It's the 16th of July which means another pay check has come and gone as has another month of expenses. Actually I got paid on Friday the 13th but have been lazy. This month I was hit with a negative wealth bomb but also had a bit of extra work come in. I also made a little bit of money selling stuff.
Income:
Job: ¥321,647
Part Time Job: ¥4,653
Other: ¥35,000
Total: ¥361,300
Not a bad month for income. The other category here includes getting paid for English interview tests. This comes up 3 times a year and this was my second time this year. The next time will be in October or November. My part time job wage was very low as they started to take my ward taxes out of this paycheck. I have since changed that and it is now taken out of my normal job paycheck. (See the above link on negative wealth bombs for more on this).
In an attempt to start getting rid of things to simplify our life I did sell my Nintendo DSi. I hadn't played it in over a year and I own a Playstation Vita now so it's not like I'm on a desert island game wise. We are finding it more difficult than I thought to get rid of things. A topic for another article.
Expenses:
I really took a hit this month in many areas. First, rent. When we moved into our apartment the company was running a deal where they split up the deposit over three to five years. You pay 1/3 when you move in, another 1/3 in two years, and the last 1/3 after five years. In Japan actually this is great. Deposits can range anywhere from one month to three months rent. Usually there are other things you have to pay as well like "key money" or a very vague "thank you deposit." These can usually range as well from one month rent or more, and these are non-refundable. The key money is a way to say "Thanks for a key!" and the "thank you deposit" is like saying "Thanks for the opportunity to pay you rent every month." I've been very lucky and been able to avoid both of these money traps ever since I've moved to Japan. I don't know how Japanese people find it acceptable to pay these fees which to me are just outrageous cultural hang nails possibly from a time when housing was sparse and landlords could gouge you for every yen you had. But that is not the situation anymore, at least not in my head.
Eating out was another source of financial drag. This month included a birthday party, two going away parties, and the regular trips to ramen shops. I also took my GF to the dentist this month. She doesn't have insurance so just getting checkups are expensive. But I see it as preventative health care. If they can catch something (and they did) I think it's worth it. Neither one of us took great care of our teeth growing up (I take most of the blame but I also blame the lack of any health care whatsoever growing up) and so if I have to put even a million yen (about $10,000) into our teeth over the next ten years well then that is the price of learning to take care of your teeth. I'd like to be able to enjoy steak when I'm 85.
I also spent more on entertainment. I took my GF out to a baseball game. This also contributed to increased dining out on beers. We did play it smart and brought all of our food from the grocery store.
How did it look from a day to day perspective?
Total Income: ¥361,300
Total Expenses: ¥226,133
Total Saved: ¥135,268
Savings Rate: 37%
YTD Savings Rate: 45%
It's looking more and more like I won't be hitting my goal of 65% savings for the year. I'm looking at ways to get my expenses down so I can possibly eek out another 2~3% a month.
Next month I'll actually be heading back to the states as it's summer break now here in Japan. I know I don't make as much as many other bloggers posting about their personal finances, but I do have to say I'm very lucky to work in education. Six weeks paid off in the summer is pretty incredible. After all this whole f-you money concept is about getting my time back.
While in the states I plan on looking at buying a road touring bike to bring back to Japan. I'd like to start biking to work increasing my health and possible giving me a big fat bonus every few months (on that when it happens). I realize these purchases are going to hit my savings rate but in the long run I think it will be worth it.
