budget breakdown, episode five
amy's (withtheaims) spending for april 2025, getting started with property investing, and how $43k was spent on her wedding
Welcome to the fifth episode of Budget Breakdown, where I feature finance creators’ budget for a designated month — this includes their real numbers for income, expenses, and savings/investments. In addition, they answer my questions about their 9-5, academic and career trajectory, side hustles, and/or monetization surrounding their social media presence. Most importantly, I end each breakdown with lifestyle-related questions to shine light on their qualities outside of just finance.
I am so delighted to feature Amy (withtheaims) as my fifth guest on this series — please give her a warm welcome.
What is your name/username?
I’m Amy, better known as Aims (withtheaims).
How old are you, what is your job title and field, what type of city do you live in?
I’m 30 years old, currently a Line 1 Operational Risk Manager at a Major Bank in Sydney, Australia. It is a high cost of living city, unfortunately! 🥲
Where did you attend? What degrees do you have?
I studied a Bachelor of Commerce, majoring in Accounting and Finance.
Is your degree related to the career you're pursuing at this moment?
Somewhat related – after uni, my first grad role was in External Audit at one of the Big 4 Accounting Firms. From there, I acquired skillsets that allowed me to transition from Audit and Accounting to Operational Risk Management.
What do you use to manage your finances?
I manage all my personal finances via Google Sheets Trackers & Dashboards – which I built for myself. The one I use to manage my everyday personal finances and use to manage my set + budget on a recurring basis is the Personal Finance Dashboard & 5 Year Budget Tracker.
What are your short-term finance goals?
My current short term financial goals is to continue investing a minimum of $640 every fortnight, save up for our next holiday at the end of the year and build up my savings to buy my second investment property (though more medium term goal).
Do you recommend any finance books/creators/podcasts that have been integral to your financial independence journey?
To name a few books that I’ve enjoyed in the past:
The Almanack of Naval Ravikant (Book) - Offers timeless wisdom on wealth creation, happiness, and self-improvement. The book emphasises the importance of leveraging time and skills to achieve financial independence.
Psychology of Money (Book) - Explores the emotional and psychological aspects of money, helping us make better financial decisions and avoid common pitfalls on the road to financial freedom.
The Intelligent Investor (Book) - A classic, OG book that teaches the principles of value investing, focusing on long-term strategies to build wealth and minimise risk, essential for any investor seeking financial independence.
Girls that Invest (Book/Podcast) - A beginner friendly book/podcast for women entering the share market, focusing on accessible investing strategies and inspiring confidence to take control of their financial future.
Reported numbers have been updated for the month of April and have been converted from AUD to USD.
Net Worth:
$405K
Assets
Cash savings & sinking funds
Retirement investments
Share portfolio
Investment property value
Liabilities
Mortgage loan for investment property
Income:
9-5 Salary - $5,710
Dividend Distributions - $310
Cashback - $172
Net Rental Income (after interest repayments) - $181
Digital Products - $140
Total: $6,513
Spending:
Essentials
Rent - $960
Groceries - $246
Household & Electricals - $150
Health Insurance - $105
Gym - $75
Health & Care - $72
Remedial Therapy - $61
Dog Costs - $61
Public Transport - $51
Pet Insurance - $49
Internet - $42
Electricity - $33
Medical Check Ups - $26
Mobile - $19
Non-Essentials
Presents - $1,014
Food & Eating Out - $369
Shopping - $156
Beauty & Care - $81
Running - $76
Furniture & Fittings - $44
Leisure - $22
Subscriptions - $10
Parking - $5
Total: $3,727
Some of the expenses above are split with my partner and these show only my portion of the expenses (for e.g. rent, all dog related expenses, groceries, utilities etc). Not all costs are evenly split and differ.
Sinking Funds:
Cash sinking funds (I’ve got 6 sinking funds at the moment for e.g. deposit funds, travel funds, present funds, health funds etc) - $1,555/month
Retirement investments - $1,100/month
Share portfolio - $4,160/month (of this, approximately $3.2k was re-allocated from my existing deposit savings funds to invest more into the share market this month)
How do your side hustles rank from easiest/hardest and most profitable to least?
Easiest: Earning cashback through apps like CashRewards. I get cash back for purchases I would’ve made anyway, and it’s passive income over time. The amount you earn depends on when you make purchases and whether there are special rates, how much you spend and so forth.
Hardest: Creating digital financial resources and freelance work, such as custom trackers. These require significant time and effort, but they’re the most rewarding because you own these, you only need to create them once and update as needed. Plus, they don’t require physical inventory and are long-lasting digital products.
Some tips for people wanting to get into property investing? How much to save for upfront? How to do research to find one to invest in?
Tips for getting into property investing:
Define your why and goal - Understand your motivation for investing in property, whether it’s long-term wealth building, passive income, or something else.
Assess debt comfort - Determine how much debt you’re comfortable taking on. This will guide your investment decisions and help you manage risk.
Prepare for interest rate changes - Ensure you have a financial buffer in case interest rates rise and repayments increase.
Establish a solid budget - Having a clear budget for both upfront costs and ongoing expenses, such as maintenance, property management fees, and taxes.
Understand your timeframe - Define whether you’re in it for the short-term or long-term. This will help shape your investment strategy and how much risk you’re willing to take on.
How much to save upfront:
In Australia, aim to save at least 10% of the property's price, plus stamp duty and other costs like legal fees.
The deposit is typically between 5% to 20%, depending on your savings, with the rest borrowed from the bank. If your loan-to-value ratio (LVR) exceeds 80%, you'll need to pay Lenders Mortgage Insurance (LMI) to protect the bank in case of default.
Stamp duty ranges from 3%-5% of the property’s value. The lower the property price, the less you pay in stamp duty.
Additional costs include legal fees, property inspections, reports, and any repairs or fixes needed before moving in.
In addition, setting aside Emergency Funds is important - have funds in reserve for unexpected costs, such as major repairs or periods of vacancy.
How to research at the beginning:
Look for growth potential - Identify areas that have not seen significant growth in the past 3 years, as they may have more room for appreciation.
Check rental yields - A rental yield of at least 5% is ideal to cover your mortgage repayments and other ongoing costs.
Focus on low vacancy rates - Research areas with low tenant turnover to reduce the risk of having vacancies and losing rental income.
Understand local infrastructure developments - Research upcoming developments, such as transport links, shopping centers, and schools, which can increase property demand and value.
Consider future rezoning plans - Investigate if the area is likely to be rezoned for commercial or higher-density residential use, as this could impact property value and rental income potential.
Once you’ve narrowed down promising areas, start analysing specific properties, considering other factors like condition, location, and long-term growth potential.
Congrats on getting married last year! Your breakdown of $57k is impressive — what are expenses that you saved/splurged on? Anything you'd do differently? Did you have a wedding planner?
Thank you beans! The $57k referenced here is in AUD. We ended up spending $68k AUD on the wedding (this is $43k in USD).
This was 16% over the initial budget, but we don’t have any regrets and we wouldn’t do anything differently.
The wedding turned out exactly the way we wanted it to be and we honestly just had a really good time with loved ones.
Things we splurged on:
The venue, food & drinks - Made up 45% of the budget, but it was totally worth it. We wanted everyone to enjoy the day and eat well.
Video, photos and photobooth - Around 15% of the total cost, but definitely worth it for us to capture all the special moments and memories.
My partners custom suit & shoes - We got a dark forest custom suit for my partner in non crease linen as well as these custom sneakers from Italy. It was worth every penny and he can re-wear all of these items again :’ ).
Hotel - We splurged on a two-night stay at our favorite hotel and boarded our doggo. We wanted to feel pampered and stress-free post-wedding.
Transportation - We hired a London Taxi for the short ride to the venue – worth every penny because I really wanted to travel there in style!
Things we saved on:
No wedding planner - I planned everything using a Google Sheets Wedding Tracker (which I’ll be releasing soon!) to manage all the details.
No wedding stylist - I sourced decor online, borrowed items from close friends, and had an affordable florist help with styling.
No traditional wedding dress for me - Instead of a traditional wedding gown, I wore an ivory suit from Revolve (shorts, top, and blazer), plus a satin ivory dress and a red Chinese dress gifted by my sister-in-law. I wanted to make sure I was able to re-wear most of my outfits again!
Minimal florals - The venue we chose was beautiful already, it was of French heritage and sandstone, so we kept the florals as simple as possible (which saved us a lot).
How do you budget for big expenses (e.g., your $14k Japan trip)?
When I budget for big expenses, like my $14k Japan trip, I focus on these key steps:
Timeframe - I start by determining how much time I have before the expense is due. This gives me a clear target and helps break down the total amount into smaller, more manageable chunks. For instance, if I have 6 months to save, I can figure out how much I need to put aside each week or month to reach my goal.
Creating a dedicated sinking fund for the expense - A sinking fund is essentially a savings plan for future expenses. I create a specific fund for that big expense, separate from my regular savings or emergency fund. By setting this up early, I ensure I'm not caught off guard by the total cost when it comes around.
A dedicated bank account - I open a separate bank account or sub-account for this particular goal. This helps keep the money for the trip away from my everyday spending and reduces the temptation to dip into it for other things.
Consistent contributions - Once I have my target amount and timeframe, I commit to making regular contributions, whether that’s every fortnight or month. I set up automatic transfers so that I’m saving without having to think about it. I also make sure to adjust the contributions if needed, based on any changes in my income or if I get a bonus or extra savings along the way.
Track progress and adjust - Regularly monitor how much I’ve saved and see if I’m on track. This helps me stay on track and if I notice I’m falling behind, I can make adjustments by increasing my contributions or finding additional ways to save (like cutting back on non-essentials spending).
Three things you cannot live without:
My potato of a frenchie 🐶
ASICS Superblasts for running
I'm currently listening to:
For music, I’m currently listening to Hans Zimmer (ps. recently saw his Orchestra live, it was magical), Rosé from Blackpink & Ben Nicky. As for podcasts, mostly Steven Bartlett and property related podcasts.
I'm currently reading (and the last book I rated 5 stars):
The last book I read was an autobiography – Born a Crime by Trevor Noah.
The last book I read and rated it 5 stars was a book called In Order To Live by Yeonmi Park (a North Korean defector who escaped and her story).
Things you love:
Going for long walks with my doggo, running, snowboarding, traveling, cooking homey foods & eating at delicious places!
Things you've regretted spending money on:
Clothes and brands I believed would bring me happiness, but ended up barely using. Looking back, I wish I had invested that money earlier and spent less on impulsive purchases that didn’t align with my true intentions.
Your last day of earth meal spread:
This is a really tough question, but if I had to pick it would be – steamed barramundi with ginger and spring onions, braised brisket with radish, stir fried veggies/beans and steamed rice. The ultimate comfort food.
Items on your wishlist:
I have a rather long wishlist, but if I had to pick 3 it would be – a trip to Egypt, Africa, Norway and Switzerland some day, a 3-month sabbatical and a timeless watch piece.
