March – April Expenses and 1st Quarter Dividends

Things have been quite hectic lately with my school moving locations, a new route to bike, new students and lesson plans, etc.  It doesn’t mean I’ve forgotten about investing however or living a frugal life.  I can always do better at both but just giving it a shot puts me on the front lines of a happy fulfilling life where my time is my own.

I track my expenses from the 15^th of one month to the 14^th of the next.  Here is what happened from March to April (Numbers are in Japanese Yen):

Income:

Paycheck:  299,904

Part-time Job:  18,394

Questionnaire:  500

Selling stuff:  1,240

TOTAL:  320,038

My income was pretty much where I thought it would be.  Down quite a bit from February but that’s only because February had quite a spike in it with the STEP Eiken test and discovering 50 hours of unused vacation time from my part-time job.  Next month I will receive a raise at work (which was forgotten on my April check so I’ll get double the raise in May) and also start receiving travel expenses monthly.

Expenses:

Rent:  50,100

Eating Out:  45,364

Groceries:  10,578

Transportation:  4,950

Bills:  6,696

Entertainment:  1,200

Alcohol:  4,817

Bike:  18,666

Medical:  550

Present:  25,701

Videogames:  1,515

Lodging:  12,770

TOTAL:  182,907

SAVINGS RATE:  42.85%

AVERAGE SAVINGS RATE 2013:  51.88%

Expenses came in a bit harsh this month with some winners and a few losers.  I bought my GF a nice present for Valentine’s Day in February which means I had to pay the CC in March.  A few drinking parties with the new teachers at my school plus the spring break bug to get out and catch some brews with friends had me forking over more cash for “catheter and tube” drinks.  Bills and Medical were wayyyy down and have been down compared to last year.  I canceled my postpaid phone and went prepaid in January and I’ve been taking much better care of my teeth so my dental visits are just for checkups and maybe an x-ray. 

My yearly goal for the year is to save 55% of my income.  So far my average is 51.88%.  I’m not very worried about this going forward as I mentioned I’m receiving a raise at work and I’ll start to collect transportation expense for the train even though I am taking my bike.  In addition I don’t have any big plans for the summer so I will try to get some time in at my part time job while still collecting a paycheck from my employer (I get paid summer, winter, and spring breaks).  In addition there are still two more STEP Eiken tests this year which will help to pad my bottom line.

1^st Quarter Dividends

As I buy more stocks I get paid more dividends.  It’s that simple really.  My first quarter of 2013 saw a blowout compared to last year.

Total Dividends Received 1^st Quarter 2013:  $178.96

Total Dividends Received 1^st Quarter 2012:  $44.17

Wow!  A more than 300% increase over last year!  I’m pretty happy with that!  Of course the best part is that all of these dividends are being reinvested so they will pay me more the next time around.  And if the company decides to increase the dividend, well, it just doesn’t get any better.