Hi folks, its been 2 months and we've settled down quite nicely in our nest. Unable to let go of our previous job, we have been collecting every single receipt we got so we can have a better idea how much we're spending.
If you're a student out there who has decided to come to US to pursue an education, it might be worth while to read on. If however you're not, its also worth your time to go through these stuff and think about how you're spending your money away. Financial Planning REALLY is important in life. So here goes:
Days in Savannah: 62 $ in USD
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Groceries to date: $185.14
Art Supplies: $358.74
Textbook: $73.53
Food- 22 days of Subway $117.70
- 20 days of Chinese food $90
- Starbucks $135
Prepaid Phone $130
Transport- 2nd hand Bike $68.84
2mths Rent $509.79
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Sub total $1,668.74
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Misc
21inch Monitor $159.99
Intuos 4 Wacom Tablet(med) $313.17
head phone $30
Books from Amazon $80
Furnitures $147.50
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Total $2399.40
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Average Per day Spendings: $38.70
As you guys can see, it seems pretty scary to be spending 2 grand in 2 months as a student. What we eat everyday is either subway (which costs $5.30 after tax for footlong that makes up our lunch and dinner) or chinese food. ($4.50 per meals which we eat half for lunch and dinner) For breakfast we usually eat bread or skip meals altogether. As you can probably see, besides starbucks we don't have much of an entertainment. (Its a top up card that still has at least $80 bucks of value so its not really accurate to say we drink that much) If you look at what is essentially important ie; groceries, art supplies, daily meals, textbook, rent, transport and furnitures it already adds up to $1,551.24 for 2 months. So if you intend to come to school and party, you'll probably be looking at spending around 2 - 3 grand PER month.
Because we used to be financial planners (we think we still are), we know these figures can really go big if you don't watch yourself and track daily. This is a fair accurate figure for 2 months of expenditure and because we just settled in, its slightly higher. We're really lucky because our friendly housemates let us have their spare bed, table, chair and even mirror. ( they are really our angels in life right now and without them, we'll probably be in the streets) We would say the first settle in will probably costs almost $500 to $2,500 on furniture if you don't have any help. Our ideal scenario is to cap at $650 monthly (Yes it is tough because the rent takes up almost half). Lastly, if you're working in the society, we highly recommend you sit down with a financial agent and look through the variety of financial products out there if you haven't. Even if you think you know these stuff, its always good to hear more and get a different perspective. (^__^) Have a great weekend!
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