Summary
Welcome to our December spending post! Our total spend for the month was £5,185 or $6,324.
December saw us visit New York for a week to get our wintery Christmas fix. We hadn’t been to New York before so we did a lot of the ‘touristy’ activities, meaning a lot of expense! We also ate out a lot so the costs quickly added up. It was all very much worth it though, we loved it!
Over the Christmas break we’ve also been planning our next trip, which will be to Antigua in April! We paid for the flights in December so that has added a large sum to this month’s spending!
We break our main expenses down into broad categories starting with the big 3; housing, food and transport. Everything else falls into the entertainment category, with any large inclusions explained in detail.
| Category | Amount (£) | Amount ($) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | £2,660 | $3,218 | See below |
| Food | £822 | $995 | See below |
| Transport | £33 | $40 | See below |
| Entertainment/misc | £3,776 | $4,569 | See below |
| Total ($) | $8,822 | ||
| Total (£) | £7,291 | ||
We break each of these categories down in the following sections, giving detail for any large expenses.
Housing
Our December spending is very standard in this category. We’ve got used to the higher rent now, as well as managing to keep the utilities steady.
We don’t use our air-con which made the summer very difficult, but it’s much easier at this time of year. Temperatures are pretty hot, but manageable.
| Category | Amount ($) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Rent | $2,850 | |
| Water & Electricity | $257 | |
| Internet | $111 | |
| Total ($) | $3,218 | |
| Total (£) | £2,660 |
Food
Our December spending on food was £822/$995. This includes everything on our supermarket shop receipts for the month.
This month included a high spend on Christmas food, but we were also in New York for a week which helped to cancel that out. Christmas food in the Caribbean is ridiculously priced so we had to be as savvy as possible! As for the spending in New York, we ate out a lot so there’s some serious damage to the Entertainment/Misc category!
Transport
December was a good month for fuel. School finished very early in December and we were away for a week, so not much need for the car.
| Category | Amount ($) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Fuel | $40 | |
| Total ($) | $40 | |
| Total (£) | £33 |
Entertainment/Misc
Our December spending in this category is ridiculous once again! We went to New York for a week, which meant a lot of eating out etc. Over the Christmas break we’ve also booked our next trip. We’re going to Antigua in April! We paid for the flights in December which was very expensive considering how close we are. We couldn’t miss the chance to go to Antigua though!
Despite all of that, we did manage to make a frugal purchase while in New York. We bought an inflatable kayak on Amazon, which we brought back to the Caribbean with us. We’ve managed to use this twice already and plan to get it out regularly. Hiring kayaks is really expensive so this promises to be a pretty solid purchase!
| Category | Amount ($) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| UK Phone Bills | $14 | |
| Student Loan | $195 | |
| Eating Out | $855 | |
| Presents | $389 | |
| Hair Cut | $35 | |
| Event/Charity | $45 | |
| ESTA for NY Trip | $63 | |
| NY Subway | $106 | |
| Central Park Zoo | $40 | |
| Inflatable Kayak | $75 | |
| Kayak Baggage Charge | $35 | |
| NY Sightseeing Bus | $120 | |
| NY Observatory | $97 | |
| NY Maths Museum | $52 | |
| Antigua Flights | $2,448 | |
| Total ($) | $4,569 | |
| Total (£) | £3,776 |
That’s All for Now, Folks!
Considering the average US household spend is $5,111 we’re very happy with our spending, considering we’re on a very high cost of living island! Long may that continue.
See you next month!
Previous Posts
Monthly Spending – November 2022