My Frugal Miser - April 2026 Spending

In April I had a few large expenses, but my everyday spending was low.

• I made a quarterly tax payment ($3,000)
• I replaced all 4 tires on the Sportage ($1,000)
• I paid 6 months of car insurance ($1,084)

I spent almost $400 on shopping.  One of my Monos suitcases cracked, and the company offered to replace it if I purchased the extended warranty.  I also bought a few shirts.  We have pre-event days at work where we dress casually, but it's expected we dress professionally, meaning no faded or stained clothing.

Fun (aka Personal Travel)

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

• We're taking two cruises this summer.  I prepaid the gratuities and purchased the "thermal suites" package on both, using a combination of onboard credits and cash.  I also booked our flights to San Francisco for the Alaska cruise.

April Expenses:  $7,716

$1,105 Auto (service, gas, insurance, AAA, etc.)

$0 Bank Fees (annual fees on credit cards)
$392 Shopping

$1,005 Fun (vacations, movies, gambling, alcohol, concert tickets)

$198 Food

$465 Health and Dental

$14 Household/Home Repairs

$1,206 Work Expenses

$7 Interest Expense

$0 Miscellaneous (cat sitter, gifts)

$3,187 Taxes

$137 Utilities 

My Frugal Miser - April 2026 Income

I worked Meetings & Events 18 days in April.  

Early in the month we traveled to Birmingham to check on the rental property.  Good news - after an agonizing 8 months vacant, my rental property is finally rented as of May 1st.  I'm charging $100 more per month than the last tenant, but that will never make up for the time it was empty.  Hopefully that extended vacancy was a one-time blip.

The condo tenant paid his rent and I received two distributions from Realty Mogul.

Open Door Capital continues to pay interest on the promissory note.

April Income: $11,526

$7,200 Meeting Jobs
$0 Gig Apps (Rideshare, Food Deliveries, etc.)
$0 Amazon Deliveries

$2,206 Rental Income (Rental Expenses: $1,351)
$2,100 Interest Income

$0 Other Sources

Investment Accounts Change in Value: $1,995

Markets were way up in April.  My balances increased, but barely.  I have a few bets against companies in my accounts (specifically AMC Theaters and Microstrategy).  Those lost value in April, but only on paper.

My Frugal Miser - 2026 Goals

Better late than never.  I've had a rough draft of my 2026 goals sitting here since December of last year.  If I don't publish them, I'm less accountable to achieving these goals.

Financial Plan 

I will increase my net worth by $100,000 in 2026.  I will reduce the real estate portion of net worth and increase the brokerage account portion.  Whenever a real estate syndication in my non-retirement accounts is closed, the funds will move to Brokerage accounts.

Manage Email More Efficiently

Simplify.  It's the overarching goal of just about everything I do... how do I eliminate the unnecessary?  The focus in 2026 will be to streamline my inbox.  Emails with outstanding "action needed" clog my inbox and waste too much of my time.  I'd like to end each day with less than 10 emails sitting in the inbox.

Read One Book per Month

I watch too much TV.  I'm already behind on this goal.  Time to catch up.

Mopeds

They have been sitting in the backyard and haven't been used in years.  It's past time to dispose or repair.

Prepare for the Next Chapter

I'm not ready to discuss this yet, but I am exploring some major changes to shake things up.

My Frugal Miser - March 2026 Income

I worked 23 days in March.  My rental property is still vacant (7 months and counting!).  I received income from the condo tenant.

Open Door Capital continues to pay interest on the promissory note.

March Income: $12,160

$9,288 Meeting Jobs
$0 Gig Apps (Rideshare, Food Deliveries, etc.)
$27 Amazon Deliveries

$750 Rental Income (Rental Expenses: $343)
$2,095 Interest Income

$0 Other Sources

Investment Accounts Change in Value: ($6,185)

The S&P 500 was down 5.09% in March.  My brokerage accounts also fell, but by less (down about 1.5%).

My Frugal Miser - March 2026 Spending

Frustrating.  

I was doing quite well.  In Aruba for work, and the first couple of days I played a little in the casino.  I was up over $400.  Then one of my coworkers joined me and we drank way too much.  The alcohol has a way of making me do stupid things.  I accessed cash - a lot of it - from a credit card, and in about 10 minutes, I lost it all.

The rest of my March spending was reasonable.

• I replaced the brakes and got an oil change on my car.
• 
  

Fun (aka Personal Travel)

We love adventures.  Spending on experiences makes us better humans (well, not in March!).  

• I didn't book any trips.
• Except for a small amount spent at AMC, my spending was money lost gambling.

March Expenses:  $8,809

$905 Auto (service, gas, insurance, AAA, etc.)

$363 Bank Fees (annual fees on credit cards)
$205 Shopping

$6,593 Fun (vacations, movies, gambling, alcohol, concert tickets)

$214 Food

$259 Health and Dental

$0 Household/Home Repairs

$142 Work Expenses

$0 Interest Expense

$0 Miscellaneous (cat sitter, gifts)

$0 Taxes

$128 Utilities 

My Frugal Miser - February 2026 Income

February was a strong month, as I worked all but 5 days.  My rental property is still vacant (6 months and counting!).  Fortunately I received income from the condo and 4 distributions from Realty Mogul.

Open Door Capital continues to pay interest on the promissory note.

February Income: $14,437

$9,635 Meeting Jobs
$0 Gig Apps (Rideshare, Food Deliveries, etc.)
$0 Amazon Deliveries

$2,666 Rental Income (Rental Expenses: $283)
$2,094 Interest Income

$42 Other Sources

Investment Accounts Change in Value: $221

My brokerage accounts barely moved in February.

My Frugal Miser - February 2026 Spending

When I am on the road for work my spending decreases.  In February I was out of town 23 days, and I barely spent money.  

• I opened the AMEX Marriott Bonvoy business card and paid the $125 annual fee.  In addition to a healthy sign-up bonus, there is a free night each year, which offsets the fee.
• I am reimbursed for out of pocket expenses in different ways.  Sometimes I get a true per diem.  If I don't spend the money, it's mine to keep.  I still report it under Reimbursed Work Expense.  Add to that the fact that a client advanced my per diem for a trip I am taking in March, and the category showed a healthy profit. 

Fun (aka Personal Travel)

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

• I visited my mom in Virginia.
• I pay for two AMC A-List subscriptions each month.

February Expenses:  $435

$98 Auto (service, gas, insurance, AAA, etc.)

$125 Bank Fees (annual fees on credit cards)
$253 Clothing/ Personal Care

$807 Fun (vacations, movies, gambling, alcohol, concert tickets)

$160 Food

$247 Health and Dental

$0 Household/Home Repairs

$0 Unreimbursed Job Expense

($1,338) Reimbursed Job Expense income this month

$0 Interest Expense

$64 Miscellaneous (cat sitter, gifts)

$0 Taxes

$19 Utilities 

My Frugal Miser - January 2026 Income

I had a decent month in January - meeting season has arrived!  My rental properties is still vacant and I'm starting to wonder if it will ever get rented.

Open Door Capital continues to pay interest on the promissory note.

January Income: $10,893

$7,541 Meeting Jobs
$0 Gig Apps (Rideshare, Food Deliveries, etc.)
$357 Amazon Deliveries

$750 Rental Income (Rental Expenses: $1,376)
$2,157 Interest Income

$88 Other Sources

Investment Accounts Change in Value: $10,446

My brokerage accounts were up again in January.  The IRBT PUT options increased again.  I also have some bets against AMC (I am short the stock and own some PUT options) that increased in value.

My Frugal Miser - January 2026 Spending

Like December, in January I prepaid some expenses, which inflated my spending.  I wanted to buy my way to Platinum status with American Airlines, and I did.  I should probably post about manufactured spending, but in this case I made a large tax payment to the IRS.  Assuming I overpaid, I'll get it back as a refund.  All I am out is the lost interest income had I invested the money instead.

• I made a $6,000 quarterly tax payment to the IRS. 
• I paid the annual fees on two credit cards.
• I paid the annual home insurance bill.

Fun (aka Personal Travel)

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

• I didn't book any travel in January.
• I pay for two AMC A-List subscriptions each month.

January Expenses:  $8,874

$95 Auto (service, gas, insurance, AAA, etc.)

$500 Bank Fees (annual fees on credit cards)
$166 Clothing/ Personal Care

$5 Fun (vacations, movies, gambling, alcohol, concert tickets)

$276 Food

$264 Health and Dental

$1,039 Household/Home Repairs

$0 Unreimbursed Job Expense

$325 Reimbursed Job Expense

$0 Interest Expense

$32 Miscellaneous (cat sitter, gifts)

$6,000 Taxes

$172 Utilities 

My Frugal Miser - December 2025 Income

December was another mediocre month for income.  I only worked one meeting along with three corporate parties.  One of my rental properties is still vacant.  I switched to a new management company and the house was re-listed for rent at the end of the month.  I received rent from the Birmingham condo and two distributions from Realty Mogul.

Open Door Capital continues to pay interest on the promissory note.

December Income: $9,409

$4,164 Meeting Jobs
$0 Gig Apps (Rideshare, Food Deliveries, etc.)
$231 Amazon Deliveries

$2,738 Rental Income (Rental Expenses: $4,101)
$2,160 Interest Income

$115 Other Sources

Investment Accounts Change in Value: $35,977

My brokerage accounts were up significantly in December.  I had several PUT options and a short position against iRobot before the company declared bankruptcy.  Amazingly, I was able to add to my PUT options after the bankruptcy declaration for additional profit.  I also have some bets against AMC theaters which have increased in value.

My Frugal Miser - December 2025 Spending

December looks like I was a total glutton, but I brought forward some expenses for a reason:  I was really close to getting status on American Airlines, and prepaying some expenses before my December statement took me over the threshold.  Emboldened, I have decided to aim for Platinum before the February 28th cutoff.

These last couple of months I've been working strategically to obtain loyalty status.  Let's face it:  I travel for a living, and getting extra perks makes it less stressful.  By doing a little planning, I have locked in AAdvantage Gold Status (and I still have a couple months to try for Platinum!), Hilton Honors Diamond, and Marriott Bonvoy Platinum (unfortunately a downgrade from the current Titanium, but even getting Platinum required some effort this year).  

• I prepaid for $1,000 toward the water/trash bill.  
• I prepaid for 12 months of mobile phone service for both of us. 
• I paid property taxes on both rental properties using a credit card.
• I made a huge quarterly tax payment.  It's most likely more than my tax liability and I'll get any overpayment back as a refund.
• I bought a dozen air filters to take advantage of an AMEX Offer for $20 back on a Walmart purchase.
• I bought $3,000 in Amazon gift cards.

Fun (aka Personal Travel)

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

• My AMEX card had an offer of $100 cash back if I spent $500 on Carnival Cruise, so I prepaid towards one of our 2026 cruises.
• I visited my mom twice in December.  Those hotel bills along with the rental car are categorized as "fun".
• I pay for two AMC A-List subscriptions each month.

December Expenses:  $24,321

$609 Auto (service, gas, insurance, AAA, etc.)

$0 Bank Fees (annual fees on credit cards)
$20 Clothing/ Personal Care

$1,330 Fun (vacations, movies, gambling, alcohol, concert tickets)

$932 Food

$818 Health and Dental

$3,220 Household/Home Repairs

$412 Unreimbursed Job Expense

($323) Reimbursed Job Expense income this month

$16 Interest Expense

$310 Miscellaneous (cat sitter, gifts)

$15,292 Taxes

$1,725 Utilities