New York

Since I only use a single checking account and single credit card for all of my purchases, I sort the purchases by vendor type: grocery stores, retail shops, etc. These essentially become my major categories and I then break them down further if necessary.

Purchases may get lumped together if a single store has crossover between product types (think of grocery stores selling food items and personal/grooming items, etc). I won't itemize receipts in these cases. It really comes down to how diligent you want to be with the data, and as you said it can become tedious.

I think I prefer the actual dollar value visual more too, but I also liked calculating the exact percentages that my expenses took up. As far as the deck goes, you are the second to comment on the price/proportion. It is quite vexing, as the price was very much on the low side as far as contractor bids went, and it wasn’t anything special.

Housing is quite cheap. I have a small 2br, 1 bath house. The above percentage for mortgage + taxes is with a couple thousand in extra payments to the principle as well.

Side effect of living in a 17k population low CoL city.

This is similar to what I do. I cook 2-3 times per week for dinner. Each time I cook there are leftovers for 1-2 additional dinners. Lunches (or breakfast, I only do two meals per day) are also very cheap for me.

For those curious, it's something like multiply by 940 and you'll get an equivalent in dollars.

Well, that is what it all added up to!

Comparing it to the prior 2 years, this number is between the two, despite inflation. It's very consistent, actually.

I cook and prepare the vast majority of meals at home.

The few times I did dine out were either: paid for by friends/family, paid for by my work, or I paid cash and did not track it. I had only a few hundred dollars in untracked cash purchases throughout the year, and not all were for dining out. Credit/debit cards show no food or restaurant transactions outside of my primary grocer, butcher, and a handful of trips to Walmart.

The visual and all numbers are in % of my base income; base income is just the sum %, so 100%. Actual cash values may differ as my income is not $100,000.

It's a percentage of my income, so the actual dollar values may vary a bit here.

I will say I tried and failed to live off $10 a day, in an attempt to save even more.

Well, the visual is a percentage. Actual values may vary a bit. I don't really indulge too much. Maybe I need to start treating myself better.

Well, I don't think it was really expensive. As a percentage, it may seem high. I did not break down the actual contractor cost because it wasn't itemized. The contract included a new 210 sq ft deck (composite), with new 6' patio door.

I agree. Putting the numbers together and seeing the result certainly shocked me. Looking to change that this year!

I only retain the one phone. Have for the past 10 years.

It was quite a surprise to me, and having the percent based view really showcases it.

A major contributor that was lacking from other years was a vacation. I did not travel or go anywhere last year. It was quite dull.

Made with https://sankeymatic.com/build/

All values and data taken from US W2 tax forms, IRS tax return info, employer pay stubs and bank statements.

Expenses are for a low CoL location for a single male, early 30s.

Decided to show all expenses as a percentage of my base income. Not sure if this gives a better picture or not. I make these each year as a product of managing my finances, but only share occasionally.

A few notes:

No cellphone bill. Employer pays that.

Groceries includes food, hygiene, and cleaning products.