First Month of Phase 1 Barista FIRE

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This post is just for personal reference, to record my personal income and expenses in my journey towards Barista FIRE.

For the month of January, which is the first month for the phase 1 of Barista FIRE, I am pleased that I have survived, with surplus at the end of the month.  The main reason for this is because I have "bonus" paid out from my tutoring funds for my work in 2025 (since I am self-employed, it is basically just ownself pay ownself).  As I transition into this phase, my work load has declined and I am no longer working 7 days a week.  However at the same time, I think I also became a little more mindful of my spending, but not to the extent of over-thrifty as I am still meeting friends and dining out sometimes.  However, I am definitely more conscious of where every dollar went.

Special mention is necessary for "Miscellaneous Spending".  The amount is exceptionally high this month because I made use of the "bonus" income to pay for hotel bookings for upcoming trips that I have planned and confirmed in 2026.  Thus this amount will be one-off, and next month onwards this amount should normalize.  

Besides miscellaneous spending, "Fixed Spending" remains my largest outflow due to mortgage payments, which will be even higher in March, June, September and December due to quarterly maintenance fees and sinking fund for my residence.  Therefore this amount needs to decline in order for me to successfully transit to FIRE eventually.  Barista FIRE, here I come...!

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