My Frugal Miser - June 2022 Expenses

June was another brutal month.  But almost half of my spending was to make my Q2 estimated tax payment.  Unfortunately July is going to be bad as well:  I have to get a root canal and might pay my quarterly taxes early to earn extra credit card rewards.

• I paid Q2 2022 estimated taxes:  $4276
• On the way home from our Alaskan cruise our flight was canceled.  I had to change plans and fly directly to a meeting in Chicago.  Since I didn't have my work clothes with me, including a suit, I had significant expenses ($1,261) replacing my wardrobe.  I have filed a Trip Delay claim since my credit card provides that insurance, so it is possible I will be reimbursed for part of this.
• I paid the annual fee on my United Quest credit card and also paid a transaction fee to use a credit card to pay my quarterly taxes.

Fun

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

• I splurged on two excursions during our Alaskan cruise.  In Juneau we toured a real gold mine - I love history.  In Ketchikan we did our first zipline.
• We spent the night on the east coast of Florida after attending a concert with a friend.
• I paid for a flight to Richmond to visit my mom.

June Expenses:  $9,660

$227 Auto (service, gas, insurance, AAA, etc.)

$330 Bank Fees (annual fees on credit cards)
$1,261 Clothing/ Personal Care
$1,516 Fun (vacations, movies, gambling, alcohol, concert tickets)

$501 Food

$122 Health and Dental

$1,050 Household/Home Repairs

$0 Unreimbursed Job Expense

($150) Reimbursed Job Expense (income)

$0 Interest Expense

$384 Miscellaneous

$4,276 Taxes

$139 Utilities 

My Frugal Miser - June 2022 Income

I had a solid month in June. 

I worked 2 meetings jobs, including a 2 week assignment in my hometown of Birmingham, AL and a week in Chicago.  I was paid for the Chicago job as well as two meetings I worked in May.  The Birmingham meeting will be paid in July.

I didn't do any Amazon routes, rideshare/delivery or mystery shopping.  

The Airbnb was blocked several days because I am selling it.  The closing was delayed a few times while the buyer took care of some requirements, so I opened it up to bookings when possible.  Airbnb income was pleasantly resilient considering much of the month started as being blocked off and then availability was adjusted last-minute.  We are very close to closing on the house now.

Rental income was as expected.  I had a $1,500 surprise expense at one property that experienced a leak and some drywall damage.

June Income: $11,833

$0 Mystery Shopping/ Merchandising
$4,900 Meeting Jobs
$0 Gig Apps (Rideshare, Food Deliveries, etc.)
$0 Amazon Deliveries
$3,225 Rental Income (Rental Expenses:  $2,243)
$3,699 Airbnb Income (Airbnb Expenses:  $758)
$9 Interest Income

$0 Other Sources

Investment Accounts Change in Value:  ($19,565)

My investments were down.  Markets continued their downward spiral in June.

My Frugal Miser - May 2022 Expenses

May was another expensive month.  Hopefully soon all this red ink will dry.

• I spent nearly $2,000 on car repairs. The starter and a couple related parts needed replacement - occassionally the car just wouldn't start.  And a flying retreaded tire from a truck cracked one of the headlights.  Another electrical issue also needed repair.
• I lost a lawsuit to a con artist in Birmingham (see the May income post, where I list expenses associated with my rental properies).  The judge ignored case law and the simple fact that the lawsuit was entirely predicated on fraud by the plaintiff.  I wanted to appeal the verdict, but the cost of fighting this injustice was greater than the amount the fraudster was awarded.
• Another expense that doesn't show up here (again, it's on the income post) but was substantial was the $1,200 I paid a contractor to make a few repairs at the Airbnb.  If all goes as planned, I will sell it in June.

Fortunately I received per diems from meeting jobs that exceeded my out of pocket expenses.  This helped offset some of my spending.

Fun

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

• I splurged on two excursions during our Alaskan cruise.  In Juneau we toured a real gold mine - I love history.  In Ketchikan we did our first zipline.

May Expenses:  $3,624

$2,018 Auto (service, gas, insurance, AAA, etc.)

$0 Bank Fees (annual fees on credit cards)
$57 Clothing/ Personal Care
$546 Fun (vacations, movies, gambling, alcohol, concert tickets)

$150 Food

$31 Health and Dental

$1,050 Household/Home Repairs

$0 Unreimbursed Job Expense

($756) Reimbursed Job Expense (income)

$0 Interest Expense

$154 Miscellaneous

$191 Taxes

$184 Utilities 

My Frugal Miser - May 2022 Income

 May was a solid month for income.  

I worked 4 meetings jobs, including long assignments in Newport Beach, CA and Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.  I was only paid half my fee for those last two jobs; the other half will be paid out in June.

I did 1 Amazon route.

The Airbnb was blocked several days because I am selling it.  I took it offline for 11 days so that my agent could open it to showings and inspections and again for 3 days so that the buyer could spend a night in it and have additional inspections completed.  I thought it was pretty cool to let the buyer use the home for a night, sort of like test driving a car.  Airbnb expenses were higher than normal as I prepared the home for sale.

Rental income was stronger than normal. I received rent from the 3 properties I own in Alabama, plus distributions from 4 investments held at Realty Mogul.  Rental expenses were high:  I lost an $1,100 lawsuit against a fraudster who rents the condo next to mine.  It was 100% fraud, but I learned the difficult and frustrating lesson that sometimes it costs more to fight the fraud than it does to just make it go away.  Additionally, I paid $300 to have my largest property pressure washed.  I am almost 100% committed to selling that house in July and may have a few other maintenance/repair expenses leading up to it.

May Income: $13,886

$0 Mystery Shopping/ Merchandising
$5,512 Meeting Jobs
$0 Gig Apps (Rideshare, Food Deliveries, etc.)
$119 Amazon Deliveries
$5,310 Rental Income (Rental Expenses:  $2,164)
$2,757 Airbnb Income (Airbnb Expenses:  $2,125)
$8 Interest Income

$179 Other Sources

Investment Accounts Change in Value:  $2,453

My investments were up slightly in May.