this week that just made me go ever so slightly: (1) I went to the office 3x a week and (2) since working remotely, it was the first time that my HR team got together in person so we went out for a team lunch.
My goal in October is to reduce the number of restaurants. Sometimes, even with a prepped line, I like to go out for lunch to socialize since I don’t go to the office much.
Enjoyed my money diary series? Check out more entries here!
This is such an inspiring post! I feel like if I lay out my spendings like you, it will be easier for me to manage.