hello y’all. this question is mainly for first-year JETs and veterans: do you find it hard to manage money? i feel like i’ve been spending way too much; my credit card bill has been around $1,000 every month since i arrived. a lot of it is because i’m still settling in and need to buy home appliances, furniture, gas (which somehow costs a fortune), occasional travel, and now warm clothes since it’s gotten cold and i don’t have enough. the rest of my money goes toward bills, rent, and food. what doesn’t help is that i don’t have any savings at all, i wasn’t able to save much when i was back home. i want to believe it’s not just me and that this won’t be such a problem once i’m fully settled.
i grew up with a crunchy mom, so my kitchen supplies are made of wood, stainless steel, glass, iron, etc., which is a bit more expensive than buying 300¥ plastic stuff. i thrift a lot to save money, but lately i’ve been avoiding things i don’t really need, like games, new clothes, or bags unless it’s affordable or something i actually need, like warm pajamas or a trench coat. comfort and aesthetics are really important to me, but i also don’t want to go bankrupt, so i try to buy everything little by little, though my credit card bills are still high.
by based_pika