Joni's Yen Ledger
What changed since the August report
One assumption to confirm with Joni: that the single room began with the July payment. If it started later (August), July's dorm was still and July's cash food was instead of .
The month in one sentence
August closed at : the in cash (dorm plus for living) and a quiet card side of — restaurants over their envelope, groceries far under, nothing else notable. September has started the same way: the dorm-and-change withdrawal on the 6th, more on the 3rd, and on the card in ten days, which is a pace of roughly for the card side and about all-in — just under the cap, just over the hard target.
The year so far
Monthly trend
| Month | All-in | Food | Cash | Cap | vs. budget |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January (pre-budget) | under ✓ | ||||
| February (pre-budget) | under ✓ | ||||
| March | over cap + | ||||
| April | under ✓ | ||||
| May | over cap + | ||||
| June | under ✓ | ||||
| July (single room) | under cap ✓ (over hard target) | ||||
| August (now final) | under ✓ | ||||
| September (thru 10th) | tracking near cap |
Food = eating out + groceries/konbini + cash beyond the dorm. August closed above the Aug 23 snapshot in the last report — the final week added little. January–February predate the June budget agreement and are shown against the same yardstick for context; in Jan, Feb and Apr, cash withdrawn was below the dorm cost, so those months' dorm was covered outside the ATM pattern.
How the envelopes shifted
August envelopes (final)
| Envelope (colors match the chart above) | Budget | Actual | Δ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cash food (cash − dorm) | + | ||
| Eating out | + | ||
| eSIM · Sakura Mobile | + | ||
| Groceries / konbini | − | ||
| Entertainment | − | ||
| Shopping | − | ||
| Personal care | − | ||
| Trips | − | ||
| Other bills | − | ||
| Dorm, single room (reserved from cash) | — | ||
| Total | − |
Funding vs. spending
| Month | Parents added | Budget (cap) | Spent (approx.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| June | $970 | $1,159 | ~$1,010 |
| July (single room from here) | $1,310 | $1,347 | ~$1,314 |
| August | $1,190 | $1,347 | ~$1,151 |
| September (thru 10th) | $1,300 | $1,347 | ~$845 so far |
With the room re-priced, funding and spending have been tracking each other closely rather than funding chasing an overshoot. The September 1 top-up of $1,300 became at Wise's rate — short of the new cap, above the hard target. A monthly transfer of $1,347 (or ¥215,378 fixed on the yen side) funds the cap exactly.
Where August went (top merchants)
| Merchant (color = envelope) | Amount | Note |
|---|---|---|
| ATM, Toda-shi | on Aug 6 (dorm + change) and two of | |
| ATM, Toshima-ku | Aug 7 | |
| The Whales of August | dining, one evening | |
| 7-Eleven | konbini — 25 visits | |
| Sukiya | gyudon, 14× | |
| Torikizoku Akabanehigashi | yakitori | |
| Shakey's | dining | |
| Sakura Mobile | eSIM ✓ | |
| Toho Cinemas | entertainment | |
| FamilyMart | konbini — 11 visits | |
| Outback Steakhouse | dining | |
| Saizeriya | dining, 2× |
Same shape as July: frequency, not size. 36 konbini visits and 14 Sukiya runs in one month — many small meals bought one at a time. That is exactly what a weekly food number makes visible.
Where September went so far (Sep 1–10)
| Merchant (color = envelope) | Amount | Note |
|---|---|---|
| ATM, Toda-shi | Sep 6 — dorm + change | |
| FamilyMart | 9 visits — unusually large for konbini; worth a look | |
| ATM, FamilyMart | Sep 3 | |
| 7-Eleven | konbini — 17 visits in ten days | |
| Cona, Nishi-Shinjuku | dining | |
| Sakura Mobile | eSIM ✓ | |
| CoCo Ichibanya | curry | |
| Sukiya | gyudon, 4× | |
| Saizeriya | dining |
Ten days in, food is at against a month — about a day where the envelope allows . The rest of the card is nearly silent ( of shopping, no entertainment).
Actions
- Confirm the room. Ask Joni to confirm the single room costs and started with the July payment. Every number on this page from July on assumes it.
- Re-base the budget officially. New cap , hard target , funding $1,347 a month (or a fixed yen amount). The food cap stays — Joni has been inside it for two months, so the number is proven, not aspirational.
- Food pace for the rest of September: left for 20 days, about a week — and no more cash withdrawals this month, since the beyond the dorm is already out.
- The dorm stays cash — that is fine, just name it. The room can only be paid in yen notes, so the rule is simple: the first withdrawn each month is rent, everything withdrawn after it is the cash food envelope ( budgeted, actual in July and August). That second number is the one to watch.
- Keep the grocery lever in view. The unused in groceries against overflowing restaurants and cash food is still the cheapest fix. September's FamilyMart total suggests part of that swap is already happening.