My Frugal Miser - May 2023 Expenses

May was another expensive month.  Fortunately some of my spending was pre-paying for future expenses.

• I made a substantial prepayment to my Internet provider to help earn a sign-up bonus on a credit card.
• I was charged the annual fee ($95) for a credit card.
• I prepaid for reflexology services.  I really like the guy I see and it helps with my foot pain.
• While on a business trip, my aunt passed away.  There was only one place near my work that sold men's clothing and I needed something to wear for the funeral.

Fun

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

• I booked a a cruise in New Orleans.  It was $200 for an extended balcony room, plus I prepaid gratuities.
• I bought tickets to see Margaret Cho and Yungblud.
• We pay for an AMC Unlimited plan.  

May Expenses:  $4,499

$147 Auto (service, gas, insurance, AAA, etc.)

$95 Bank Fees (annual fees on credit cards)
$585 Clothing/ Personal Care
$1,451 Fun (vacations, movies, gambling, alcohol, concert tickets)

$205 Food

$413 Health and Dental

$37 Household/Home Repairs

$0 Unreimbursed Job Expense

$505 Reimbursed Job Expense

$0 Interest Expense

$25 Miscellaneous (cat sitter, gifts)

$58 Taxes

$979 Utilities 

My Frugal Miser - May 2023 Income

May was an average month.  Meeting income was good; several meetings I worked are paid in June so this doesn't reflect all the work I did.  I worked two short Amazon routes when I was home.  I only received rent from one of the two rental properties, but also received two distributions from Realty Mogul.

Another major transaction this month that you won't see reflected below was the sale of my last Florida rental property (I still have two in Alabama).  This turned out to be a very profitable investment.  I purchased the home in August 2012 for $63,000.  Nearly 11 years later I sold it for $315,000.  While it wasn't all pure profit, the improvements I made were minimal.  Major improvements included a new roof, flooring and granite countertops.  Taking everything into consideration, I still earned about $200,000 on this investment.

May Income: $9,429

$0 Mystery Shopping/ Merchandising
$6,130 Meeting Jobs
$0 Gig Apps (Rideshare, Food Deliveries, etc.)
$168 Amazon Deliveries

$3,118 Rental Income (Rental Expenses:  $805)
$3 Interest Income

$0 Other Sources

Investment Accounts Change in Value:  ($11,703)

I have several put options against zombie companies.  The meme gamblers were active in May because these dying companies did very well in May.