Hello and welcome to my 2^nd Money Diary!

Money Diary is originally hosted by Refinery29. It’s the challenge of tracking your spending over seven days and reporting the details. Most of that money reports are written by millennial women who also share their salaries.

I like reading the Money Diary, so I’ve decided to try it on my blog too.

I don’t usually spend money on weekdays because I work from home. (In my case, working from home save a lot of money)

Before starting Money Diary, I’d like to give a little bit of background on my finance. If you’ve already read the “About Me” section below, please skip it and jump into Saturday spending.

About Me

Hi, I’m a freelance designer + developer, side hustler, and blogger behind Happier Freelancing. I do not have a steady income every month, so I’m conscious of where my money goes and budget carefully.

For example, I don’t usually buy fashion items with original price tags. I often wait until the sale to get new fashion items. I don’t have a luxury car. I don’t own a big house. I don’t need cool gadgets and new tech. These are all not so important to me. On the other hand, I like eating and traveling. I go to fancy restaurants once in a while. I travel twice a year.

Being cheap is about spending less. Being frugal is about prioritizing your spending. Therefore, I consider my lifestyle frugal living (:

Saturday

Trader Joe’s – Total $20.15

• Asparagus Spears $2.99
• Japanese Style Fried Rice $3.49
• Kung Pao Tempura Cauliflower $5.49
• Dark Chocolate Covered Mini Pretzels $3.49
• Murasaki Sweet Potato $4.69

On Saturday morning, we went to Trader Joe’s for grocery shopping. Whenever I have no time to cook, I purchase frozen food at Trader Joe’s. I don’t know how you feel about it, but I think Trader Joe’s frozen food is delicious (:

Japanese Restaurant – Total $45.16 tips included for 2 adults

After grocery shopping at Trader Joe’s, we went to a Japanese restaurant for brunch. We enjoyed Chirashi Sushi with miso soup. My husband has found that Chirashi Sushi is a much cheaper way to eat a wide variety of fish than Nigiri Sushi. Since then, we have often eaten Chirashi Sushi more than Nigiri Sushi. If you want to eat a wide variety of fish in a much cheaper way, try Chirashi Sushi.

Costco – Total $20.98

Yes, again. Costco. We purchased two Kirkland signature alkaline water 18 ct.

Sunday

Ulta Beauty – $16.29

Ulta Beauty was having a Spring Haul Event and 30% off for all Real Techniques items. I usually buy consumables when they were on sale, so I bought some makeup brushes. Real Techniques makeup brushes are not definitely high-end, but its great quality for the price.

If you are a makeup beginner, Real Techniques is a very nice deal to learn the functionality of each makeup brush. If you are familiar with which makeup brushes to use for what makeup product and how then I highly recommend Sigma, MAC, or NARS.

I made Pierogi and cabbage soup at home, so we didn’t buy food that day. Slow and relaxing Sunday as usual.

Gasoline – $40

My husband and I rarely go out during the week because we both work at home. Therefore, we filled up with gas for the first time in a while and got surprised. Gas prices really went up! $40 is twice more than usual for us.

We read the news that gas prices are hitting record highs almost daily. Yes, we feel that now. My husband will be working in the office soon. We are a bit concerned about the rising price of gasoline.

Weekend Total – $142.58

Our total spending on weekend was $142.58. The same as the last Money Diary, most of the money goes to food. With the rise in prices, we curb spending habits while still maintaining the same quality of life.

Money is a tool to make our life better and happier. Saving money is a great way to build a financial safety net, but don’t forget to make yourself happy!

Some people think being frugal means living stingy. It’s wrong! Frugal means spending money wisely on the things that matter to you most (:

Now it’s your turn! Have you ever tried money diaries? If so, did you find your spending habits?