My monthly Savings Rate report: May 2021
The May overview took way longer than expected thanks to the arrival of our little girl! When looking back at May, I originally thought this was going to be a difficult month in terms of Savings Rate due to the medical checks, but I forgot that the medical bills are a month behind so it’s actually June that gets the expensive ones. Additionally, the actual delivery is covered by my health insurance. So, how did May go in the end?
This page can contain affiliate partner links to products that I purchased this month.
Income
On the income side, it’s straightforward. I earned €3,223.05 from my day job. There is no on-call added to this as I was too late to register it before payday. Instead, I receive it at the end of June.
The situation for my wife hasn’t changed yet. No job, so no income. At the moment, everything is covered by one salary and thus we receive the marriage quotient. With a baby dependant on me, my net will change to the upside once more. This benefit will be applied as of next year just like the marriage coefficient.
Dividends
I received € 51.23 in dividends this month:
| 12 mei 2021 | HOME INVEST BELGIUM | 5.60 EUR |
| 12 mei 2021 | ASML HOLDING NV | 7.76 EUR |
| 18 mei 2021 | SOFINA | 15.07 EUR |
| 19 mei 2021 | AEDIFICA | 22.80 EUR |
Expenses
Food and supplies
May was a heavy month in terms of food. The most significant chunk was still the groceries bill at € 562.95. This makes sense for once as we stocked up our fridge and freezer for when we returned from the hospital with our new family member.
As for the other food-related expenses, Restaurants, or takeaway, was €28.90 and some occasional snack or item was €19.04 this month.
It brings my total expenditure for May for food to a mouth-watering €610.89.
Home management and ownership
Another month, another downpayment, and interest payment for the apartment. €816.33 in principal and €182.00 in interest.
Besides the payment, I also got paper trays (in- and outbox), a perforator, and some plastic sleeves for paper from Action (€18.71).
From Bol.com I got myself a metal desk organizer to finally clear some of the clutter that was on my desk (€20.95).
Incorrect bill and changing garbage collection
Aside from the small peripherals I got, I also had to top up a so-called garbage account. As of June, my garbage collection service doesn’t use a bag for the remaining trash anymore but instead a grey container of 140 l.
During each garbage collection, a small fixed fee of €0.25 is charged. On top of this amount, I pay €0.25/kg they pick up. The garbage truck has a built-in scale and weighs the container before and after the collection.
And here is where the account comes in. I pay the collected weight through this digital wallet that I topped up with €35.
On top of that, I also paid a Telenet bill that I shouldn’t have received (€66.88). Normally, my employer pays for the installation and monthly internet bill, but because the installation happened before the transfer from Proximus to Telenet was done, I had to pay for it myself.
Instead of getting the money refunded, Telenet uses it to cover the small extra costs that aren’t covered (which was at Proximus). I tell you, Telenet is a real crook.
Finally, I ordered a shower curtain and two pair of rails for our bathtub (€86.41). It was long overdue as we constantly splashed water on the floor during showering. I was so eager to install it, I did it at midnight!
Hanging up a shower curtain rail at midnight cause why not🤣 #diy #showertime #midnightfun @ Belgium https://t.co/NV7wXK1YgK
— fightToFIRE (@fightToFIRE1) May 20, 2021
Combining everything but excluding the principal payment gives me a total of €409.95 for the category home.
Personal
Just like previous months, in this category the big expense is medical. Lots of parking tickets (€16,7) and two gynecologist appointments (€96.33) for a total of €113.03.
Kids
In the kid’s department, we ordered a bathtub (€49.90) and paid for the first session with the midwife (€5). We followed the advice to have at least one session with your midwife before the pregnancy, so we did.
Finally, on Amazon, I ordered decorations to give our little girl a warm welcome (€10.99).
The expenses aren’t building up in this category but I doubt there will ever be a month where we won’t have expenses for our daughter. In total for this month, I spend €85.36.
Luxury
My second yearly YNAB subscription fee was due this month. Thanks to a lifelong discount of 10% because I owned YNAB4 this subscription only costs me €63.42.
Next to that, I have Spotify (€10.43) which was a bit more expensive because I accidentally paid in pounds instead of euro.
And finally, I paid my monthly Patreon support for a novel translator (€5.45).
All three subscriptions combined set me back €79.30.
Luxury isn’t only subscriptions but also gifts. In May I spend €23.10 on presents. €20.15 in chocolates for Mother’s day and €2.95 for an accompanying card.
A quick calculation of my subscription fees and presents tells us I spend €102.40 on luxury.
Other expenses
The rest of my expenses are minor so I decided to group them under the category ‘other’. Some monthly stuff such as health insurance and family insurance. But also some gas for the lawnmower and protein bars from bodyandfitshop.nl.
A quick summary:
- Banking – €64.98:
- Health insurance: €10.46
- DVV Family insurance: €7.69
- Travel insurance: 56.10
- Beobank Cashback: €8.93
- Paypal check amount: €0.34
- Sports – €24.06:
- Bodyenfitshop.nl peanut butter and protein bars: €24.06
- Transportation – €10.10:
- Fuel: €10.10
All the expenses
The bottom line
With a relatively normal income of €3,223.05 but a limited expenditure, my remaining net income in April was €1,802.28. This gives me a Savings Rate of €1,802.28/€3,223.05 = 55.92%.
With another Savings Rate above 50, I couldn’t be happier. It looks like expenses for our newest family member were rather limited for now thanks to all of the gifts we received from our Amazon baby wish list:
Unlike me, my Belgian friend Roadtrip to FIRE had more than enough time to write, which he did! Of course, there is his portfolio update and Savings Rate, but he also predicted the next crypto winter. And there is even more, so go check him out!
JoneyTalks kept it a bit calmer but he talked about Real estate crowdfunding and How Physical Wellness, Mental Health, and Finances Go Hand in Hand with Valerie.
Please share your thoughts in the comments below!