hi everyone, to answer a commonly asked question of "how i spend so little ($250) on food every month", the answer is: i don't just spend $250. the $100 that i contribute to my joint account with my partner is also mostly food expenditure. my mother also buys groceries with her own money, and we have extended family members who buy us food sometimes and so we eat a lot of dabao-ed leftovers. we've been getting food hampers from family service centres, so we occasionally get essentials like rice, noodles, and household toiletries from that. hope that clarifies.
Have the grit to master what you love to do, and the rewards will follow. Discover your talent and master it. Your pay reflects the size of commercial problems you are able and willing to solve. Ignore those singaporeans who complain, grumble, bitch and blame the govt day in day out.
@@vetiverose128 Don't play the victim lah. You do get heavily subsidised rent, utilities, free fast internet, cheap/free home appliances and regular free food hampers, public transport vouchers, food vouchers. And your parents pay zero income tax, property tax. Plus excellent health care is available through very low cost medical insurance for singaporeans.
what is most impressive is despite your slow start situation, you did not blame the whole world but instead make a concrete plan like how the older folks that goes through early days of singapore after independence. Huge respect for you. I am confident you will be successful in life with that attitude!
Mad respect for you. You deserve to strive in life with the amount of determination and dedication you have for your mother and your own life. I'm in my early 30s and still trying to figure things out. Your video is of great help, especially to future young Singaporeans.
Mad respect for you & how you are able to journey through life while having so many responsibilities on your plate. Hope you strive in your career, ultimately increasing your monthly salary in the future.
When I started my job 15 years back, I used to track my expenses so detail like this. I would put graphs to track category of expenses month to month. However, I realized aiming so much for saving while good for discipline, it made me stressed out when I was not able to hit my goal due to uncontrolled factor. As life took me to earn more, I realized it became easier to save naturally but I have cultivated such a habit to be in control for years that it made it so hard for me to live with my partner and others when more spending is needed.
Great work and kudos to your level of financial literacy and planning at this age. I really like the part where you mentioned striking a balance between living a life today vs saving for tomorrow. I hope more young people get pushed your video and realise it's not rocket science the importance of starting young. Also being appreciative of what you have vs sulking over what you don't have. Best wishes in your career as you continue on this journey and hope you achieve your goals in life!
Lisa, I am a retiree over the age of 70, I would like to salute you for your wisdom at such a young age, you are a great model for all young persons in Singapore. All the very best to you for your future endeavour.
Respect to you, Lisa. I am amazed at how details you are with your finances. Although I am not a homeowner and sole breadwinner, I have struggled with finances since I stopped taking allowances and having to balance work and school, and also with school loan. I can't imagine how is it for you.. You are really an inspiration! I hope you will be able to achieve your goals! You go girl!! Please take care of yourself too!
Hi Lisa, I found your video (and subsequently your channel) through YT's algorithm - and I just want to say that you've done really good work on this video. It was concise, informative, and straight to the point (I did watch it at 1.5x speed, a la uni lecture style). As a fellow Singaporean around your age, this really helped me plan in a local context. You've earned a sub! Looking to learn more from you!
Lots of respect for you!! It’s not easy being this disciplined :) Currently 19 and this helped me a lot in the process of learning how to ‘adult’ in sg. Thank you for posting this
I started work during the lehmen brother era. My first paycheck was $2250/mth and I didn't get any pay raise for the 2 years I was with the company. If I had learned from you at that age, I would have been at a better financial situation. Thanks for sharing and it's such a great topic to share on
This might honestly be the most truthful and honest breakdown of life for most normal Singaporeans. I don't think a lot of young Singaporeans have even half the planning and budgeting you're doing. I know I personally did not and I'm 39 now. If I earned $3200 at 25. Trust me most of that cash will be spent on partying hahaha
Alot to learn from you, I'm turning 28 soon. Although I'm having slightly higher take home pay, but we all have our own situations. You have to pay for morgage..I don't but I worry about getting a home next time and family/kids. I also have repayment of 550 per month back for my uni fees to my mum. Gotta learn how to budget better like you so that I can keep track better. But what I admire is the last statement, don't compare with others. Yes everyone is different, as long as we are happy we don't always yearn for more then I think we are okay. Thanks!
For me, I have a similar budgeting in Excel form and a bit more: - a sheet on CPF yearly contribution and calculate my projected savings at 55 and thus estimated withdrawable amount after taking away Minimum Sum. - a sheet called "Yearly Stats" detailing the yearly savings and expenditures to see how I progressed. - a sheet called "WhatIF" to list out scenarios like what is the absolute minimum spending per month, how many months I can survive if in case of retrenchment based on current savings and projected savings at 55 that includes CPF withdrawal (may not be accurate but should be somewhat a good indication). As what I experienced, some variations in the expenses could be those small cash purchases, like snacks or drinks but also could be regular things like a visit to the hair salon. Also not forgetting, there could be bonuses at the end of financial year to add to the savings.
Managing a household and being the sole earner is no small feat, and your insights are valuable. Budgeting is a skill we all need, regardless of our age or circumstances. It's commendable that you're open about your experiences. This kind of practical advice resonates with young adults like me and a wider audience.
I am at 64 and retired once but back doing consulting work. I am impressed and from your voice I can hear confidence, determination and passion in what you do. At your age I suppose you should also be earning more. Move on, the company you are working for doesn't seems to be paying you what you deserved. But again, you know better. I wish you all the best and thanks for sharing and encouraging fellow citizen to save and budget like you do.
I am in my 30s and even till now my budgeting is not as detailed and organised as yours. Great job! This sharing will definitely help a lot of people who are starting out to manage their finances. I wished there were such videos to watch 10 years ago, it would have aided me a lot in my financial literacy journey. Kudos for your effort to share!
Respect that *Budgeting as a Homeowner and Sole Breadwinner* 😌 Really shows a lot of passion & determination that you have!!! In addition... ... Moreover, I understand how you recognise the need for self-care (e.g. therapy) Showing the importance of it sometimes
Mad respect for you sis. I'm in the same positon (minus the house) and ard the same monthly salary range. Good to see someone similar online sharing their nitty gritty details! Thank you
What a fantastic video. The level of dedication, discipline and transparency is something commendable. I'm sure that as time goes by, your pay would definitely increase and this will give you an even greater level of comfort and security. Wishing all the best for your financial journey.
Dunno why UA-cam recommended this but I agree with many commenters that this is refreshingly honest in such a materialistic world we live in. Big applause to your discipline. 👏🏼 Your future is bright. High-5 from Seattle.
I am also 25 this year, still struggling with my life. Currently, I am still at a confused stage in life where i don't have plans for the future. ( I mean everyone has different starting point where their thinking matures so no point comparing myself with others) My current salary isn't particularly high, i am not really talented in anything that can give me higher income so i am just going with the flow at the moment. Looking at your video, i think i should start allocating my expenses which i didn't think of in the past. Thanks for sharing :)
Proud of you for being sensible and mature at such a young age. The fact that you have started on retirement fund at this age will mean you have an earlier, or greater monthly cash payout in future. I only started to think about retirement, investment when I was 30! You will do well in future. All the best!
remember to pay using credit card if you can to rack up those points and save $, and always 100% pay it off when the bill comes. this way your purchases are not only protected but you earn miles/cashback on them.
I want to thank you for being so open about your finances and sharing how you manage it. I’m quite inspired by you and I hope your wealth will accumulate quickly in the future! ❤️
This is great work, I really like how detailed your budgeting sheet is and I think this is very useful for someone starting out in their personal finance journey. I'm a little concerned about your food budget and hope you're getting enough healthy food/calories. I hope $250 is just your own food budget and not total budget for your mom and yourself, because that would translate to $4 per person per day. Take care and I'm sure you will see your income grow and these habits will stand you in good stead!
Vegetable from supermarket is like $1 plus per pack and can feed 2 person for 2 meals. Meat wise frozen meat and seafood is quite cheap also. Don't fall it's cheaper therefore it's not as healthy or good nonsense because the key difference in price is transportation. Chill meat needs to be air flown while frozen meat can be ship via sea freight which is a fraction of the price. Carbohydrates like rice should be below $1 range per day. She can easily hit the budget and have a healthy meal for 2 if she cook at home. I believe she is doing so because the gas and water bill suggest she is doing some form of cooking at home.
Thank you so much for this! I’ve been making a lot of bad financial decisions recently. I’ve also been doing the wrong 50-30-20 rule by not investing in my retirement and using that 20% for “wants”.
I notice you are paying for Skillshare. Just to share, NLB provides all library members with a Udemy Business account. It's great for training and learning new skills. Might as well make use of it since we fund it with our taxes. :) Also, some employers provide free unlimited counselling benefits which is great as the fees are quite eye watering.
That's right! NLB actually provides a lot of resources beyond just a great selection of books. They also conduct many interesting programmes and workshops that we don't need to pay for. You can save a lot of money if you really explore what they have to offer. I swear I am not related to them and I'm not paid to write this. LOL. Just passionate about "free" stuff (that my taxes contributed to).
I'm so proud of you, at your age many still partying yet you're doing budgeting. Fortunate to your mum and husband to be in the near future. Wish many are like you.
I am impressed that you are organized with your expenses at such a young age. I always set aside money for retirement. But if I had been as organized and thoughtful as you are, I would be quite wealthy now. It was not until I was 50 years old when I began seriously organizing and planning my wealth. Your video was entertaining. If young people emulate you, they will be much more secure in the future!
Thank you for sharing in such great detail! For your mum’s retirement fund, I would like to suggest that you consider topping up your mum’s Special Account instead of DBS Invest-Saver for its really good interest rates (4-5% compounding) risk-free and no “expense fee” deductions (I believe Invest Saver’s is around 0.5-0.82% per transaction). The only downside to this is that it will definitely be less liquid to access before age 65.
I was on an autoplay and not really watching what UA-cam plays in the background.. But when it brought me here, it attracts my attention! Such a great video and I can see this being very very helpful!
Excellent financial planning template. Kudos to creativity, thoughtfulness and working around the financial climate of self & country. What I am more amazing is have understood the past tense, accepted the present tense and build a future tense. Keep it up. I am cheering for you from Canada
Wow respect to your determination. When i was earning 3200, i also keep track of my expenses (almost as detailed as u are) and able to save 20-30%. Over a few years my salary increased quite a bit and i suddenly went crazy? I started spending a hell lot and save NOTHING every month. Seems like I was being too strict to myself when i was earning 3200 and now my mentality just want to let it loose. Lucky still have the savings I accumulated when i was still "normal".
I can relate. I was very very prudent with my savings from the time I earned 2.4K. Gave allowance to mum, paid study loan, took another degree and still saved. But once I reached the 6k side, I’m out of control. I no longer have any budget and just spend and my savings are depleting. I wnated to reward myself after years of scrimping and it’s taken me the other side.
Am graduating soon and your video gives me an insight of how life will be for me soon. I'm planning to move to Singapore to work when I graduate and this video really helps
Stumbled upon your video randomly. Thank you for this insight. I am planning to find a job in Singapore and it's been on my mind lately on how to budget things and such as a foreigner. This is a good starter. I hope you have a good year ahead of you and your family!
Way to go! Huge respect and I did the similar template when I start my career previously as well. Keep it going, don’t left the 50-30-20 allocation behind even though your career growth and you getting better pay in the future. It is important to growth but always keep yourself grounded.
Kudos to you Lisa. Very much appreciate your sharing. This is definitely something every responsible adult should do. I earn many times what you do but yet my budget details pales far in comparison. It is truly how you manage your $$ rather than how much you earn that matters. Thank you for the simple but much needed lesson and wake up call.
This is very interesting, It's very cool you can be a breadwinner and own a house at your age right now! I hope I can plan my financial life like you as well in the future! Thank you for the video :)
Greetings from Malaysia! Came across your video and I was attracted by the title. Love this kind of real life sharing videos. Will continue to watch your videos as they are very insightful yet inspiring.
As a young adult trying to achieve financial freedom, I really thank you for the detailed run through of your financial statement. All the best to you in the future!!
I am so impressed with you and fully inspired by this video to start my own detailed budgeting. I wish you all the best life has to offer, you deserve it.
This is so well made! Although I am responsible with my money, I think that there's still lots to learn and improve on, especially after watching this.
Thank you for your detailed and generous sharing! I am a Singaporean who is about to start my first ever full-time job after university and this is very helpful for my financial planning! :D
I relate to your video. I am a sole breadwinner staying with his mum. It can be tough but you just need to have a great overview of budgeting and spend within your means. My recommendation is for you to start doing sideline gig and business to provide additional income for yourself.
I only have a fuzzy idea of my budgeting although I always believe I am a thrifty person. You have inspired me to create a spreadsheet to keep track of my spending. Thank you so much! Please continue to share.
Thank you for sharing your spreadsheet! I use google sheets too for monthly budget breakdown. Yours look much MUCH cleaner! Definitely gonna use some aspects of your layout!
Lisa ! Singaporean ex-Indonesian 28 years old here ! I personally started focusing my finance in the same way as you've been doing 2 years back since Covid ! Mad respect to you Lisa ! I support your channel ! Just an add on from me : 1. I try to put the payment in one payment : Grab Pay, topped up by Amex CC and try to spend within the budget limit. ( Monthly cost, mrt, INSURANCE) ==> cashback + grab pay points 2. As i am still single, i do extra part time job as a waiter / personal assitant kitchen in Japanese yakitori owned by Japanese ( because i am a japanese learner) ==> 2.1 i can earn some money for retirement and a little bit for my spend budget + donation (you get 2.5 tax reduction). ==> i can save on my dinner meal by making staff meal on my own whenever i do part time job or breakfast on next day ==> the money is paid in cash hehe, so not taxable. 加油加油 頑張れーーーーー！ Semangat !!
I do watch lots of videos on YT but never like or subscribe. But looking at your video, made me very emotional. I feel there aren't enough words to describe my feeling after watching your video. At 25 years, you have gained so much of financial knowledge (& taken up so much of responsibility), which generally takes years for any rational person to gain. I am sure, your mom would be very happy & proud of you & I don't know you but I myself feel super proud of you. I am so happy that you have shared this, this will/should motivate lots of youngsters across the globe. I do the same kind of budgeting as you do, 1 thing that you can consider is, instead of duplicating month by month sheet, you can have a annual sheet that depicts your monthly expenses in rows (e.g Fixed expenses column a-d, variable expenses column e-g, etc etc). So if you want to know where you stood in 2021 vs 2022 or any year, it will be helpful & fast.
Hi Lisa, thanks for sharing all those information. Those are really useful for me and you are such an inspiring person in that young age. I'm happy that I found your channel.
Thank you for sharing Lisa!! I'm the same age as you and have always been finding the right tool to track my expenses and your template seems perfect! Have subbed to watch your 'adulting' journey as I am still figuring out how to do it too, all the best on your journey 😊
Thank you Lisa for sharing this . I have shared to my three children who will finish their university studies and start work soon in a few years. I am over 58 now and my wife will soon be. Just would like to share something back with you. I know that you are saving for a car , that is good, but why would need one , especially if you are living in singapore. My wife is a teacher and she takes the cab everyday , the monthly cost much less than ownership of a car . During our childrens' growing up years, we never found a situation where we need to own a car . To have a driver's license yes , but to own one only makes sense if you are in sales . Per month average it would cost about $1200 to maintain. Imagine if you saved that kind of money every month . Invest in a property or gold bars , not a car. Just a thought and thank you again for sharing.
Well said. Think of a car as a liability not an asset. Not necessary in Singapore, except as status symbol. invest in assets that will grow instead of depreciate yearly.
Thank you so much for sharing! I'm also supporting my parents who are both retired, and I'm 28yo. This breakdown in budgeting and finances was really helpful and useful! All the best to you :)
Amazed at your discipline, Lisa! Quick question, I saw you budgeted $250 for food & groceries per month including eating out, which I think it's very low for Singapore (my monthly spending for family of 4 is a a lot higher than that). Any tips to cut down on food bill? Any recommendation on where to shop?
You are candid, sincere and prudent. Your voice is sweet too. Hard not to like your video. I have subscribed and I look forward to see you get better in wealth accumulation and life!
Josh Tan from The Astute Parent made a reaction video to this on his other channel, The Josh Tan Show -- do check it out if you would like to see another perspective to the budgeting framework I outlined here. There were a few interesting suggestions that got me thinking, and I'll definitely make an updated budgeting video in the future if I make any changes. ua-cam.com/video/GsOmv4khGIc/v-deo.html
I am truly inspired by your discipline of keeping track of your expenses diligently. I wish you success in everything that you are doing and my guess is that with your correct attitude, you will definitely find your own direction. #welldone #respect
Respect what u r doing. Having a plan and building good habits are way more than important than how much u earn. As u r progressing, such foundation will reward u massively.
Wow, big respect to you! really like how neat you put things in the excel and plan everything out ❤ i have learn a lot from you in this video as well 😊
Really glad you're spending on therapy!! Although it may be expensive but it is good for our well-being. Thanks for being transparent and I'm inspired to take more charge in my personal finance!
hi everyone, to answer a commonly asked question of "how i spend so little ($250) on food every month", the answer is: i don't just spend $250. the $100 that i contribute to my joint account with my partner is also mostly food expenditure. my mother also buys groceries with her own money, and we have extended family members who buy us food sometimes and so we eat a lot of dabao-ed leftovers. we've been getting food hampers from family service centres, so we occasionally get essentials like rice, noodles, and household toiletries from that. hope that clarifies.
thank you Lisa
Good job Lisa. You clarified my question on how your mum can live on the $100 allowance since she is unemployed.
May I know which credit card you use to pay for your utility bills?I know almost all credit cards dont award points for utilities
Have the grit to master what you love to do, and the rewards will follow. Discover your talent and master it. Your pay reflects the size of commercial problems you are able and willing to solve. Ignore those singaporeans who complain, grumble, bitch and blame the govt day in day out.
@@vetiverose128 Don't play the victim lah. You do get heavily subsidised rent, utilities, free fast internet, cheap/free home appliances and regular free food hampers, public transport vouchers, food vouchers. And your parents pay zero income tax, property tax. Plus excellent health care is available through very low cost medical insurance for singaporeans.
what is most impressive is despite your slow start situation, you did not blame the whole world but instead make a concrete plan like how the older folks that goes through early days of singapore after independence. Huge respect for you. I am confident you will be successful in life with that attitude!
Mad respect for you. You deserve to strive in life with the amount of determination and dedication you have for your mother and your own life. I'm in my early 30s and still trying to figure things out. Your video is of great help, especially to future young Singaporeans.
Mad respect for you & how you are able to journey through life while having so many responsibilities on your plate. Hope you strive in your career, ultimately increasing your monthly salary in the future.
When I started my job 15 years back, I used to track my expenses so detail like this. I would put graphs to track category of expenses month to month. However, I realized aiming so much for saving while good for discipline, it made me stressed out when I was not able to hit my goal due to uncontrolled factor. As life took me to earn more, I realized it became easier to save naturally but I have cultivated such a habit to be in control for years that it made it so hard for me to live with my partner and others when more spending is needed.
Thank you for being so transparent with your income and sharing your template. It feels realistic and extremely helpful.
Great work and kudos to your level of financial literacy and planning at this age. I really like the part where you mentioned striking a balance between living a life today vs saving for tomorrow. I hope more young people get pushed your video and realise it's not rocket science the importance of starting young. Also being appreciative of what you have vs sulking over what you don't have. Best wishes in your career as you continue on this journey and hope you achieve your goals in life!
Lisa, I am a retiree over the age of 70, I would like to salute you for your wisdom at such a young age, you are a great model for all young persons in Singapore. All the very best to you for your future endeavour.
Respect to you, Lisa. I am amazed at how details you are with your finances. Although I am not a homeowner and sole breadwinner, I have struggled with finances since I stopped taking allowances and having to balance work and school, and also with school loan. I can't imagine how is it for you.. You are really an inspiration! I hope you will be able to achieve your goals! You go girl!! Please take care of yourself too!
Hi Lisa, I found your video (and subsequently your channel) through YT's algorithm - and I just want to say that you've done really good work on this video. It was concise, informative, and straight to the point (I did watch it at 1.5x speed, a la uni lecture style). As a fellow Singaporean around your age, this really helped me plan in a local context. You've earned a sub! Looking to learn more from you!
Lots of respect for you!! It’s not easy being this disciplined :) Currently 19 and this helped me a lot in the process of learning how to ‘adult’ in sg. Thank you for posting this
I started work during the lehmen brother era. My first paycheck was $2250/mth and I didn't get any pay raise for the 2 years I was with the company. If I had learned from you at that age, I would have been at a better financial situation. Thanks for sharing and it's such a great topic to share on
This might honestly be the most truthful and honest breakdown of life for most normal Singaporeans. I don't think a lot of young Singaporeans have even half the planning and budgeting you're doing. I know I personally did not and I'm 39 now. If I earned $3200 at 25. Trust me most of that cash will be spent on partying hahaha
Alot to learn from you, I'm turning 28 soon. Although I'm having slightly higher take home pay, but we all have our own situations. You have to pay for morgage..I don't but I worry about getting a home next time and family/kids. I also have repayment of 550 per month back for my uni fees to my mum. Gotta learn how to budget better like you so that I can keep track better.
But what I admire is the last statement, don't compare with others. Yes everyone is different, as long as we are happy we don't always yearn for more then I think we are okay. Thanks!
For me, I have a similar budgeting in Excel form and a bit more:
- a sheet on CPF yearly contribution and calculate my projected savings at 55 and thus estimated withdrawable amount after taking away Minimum Sum.
- a sheet called "Yearly Stats" detailing the yearly savings and expenditures to see how I progressed.
- a sheet called "WhatIF" to list out scenarios like what is the absolute minimum spending per month, how many months I can survive if in case of retrenchment based on current savings and projected savings at 55 that includes CPF withdrawal (may not be accurate but should be somewhat a good indication).
As what I experienced, some variations in the expenses could be those small cash purchases, like snacks or drinks but also could be regular things like a visit to the hair salon. Also not forgetting, there could be bonuses at the end of financial year to add to the savings.
Managing a household and being the sole earner is no small feat, and your insights are valuable. Budgeting is a skill we all need, regardless of our age or circumstances. It's commendable that you're open about your experiences. This kind of practical advice resonates with young adults like me and a wider audience.
I am at 64 and retired once but back doing consulting work. I am impressed and from your voice I can hear confidence, determination and passion in what you do. At your age I suppose you should also be earning more. Move on, the company you are working for doesn't seems to be paying you what you deserved. But again, you know better. I wish you all the best and thanks for sharing and encouraging fellow citizen to save and budget like you do.
I am in my 30s and even till now my budgeting is not as detailed and organised as yours. Great job! This sharing will definitely help a lot of people who are starting out to manage their finances. I wished there were such videos to watch 10 years ago, it would have aided me a lot in my financial literacy journey. Kudos for your effort to share!
Respect that *Budgeting as a Homeowner and Sole Breadwinner*
😌
Really shows a lot of passion & determination that you have!!!
In addition... ...
Moreover, I understand how you recognise the need for self-care (e.g. therapy) Showing the importance of it sometimes
😸
It was a Special & Interesting Video to watch
😅
For it was really informative and educational too
😁
Mad respect for you sis. I'm in the same positon (minus the house) and ard the same monthly salary range. Good to see someone similar online sharing their nitty gritty details! Thank you
you deserve a higher salary for your level of communication clarity, well-structured logic and most important of all, willing to share!
What a fantastic video. The level of dedication, discipline and transparency is something commendable. I'm sure that as time goes by, your pay would definitely increase and this will give you an even greater level of comfort and security. Wishing all the best for your financial journey.
Dunno why UA-cam recommended this but I agree with many commenters that this is refreshingly honest in such a materialistic world we live in. Big applause to your discipline. 👏🏼 Your future is bright. High-5 from Seattle.
I am also 25 this year, still struggling with my life. Currently, I am still at a confused stage in life where i don't have plans for the future. ( I mean everyone has different starting point where their thinking matures so no point comparing myself with others) My current salary isn't particularly high, i am not really talented in anything that can give me higher income so i am just going with the flow at the moment. Looking at your video, i think i should start allocating my expenses which i didn't think of in the past. Thanks for sharing :)
Proud of you for being sensible and mature at such a young age. The fact that you have started on retirement fund at this age will mean you have an earlier, or greater monthly cash payout in future. I only started to think about retirement, investment when I was 30!
You will do well in future. All the best!
Agree! I only started at 32!
remember to pay using credit card if you can to rack up those points and save $, and always 100% pay it off when the bill comes. this way your purchases are not only protected but you earn miles/cashback on them.
Your mom is really lucky to have you plan all the finances in detail 🥺 thanks for sharing!!
I want to thank you for being so open about your finances and sharing how you manage it. I’m quite inspired by you and I hope your wealth will accumulate quickly in the future! ❤️
This is great work, I really like how detailed your budgeting sheet is and I think this is very useful for someone starting out in their personal finance journey.
I'm a little concerned about your food budget and hope you're getting enough healthy food/calories. I hope $250 is just your own food budget and not total budget for your mom and yourself, because that would translate to $4 per person per day. Take care and I'm sure you will see your income grow and these habits will stand you in good stead!
Vegetable from supermarket is like $1 plus per pack and can feed 2 person for 2 meals. Meat wise frozen meat and seafood is quite cheap also. Don't fall it's cheaper therefore it's not as healthy or good nonsense because the key difference in price is transportation. Chill meat needs to be air flown while frozen meat can be ship via sea freight which is a fraction of the price. Carbohydrates like rice should be below $1 range per day. She can easily hit the budget and have a healthy meal for 2 if she cook at home. I believe she is doing so because the gas and water bill suggest she is doing some form of cooking at home.
Great video Lisa! Very happy to have the algorithm recommending this video and channel. All the best and supporting you from a fellow Singaporean!
Thank you so much for this! I’ve been making a lot of bad financial decisions recently. I’ve also been doing the wrong 50-30-20 rule by not investing in my retirement and using that 20% for “wants”.
I notice you are paying for Skillshare. Just to share, NLB provides all library members with a Udemy Business account. It's great for training and learning new skills. Might as well make use of it since we fund it with our taxes. :) Also, some employers provide free unlimited counselling benefits which is great as the fees are quite eye watering.
What is NLB?
@@nooramalina1817 National Library Board
That's right! NLB actually provides a lot of resources beyond just a great selection of books. They also conduct many interesting programmes and workshops that we don't need to pay for. You can save a lot of money if you really explore what they have to offer. I swear I am not related to them and I'm not paid to write this. LOL. Just passionate about "free" stuff (that my taxes contributed to).
@@violetears thanks, have overlooked on this! Much appreciated!
how do we use the Udemy Business acc? do we sign up w our own email first?
Meticulous, focused and well-spoken. You will go far.
I'm so proud of you, at your age many still partying yet you're doing budgeting. Fortunate to your mum and husband to be in the near future. Wish many are like you.
I am impressed that you are organized with your expenses at such a young age. I always set aside money for retirement. But if I had been as organized and thoughtful as you are, I would be quite wealthy now. It was not until I was 50 years old when I began seriously organizing and planning my wealth. Your video was entertaining. If young people emulate you, they will be much more secure in the future!
Thank you for sharing in such great detail! For your mum’s retirement fund, I would like to suggest that you consider topping up your mum’s Special Account instead of DBS Invest-Saver for its really good interest rates (4-5% compounding) risk-free and no “expense fee” deductions (I believe Invest Saver’s is around 0.5-0.82% per transaction). The only downside to this is that it will definitely be less liquid to access before age 65.
Keep up the positivity! You will enjoy life later in your years having made the right decision at early stage!
I'm a foreigner working in Singapore and I'm glad I came across your video. I love how you explained it, clear and concise. 👏🏻
I was on an autoplay and not really watching what UA-cam plays in the background.. But when it brought me here, it attracts my attention! Such a great video and I can see this being very very helpful!
Excellent financial planning template. Kudos to creativity, thoughtfulness and working around the financial climate of self & country. What I am more amazing is have understood the past tense, accepted the present tense and build a future tense. Keep it up. I am cheering for you from Canada
Wow respect to your determination. When i was earning 3200, i also keep track of my expenses (almost as detailed as u are) and able to save 20-30%. Over a few years my salary increased quite a bit and i suddenly went crazy? I started spending a hell lot and save NOTHING every month. Seems like I was being too strict to myself when i was earning 3200 and now my mentality just want to let it loose. Lucky still have the savings I accumulated when i was still "normal".
I can relate. I was very very prudent with my savings from the time I earned 2.4K. Gave allowance to mum, paid study loan, took another degree and still saved. But once I reached the 6k side, I’m out of control. I no longer have any budget and just spend and my savings are depleting. I wnated to reward myself after years of scrimping and it’s taken me the other side.
Am graduating soon and your video gives me an insight of how life will be for me soon. I'm planning to move to Singapore to work when I graduate and this video really helps
Stumbled upon your video randomly. Thank you for this insight. I am planning to find a job in Singapore and it's been on my mind lately on how to budget things and such as a foreigner. This is a good starter. I hope you have a good year ahead of you and your family!
Way to go! Huge respect and I did the similar template when I start my career previously as well. Keep it going, don’t left the 50-30-20 allocation behind even though your career growth and you getting better pay in the future. It is important to growth but always keep yourself grounded.
Kudos to you Lisa. Very much appreciate your sharing. This is definitely something every responsible adult should do. I earn many times what you do but yet my budget details pales far in comparison. It is truly how you manage your $$ rather than how much you earn that matters.
Thank you for the simple but much needed lesson and wake up call.
I’m super impressed with your financial literacy at such a young age. Keep it up and I wish the best for you!
Love your budget template! It’s so neat and concise 👍🏻
This is very interesting, It's very cool you can be a breadwinner and own a house at your age right now!
I hope I can plan my financial life like you as well in the future! Thank you for the video :)
Your calming voice helps me to follow your content in video. Good job!
Greetings from Malaysia! Came across your video and I was attracted by the title. Love this kind of real life sharing videos. Will continue to watch your videos as they are very insightful yet inspiring.
As a young adult trying to achieve financial freedom, I really thank you for the detailed run through of your financial statement. All the best to you in the future!!
I am so impressed with you and fully inspired by this video to start my own detailed budgeting. I wish you all the best life has to offer, you deserve it.
This is so well made! Although I am responsible with my money, I think that there's still lots to learn and improve on, especially after watching this.
You are an inspiration to many. Please keep up your good work. You are already successful in your own ways & all the best to you.
Thank you for your detailed and generous sharing! I am a Singaporean who is about to start my first ever full-time job after university and this is very helpful for my financial planning! :D
I relate to your video. I am a sole breadwinner staying with his mum. It can be tough but you just need to have a great overview of budgeting and spend within your means. My recommendation is for you to start doing sideline gig and business to provide additional income for yourself.
I only have a fuzzy idea of my budgeting although I always believe I am a thrifty person. You have inspired me to create a spreadsheet to keep track of my spending. Thank you so much! Please continue to share.
Absolute admiration for how you have approached this constraint optimization problem we call life! Wishing you all the best and success!
WOW! You have my utmost respect for being so disciplined and having a growth mindset in life. Keep it up. The video is excellently done.
Thank you for sharing your spreadsheet! I use google sheets too for monthly budget breakdown. Yours look much MUCH cleaner! Definitely gonna use some aspects of your layout!
this was such a wholesome budget. I love how everything was well thought out.
The details and transparency of your content really 👍🏼 respect on the time taken out to share all these!
Lisa !
Singaporean ex-Indonesian 28 years old here !
I personally started focusing my finance in the same way as you've been doing 2 years back since Covid !
Mad respect to you Lisa ! I support your channel !
Just an add on from me :
1. I try to put the payment in one payment : Grab Pay, topped up by Amex CC and try to spend within the budget limit.
( Monthly cost, mrt, INSURANCE) ==> cashback + grab pay points
2. As i am still single, i do extra part time job as a waiter / personal assitant kitchen in Japanese yakitori owned by Japanese ( because i am a japanese learner)
==> 2.1 i can earn some money for retirement and a little bit for my spend budget + donation (you get 2.5 tax reduction).
==> i can save on my dinner meal by making staff meal on my own whenever i do part time job or breakfast on next day
==> the money is paid in cash hehe, so not taxable.
加油加油
頑張れーーーーー！
Semangat !!
Kudos to u for doing extra PT.. I get tired on weekends
This is so useful, I’m starting my first job this year, thank you for making this video 😊
You did such an amazing job of explaining everything in detail... Now I need to get my things work out! So informative! :)
I'm 23 going 24. Just got my first job and I came across your video. Thank you for this!
Good on you, Lisa! Keep that attitude going. I am sure you will achieve everything you aspire to.
I do watch lots of videos on YT but never like or subscribe. But looking at your video, made me very emotional. I feel there aren't enough words to describe my feeling after watching your video. At 25 years, you have gained so much of financial knowledge (& taken up so much of responsibility), which generally takes years for any rational person to gain. I am sure, your mom would be very happy & proud of you & I don't know you but I myself feel super proud of you. I am so happy that you have shared this, this will/should motivate lots of youngsters across the globe.
I do the same kind of budgeting as you do, 1 thing that you can consider is, instead of duplicating month by month sheet, you can have a annual sheet that depicts your monthly expenses in rows (e.g Fixed expenses column a-d, variable expenses column e-g, etc etc). So if you want to know where you stood in 2021 vs 2022 or any year, it will be helpful & fast.
Thank you for being so kind to show the way. This has really helped me
Hi Lisa, thanks for sharing all those information. Those are really useful for me and you are such an inspiring person in that young age. I'm happy that I found your channel.
Well narrated and well put together. Coupled with your optimism I think you’ll go far. Jiayou!
Thank you for sharing Lisa!! I'm the same age as you and have always been finding the right tool to track my expenses and your template seems perfect! Have subbed to watch your 'adulting' journey as I am still figuring out how to do it too, all the best on your journey 😊
I love this video!!! Its so honest and insightful and i love the ending - thanks for the video I learnt a lot
Hey Lisa, great job on the Google spreadsheet! It is really detailed and well organised, keep up the good work :)
Thank you Lisa for sharing this . I have shared to my three children who will finish their university studies and start work soon in a few years.
I am over 58 now and my wife will soon be.
Just would like to share something back with you.
I know that you are saving for a car , that is good, but why would need one , especially if you are living in singapore.
My wife is a teacher and she takes the cab everyday , the monthly cost much less than ownership of a car .
During our childrens' growing up years, we never found a situation where we need to own a car . To have a driver's license yes , but to own one only makes sense if you are in sales .
Per month average it would cost about $1200 to maintain. Imagine if you saved that kind of money every month .
Invest in a property or gold bars , not a car.
Just a thought and thank you again for sharing.
Well said. Think of a car as a liability not an asset. Not necessary in Singapore, except as status symbol. invest in assets that will grow instead of depreciate yearly.
Level headed young lady...I am sure a bright future in time ahead for you!
Thank you so much for sharing! I'm also supporting my parents who are both retired, and I'm 28yo. This breakdown in budgeting and finances was really helpful and useful! All the best to you :)
Amazed at your discipline, Lisa! Quick question, I saw you budgeted $250 for food & groceries per month including eating out, which I think it's very low for Singapore (my monthly spending for family of 4 is a a lot higher than that). Any tips to cut down on food bill? Any recommendation on where to shop?
Respect! Wish you all the very best for your future endeavors. 🧡
Awesome work on your financial journey and budgeting. Keep it up! Impressed!
Very wise, in short summary you have already achieved your future goals and dream. Its a matter of execution. Congratulations.!
You are a responsible and sensible person; you will go very far. My very best wishes to you, your partner and your mother.
You are candid, sincere and prudent. Your voice is sweet too. Hard not to like your video. I have subscribed and I look forward to see you get better in wealth accumulation and life!
so thorough and well documentated. Bravo 🎉
Thank you so much for being so transparent and sharing how you plan!
You are a gem. Amazing and hopefully this will provide insights and benefits many people here.
Thanks for sharing. This is true inspiring for me. You’re such a good daughter. Wishing all your wishes come true!🙌
wah thanks alot for sharing the template. Earned a sub. lets gooooo
Josh Tan from The Astute Parent made a reaction video to this on his other channel, The Josh Tan Show -- do check it out if you would like to see another perspective to the budgeting framework I outlined here. There were a few interesting suggestions that got me thinking, and I'll definitely make an updated budgeting video in the future if I make any changes. ua-cam.com/video/GsOmv4khGIc/v-deo.html
I am truly inspired by your discipline of keeping track of your expenses diligently. I wish you success in everything that you are doing and my guess is that with your correct attitude, you will definitely find your own direction. #welldone #respect
I absolutely love this video. great job lisa
well done Lisa. at 25, i was still partying at Sparks
Respect what u r doing. Having a plan and building good habits are way more than important than how much u earn. As u r progressing, such foundation will reward u massively.
Thank you for sharing, it is very inspiring .Your mom is really lucky to have a daughter like you 💕
The sharing is nice and informative. I wish you will achieve your career and financial goals within not long future. (from Hong Kong)
Kudos for reaching 6 month emergency savings! Thanks for sharing the table, I could use this for my planning.
You are the most sensible girl I’ve seen mad respect to you!!
huge respect, you have earned a subscriber just because you are so positive.
Wow, big respect to you! really like how neat you put things in the excel and plan everything out ❤ i have learn a lot from you in this video as well 😊
Really glad you're spending on therapy!! Although it may be expensive but it is good for our well-being. Thanks for being transparent and I'm inspired to take more charge in my personal finance!