My Frugal Miser - February 2023 Expenses

 I bought a new house on February 1st, so there were some expenses in January associated with the move.  Because I worked so much in January, spending in many categories was minimal.

• I paid for a moving truck and pickup truck.  We moved gradually and then completed the move in mid-February.  The majority of the Household spending was for window blinds and a new vacuum.
• I was charged the annual fee for my Chase Sapphire Reserve card.
• I bought two new pair of shoes.  Somehow one of my work shoes was lost in the move.

Fun

We love adventures.  Spending on experiences makes us better humans.  

• We didn't book any new vacations in February.
• We added AMC Unlimited for my partner.  I am traveling for work and will purchase this in March.
• We took a cruise in February.  I spent onboard for a sushi making class and bought a few drinks.

February Expenses:  $4,074

$213 Auto (service, gas, insurance, AAA, etc.)

$550 Bank Fees (annual fees on credit cards)
$243 Clothing/ Personal Care
$480 Fun (vacations, movies, gambling, alcohol, concert tickets)

$479 Food

$28 Health and Dental

$1,484 Household/Home Repairs

$0 Unreimbursed Job Expense

$51 Reimbursed Job Expense

$0 Interest Expense

$166 Miscellaneous (cat sitter, gifts)

$9 Taxes

$372 Utilities 

My Frugal Miser - February 2023 Income

February was another solid month.  I only worked two meetings as we set aside time to move and take a short cruise. I received the rent from my two Alabama rental properties as well as three distributions from Realty Mogul.  I also managed to work three short Amazon routes.

February Income: $9,541

$0 Mystery Shopping/ Merchandising
$4,478 Meeting Jobs
$0 Gig Apps (Rideshare, Food Deliveries, etc.)
$211 Amazon Deliveries

$4,782 Rental Income (Rental Expenses:  $290)
$15 Interest Income

$55 Other Sources

Investment Accounts Change in Value:  ($7,714)

After liquidating a substantial part of my portfolio to buy our new house, I am left mostly with several Put options.  The meme gamblers continued to negatively affect my positions.

My Frugal Miser - January 2023 Expenses

I bought a new house on February 1st, so there were some expenses in January associated with the move.  Because I worked so much in January, spending in many categories was minimal.

• I paid the annual insurance premium on the new house and purchased several cardboard boxes.
• I was charged the annual fee for my Platinum AMEX authorized user.  This allows us both access to the Centurion Lounge when we travel.  I also paid the annual fee for the Capital One Venture X.
• Half the clothing expense was because of a mistake I made.  I ordered two new pair of work pants in the wrong inseam.  They are too long so I can still use them once I have them altered, but I needed new pants right away and reordered the right size.  

Fun

We love adventures.  Spending on experiences makes us better humans.  

• Finally a month where I didn't book any vacations!  I did browse cruises as Carnival is still aggressively giving away free cruises through casino offers.
• I spent $40 on our Regal Unlimited membership.  Regal won't be the closest theater at our new house, so I have cancelled it.
• Most of my meeting clients don't reimburse alcohol, so the bulk of the spending for fun in January was for drinks with co-workers.

January Expenses:  $4,497

$65 Auto (service, gas, insurance, AAA, etc.)

$734 Bank Fees (annual fees on credit cards)
$268 Clothing/ Personal Care
$297 Fun (vacations, movies, gambling, alcohol, concert tickets)

$133 Food

$106 Health and Dental

$1,711 Household/Home Repairs

$89 Unreimbursed Job Expense

$559 Reimbursed Job Expense

$0 Interest Expense

$100 Miscellaneous (cat sitter, gifts)

$307 Taxes

$129 Utilities 

My Frugal Miser - January 2023 Income

 January was all about the meetings - work, that is.  I worked 25 days at my primary job.  Because of this I didn't do any Amazon deliveries.  I received the rent from my two Alabama rental properties.  I also received a small check from a class action settlement.

January Income: $9,446

$0 Mystery Shopping/ Merchandising
$7,602 Meeting Jobs
$0 Gig Apps (Rideshare, Food Deliveries, etc.)
$0 Amazon Deliveries

$1,795 Rental Income (Rental Expenses:  $658)
$14 Interest Income

$35 Other Sources

Investment Accounts Change in Value:  ($7,112)

I liquidated a substantial part of my brokerage accounts to purchase our new home.  The meme gamblers didn't make it easy, as financially insolvent companies saw huge surges in their share prices in January.  Still, I managed a relatively small loss considering all the activity last month.