Net Worth Update: February 2017: $21,285
I’ve started to contain and extinguish the raging dumpster fire that is my monthly cash flow. It’s still going to be a struggle to find the right balance of saving, spending, and feeling in control.
Net Worth: $21,285
I’m trying to “pay myself first.” But, when your math ends up off, your monthly costs end up much more than anticipated, you can end up “paying yourself first” and then “stealing from yourself” to reconcile.
One factor that will help: I got a sweet sweet raise in January! I can also now take advantage the company 401(k) match. More money flowing in. Just gotta keep it from flowing through to expenses. I stopped myself from spending $16 at Old Navy online yesterday. I was tempted because I had $10 off $25. Although I could probably use more leggings, and Lu will eventually need new cloths, I was attempting to talk myself into spending money under the ruse of “saving.” I shut that down. There’s no need to rationalize a need now when it just isn’t there.
If you look month over month at the numbers: Stocks are at record highs. All our balances are up.
I closed my small brokerage account. Years ago, as a curiosity, I added maybe $100 to a brokerage account. Sharebuilder at the time offered perhaps a $50 bonus after 90 days of account opening if you started an account with $100. So, I’ve about tripled my money in a few years. But, I don’t want to invest more post-tax since I’m not yet maxing out my pre-tax contributions. It’s such a small silly balance, I decided to liquidate it to simplify how many accounts I’m tracking.
There’s actually a balance in my checking account because I haven’t paid all my bills yet. I tend to keep it close to $0.
When I began tracking my net worth monthly, I wasn’t sure if it would in fact be motivating or if I’d see much change. It’s been pretty awesome to see. It definitely helps to see I can move the needle, even if just a little bit, month after month.
My big dreams won’t make themselves my reality just because I dreamt them up. Focusing. Striving. Tracking. Recalibrating. That’s my plan to get there.
