Our net worth leaped up over 16k in one month! This is all due to investing in a speculative new stock that increased 10x overnight.

Just kidding.

That just about never happens. I finally got paid an annual performance bonus in one large lump sum.

Net Worth: $57,943

Bringing in the big bucks

What do you do when money rains down on you?

I received a sizeable performance bonus in last month’s check. I’m pretty disciplined financially, so I already knew the reinvestment work I’d put those dollars to long before they arrived. Rather than treating myself or spending it on practical items we could use like a bed frame for Lu and new dresser for us, I’ve chosen to save nearly all of it. We ate out a few times since then, so we’ve likely spent about $100 more than usual on fast casual meals together. I also used some of the check to pay a little more than required on some debts.

Student Loans Barely Getting Paid Down

Have you noticed how Derek’s student loan hasn’t seemed to budge in forever? Well, since I’m rounding, you can’t see the huge progress it’s actually making: It’s paid down 14 cents more than last month. Still a rounding error, but something. This is a beautiful case example of how disheartening it can be to pay down debt. It’s easy to get caught in cycles where there seems to be no forward momentum. I try to focus on the real wins:

We’ve increased our net worth by over $50,000 in a year!

It’s hard to believe we were in the red when I started tracking my net worth. Apparently, we were just on that cusp of our dollars diligently working for us, making more dollars while we don’t lift a finger. It’s fun to see. As a numbers nerd, I have all the juicy details that I will eventually share to walk you through just how exactly we got ourselves on the sweet path to easy money. Early retirement/financial independence, however, still seems far away.

2017 Net Worth Tracker:

January: $14,107
February: $21,285
March: $30,016
April: $32,939
May: $33,537
June: $38,883
July: $41,518