Part of wrapping up the year for me is looking back at the things I spent my money on. It's part of the habits that I'm aiming to establish, thanks to the annual review template that I adapted from Ali Abdaal last year. It also came in handy that I religiously log my expenses day by day (a habit that has already been part of my life for years + further enhanced by the YNAB tool last year). It was very easy for me to track my major expenses and their meaning for me looking back.

Unsurprisingly, the majority of my expenses last year was spent on food. 🍕🍔🍟🍗 This was one medium where I vented out my stress, I guess (and now I'm getting stressed looking at the weighing scale 😂). You know what, I don't regret every single purchase, because what it meant was sharing great food with my family. This was always my goal even during the pre-pandemic times. I commonly eat out with friends and whenever I encounter great-tasting food, I always tell myself I want my parents to get to taste them too. Sometimes it's possible (I do take-outs), but sometimes it's not. During the pandemic, my goal became more achievable. I just ordered them online. I got to explore local businesses also, and thanks to various courier services, it was convenient to have them delivered at home too. 

Some of my favorite food/snacks splurges for the year are with:

Sakuraco - see here what I got from their June, July, and August boxes! 🌸

Angel's Pizza - Creamy Spinach Dip is 🥰

Samsam Chikin - read my eating experience here

I did some major purchases to upgrade our machines. 📺💻🗑️🍲These machines made our lives easier. Some of these machines, even though they're usable and still deliver the bare minimum of their purpose, needed an upgrade. I'm satisfied with how we are using them today.

I invested in myself. 🕯️💬🪥💺🧘‍♀️💄🫖👛 I allocated some of my budget in improving my overall well-being. One of the greatest things that I experienced last year was being involved in Toastmasters.

There were unwise decisions that were made this year. 🖋️There were items that I bought that I felt would be beneficial, but now I think otherwise, specifically my judgment when doing the groceries, online shopping on BeautyMNL and Shopee. My lesson: go for the healthier and cheaper options!