Monthly budgets

Woops I burst my budget for Sept.

Aug - 3.1k (PS5 and games and donation in hubby name)

Sep - 2.5k (600 for dog staycation and 133 for security course)

Oct - 2.2k (due to vet fees and florists course costs)

Nov - 2.5k (600 for dog staycation)

Dec - 2k (dental costs)

Jan 25 - 1.8k

2025 May will have income tax - estimate 2.5k

2025 March Penang trip - flight and accomodation 600 plus dog 510

2025 Aug/Sep - donations 800

2025 Sep genting dog staycation 600

Dental 500

Dog vet fees 250

2nd free Chinese tuition today

In another 1 hr, will be conducting my 'tuition' to speak, to my sis colleagues daughters. I didn't ask for this, it is more of helping in any way. Any way it is a bit hard to hold on kids attention nowadays so I will aim for 45 minutes. No distractions.

This is my 2nd month into lean FI. Haha actually I burst my monthly budgets for past 2 months so I am technically not FI. Always have some splurges here and there. Well, what is there to life if I don't enjoy some of it now.

Yesterday was having a Convo with G, if I die and they all passed on eventually, our assets would go to XM. He is the youngest and likely will survive us. I really hope my assets could go to those that need it, not to him because he would be inheriting a lot from my deceased uncle estate. Well, such matters are out of my hands. It would be heaven's will, if I survive long enough, I would donate to charities instead.

Bank and lawyer firm

My 3rd uncle wife came to sg on Thurs. She was here to settle bank and lawyer stuff pertaining to my deceased uncle. Earlier helped her to email cdp and find lawyer keen to take up the task. Anyway after many months, the lawyer agreed to meet us on 27 Sept. So my aunt came out, bringing all the documents.

It was her first time first, I let her stay at my place since she is here for 1 night. I have spare room. She stayed Thurs nite, today morning, brought her to have breakfast opposite my place. Then we went to century sq dbs bank to see if we could settle her matters. Ended up the bank also need a resealed LOA. So no choice, we wanted to go home first. Then mum wanted to treat her to a lunch, so we met at Bedok mall and ended up eating at Goku. It was decent fare, I ordered curry pork.

After that, we just jalan jalan, mum wanted coffee. Before what, Geoky want to try fun claw, managed to get a 包夹 so luckily the five bucks din go wasted.

We wasted more time then 1.40pm, we left for Chinatown point. We were getting quite tired at this point. I woke up 4am so feeling the z monster. We made our way there, then we were 30mins early but the lawyer was ok to meet us. He took the documents, suggested we do a fresh LOA for sg assets because the msia LOA has many msia assets which were already settled, and he took the original LOA, marriage cert, death certs in case court need it. This could take 6 months. So I put a reminder to check back on it in March 2025.

My aunt would be going back 8pm back to muar. She gave me a big ang bao earlier. Felt bad to receive it. I am helping her, expecting nothing in return. Mum told me to just take it. 

Cherish your current stuff

I gotta learn how to cherish what I have now. Heart keep wanting to buy stuff - bags, clothes, blind box etc.

Need to remind myself I am incomeless, and need to save after bursting my 1800 monthly budget.

Aug - 3.1k

Sep - likely 2k

Imm

It had been 2 years. I last went IMM in Nov/Dec 2022, a few months after his death. I just wanted to get out of the house, and shopped til In dropped dead. I hope I died then. It was that bad, in a depressive state.

2 years later, I decided on IMM after my sis G asked me go shopping. At 1pm, I left home, determined to take bus197 ride there. I like to sit on bus and admire the scenery. The whole bus journey was 1hr50min. It went to many areas - Chinatown, bukit merah, clementi, all these places bring me memories especially Chinatown. I teared abit because Chinatown was our favorite place. We went there like once a month.

Anyway, I reached JE 3.20pm, and decided to look around the jcube side to see what had changed. I was trying to find the coffeeshop where I used to buy caifan in 2013/2014. I finally found it and la kopi c kosong there. Then I walked to JE library and read a book. Finished it by 5.45pm and decided to go buy tissue paper before meeting G at the mrt.

We were walking to luckin when we saw a popmart shop. G saw a 2019 labubu series that she wanted. She bought one and din get the one she wanted. Ended up the box we thought was the bun, was the one she wanted. She bought altogether 3 boxes. Y adopted the 2 unwanted.

After that, we bought a drink at luckin, before making our way to IMM. We are BK, something my hubby and I always would eat. We then went to the shops selling bags to see if I could find the bag I want. I found a very close one at Guess, priced 179 but the bag was small. So in the end, just window shopped till it was time to go home. The journey back was a long way haha. Reached home, quickly fed my hungry dogs. Made coffee and bathed. Slept around 12mn.

Sunday would be my first tuition with S kids. I hope this would be my way of giving back to society.

Dessert buffet

My elder sister Y jio-ed me to eat the chateraise dessert buffet yesterday. I agreed immediately. The venue is at millenia walk.

Almost 20 years ago, wanjing, shimin and myself went for a chocolate buffet and we could not eat much because the cakes are all rich and chocolatety. End up we didn't make our money worth. Then some time later, wanjing jio-ed me to go a one day durian buffet trip in JB. I skipped breakfast and only ate a few durian before I felt very full. 

So this round, for ,25 bucks, I didnt hold too much hope. You will have a drink and unlimited dessert from their dessert booth. The selection was not great, and they do not replenish finished items during the 90 minutes I was there. So those who came to the buffet later, ended up having very few selections. This irks me a lot.

Anyway we tried all the items, and only a handful are good. I like the cinnamon prune pound cake slice (retail 4 bucks) and ate 2 pieces. Also ate the french pink crispy toast. Ice cream reminded me of yole. Honey cake was soft and fluffy. Rest did not live up to their mark - either too dry, or not impressive. Y also agreed. We tried to have 2nd or 3rd go at the nice cakes. Ate till very full (3pm) so I decided to skip dinner.

Anyway I won't recommend it to anyone. Not worth the calories.

Herbal soup

I cooked herbal pork soup yesterday, using ready made packs from Sheng siong. Instead of pork ribs, I used pork meat. Hehe it was ok, cos I do not have a soup pot so can't really let the soup simmer. So I just cooked it for 20 plus minutes. The meat of course didn't soak in the soup taste. Anyway I spent 17 for the ingredients, of which 10 was paid using cdc vouchers.

This can last me 6 meals at least. 

I need to buy brown rice next, and try jap curry.

The next time I am going to cook using my rice cooker. Hope the herbal soup can make it.