Welcome to Money Diaries, where contributors give you a peek into not just their expenditures but also their lives over a seven-day period. Reading a diary is a pretty good way of living vicariously through another person, and we hope you’re in for the ride.
In this edition, we feature a game lover who left a cushy tech job for a slower, simpler life. During the festive period, he spent his time working out, hanging out with friends on Discord, and feasting during gatherings.
Profile
Age: 29
Gender: Male
Education: Bachelor’s in Sociology
Former Salary: ~$102,000/year
Former Job: LLM Operations Specialist
Location: Singapore
Monthly Fixed Expenses
Debt: $0
Allowance: $350
Phone Bill: $40
Insurance: $450
Investments: $2,100 (formerly)
Monthly Subscriptions:
Spotify: $20
Medication: $35
Dota Plus: $5
Others
Food, Transport, Dates, Collectibles: $1,500
Savings: $1,500
How would you describe your relationship with money, before and after making your own?
Before earning my own money, I didn’t fully understand how difficult it was to make a living. It was only after I started working that I became much more frugal and intentional about how I spent, saved, and invested. Since my first job, I’ve always tried to “pay my future self first”; savings and investments go out immediately, and whatever remains is guilt-free spending. This has helped me enjoy things without constantly feeling anxious. To be fair, the spiralling still happens, just less often and to a smaller degree.
Did you receive any education—from family members, guardians, friends, or institutions—about managing your finances?
Not really. Most of my financial education came from my own research. Channels like Seedly, Reddit, and The Woke Salaryman were big influences. I was especially drawn to the concept of FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early), including variations like Lean FIRE and Barista FIRE. Even if I don’t fully subscribe to any one ideology, those ideas fundamentally shaped how I think about money, autonomy, and time.
How much would you say that money occupies your mind and guides your decisions?
Almost all the time… I have self-diagnosed anxiety around money. Like a constant feeling that I should have more saved or invested by now, or that I’m falling behind some invisible benchmark. That said, I try not to let this anxiety completely run my life. I’m actively trying to strike a balance between preparing for the future and actually enjoying the present. It’s a work in progress.
Daily Log
Monday
1:00pm – Woke up late and spent most of the afternoon playing computer games like a true funemployed degenerate. For lunch, I ordered a Stuff’d quesadilla with an extra serving of meat and hummus because you have to treat yourself from time to time, right…? $15
7:00pm – Dinner was fairly simple, a packet of chicken rice with extra servings of meat and egg from the kopitiam downstairs. $6.70
9:00pm – Bought the latest Mega Dimension DLC for Pokémon Legends: Z-A on the Switch for $25. Honestly, it’s a bit scummy for companies to charge so much for additional gaming content but I’m a sucker for Pokémon (and games in general, so…)
Daily total: $46.70
Tuesday
5:00pm – Took advantage of Anytime Fitness’ latest promotion: A two-week gym membership trial for $26, including a $95 refundable deposit for the key fob. I’ve been working out and watching my diet for the past 3–4 months, so I think it was the right time to get a gym membership too (will probably get an annual pass for 2026). And of course, I took the opportunity to get a good workout in!
7:00pm – Post-dinner meal was—surprise surprise—Stuff’d again because it’s one of the few healthy options that’s actually delicious and approved by my trainer-cum-nutritionist! $15
9:00pm – Hung out on Discord with the bunch from OnlyFriendsLah! Streamed a little bit of DOTA while simultaneously watching them rip Pokemon packs on my secondary monitor. One of the best ways to spend the night!
Daily total: $136.00
Wednesday
1:00pm – It’s Christmas eve! Made myself a coffee and had a banana for lunch. Didn’t want to eat too much since Mum was preparing a feast for dinner.
2:00pm – The girlfriend came over after her half-day at work so we could spend some time together. We binge-watched the latest season of One Punch Man until dinner. Honestly, it was kind of disappointing. It felt like they cut costs on production, and it really showed in the animation quality, especially when compared to how My Hero Academia went all out for its final season. Boooo.
6:00pm – Dinner time! Mum put together such an incredible spread that it was absolutely worth keeping my stomach empty. Sliced turkey ham, garlic toast, croissants, and all kinds of pies: chilli crab, shepherd’s pie, chicken and mushroom, and even butter chicken. So sinful, but so so delicious.
8:00pm – Wrapped up the night with my usual routine: streaming DOTA 2 for my friends online and hanging out together on Discord. It was a great day overall, and the best part? Didn’t spend a dime!
Daily total: $0
Thursday
1:00pm – Went over to my relatives’ place for Christmas lunch! They live just two blocks away, so we walked over. They catered food—a great spread of beef wellington, oyster broccoli, tater tots, macaroni and cheese, and baked salmon! We watched Rowan Atkinson’s latest movie, Man vs Baby, on Netflix.
7:00pm – Dinner was a mix of leftovers from my lunch today and the day before, so that’s really nice on the wallet.
8:00pm – To celebrate Christmas, my girlfriend and I decided to open a box of Terastal Festival. Counting it as $0 spent, since the box was bought months ago for around $120.
8:30pm – Spent the rest of the night attempting to fix a DIY miniature Japanese sushi shop my girlfriend bought for me for Christmas. I always thought projects like this were supposed to be relaxing, but I quickly got overwhelmed by the sheer number of tiny parts and instructions to follow…
11:00pm – After all the festive meals, I felt guilty and needed to burn off the extra calories. Hit the gym for a solid arms, chest, legs, and cardio session. I’m a huge fan of the 12-3-30 treadmill workout. It’s low-impact yet highly effective! It builds strength in the glutes, hamstrings, and calves while boosting cardiovascular health and supporting weight loss.
Daily total: $0
Friday
3:00pm – The past few days of social gatherings really drained me, so I ended up waking up pretty late and keeping the day quiet. Started the afternoon with a bowl of fish soup that my parents dabao-ed for me earlier in the morning!
6:00pm – Was feeling a bit sluggish, so I decided to get some fresh air by taking a casual walk around the estate. On the way home, I stopped by a nearby 7-Eleven to get dinner: three ready-to-eat chicken breasts in herb, garlic pepper, and teriyaki flavours. It might sound a bit sad, but they were actually really juicy and kind of underrated. $9.30
8:00pm – Spent the rest of the night the same way I’ve spent most nights post-resignation: gaming, chilling on Discord, watching YouTube, and just rolling about in bed.
Daily total: $9.30
Saturday
1:00pm – Another day, another coffee-and-banana meal. Breakfast? Or is it lunch at this point?
6:00 pm – Traveled all the way west to use the pools at Jurong West Swimming Complex. Had a really relaxing swim—20 laps, about 1 km in total. The MRT ride cost around $2.38, and entry to the complex was $2, though I’m counting it as free since I used government-issued ActiveSG credits.
8:00pm – Dinner at The Soup Spoon. The festive lobster bisque was absolutely to die for—such a shame it’s only a seasonal item. I also added an extra chicken fillet on the side and a beef-and-cheese toastie. Thanks to a voucher from my girlfriend (she’s a member), the total came to about ~$22 per person. She graciously paid for the meal!
9:00pm – Bought a Kodak Charmra camera for $59.90 as a Christmas gift exchange present for this Sunday. Retail price is supposedly around $39, so yeah… definitely paid a scalped price. But I was running out of time and had no idea what else to get, so it is what it is.
Daily total: $62.28
Sunday
2:00pm – Took a $10.20 Grab ride to a friend’s place for a Christmas party and spent the entire day there with a couple of friends from Junior College. We mostly just chilled. Played FIFA, board games like Avalon and Coup, and party games such as Jackbox and Pico Park. It turned into another cheat day for the healthy diet as we absolutely demolished pizza, seaweed chicken, nuggets, tarts, and just about every other bit of junk food in sight.
10:00pm – Managed to get a lift home from one of the guys! Really grateful for friends with cars, and for not having to pay for another Grab. :)
Daily total: $10.20
Weekly total: $264.48
Cover collage by Sherryl Cheong
wildchild 
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