My Frugal Miser - December Income: $10,222

December was an impressive month.  

Amazon was unsurprisingly busy as Christmas approached.  One of my friends introduced me to a "bot" service that automatically grabs Amazon routes based on the criteria I set.  This has made it a bit easier to get work although I do have to pay for the service.

The Airbnb continues to be a bright spot.  It was booked 27 days in December, and income exceeded $3,000 again.  January got off to a strong start with an 18 day booking starting on the 2nd.

I received rent for all rental properties.

December Income: $10,222

$0 Mystery Shopping/ Merchandising
$0 Meeting Jobs
$68 Gig Apps (Rideshare, Food Deliveries, etc.)
$2,546 Amazon Deliveries
$3,050 Rental Income
$3,353 Airbnb Income
$25 Interest Income

$1,180 Other Sources

Investment Accounts Change in Value:  $32,062

My investment accounts did extremely well.  Since Vereit is my biggest position, it doesn't take much to move the needle.  Last month Vereit shares were up.  My put options for AMC barely budged, although shares in the stock plummeted in December. I am optimistic I will profit overall.  Carnival Cruise Lines gained some, and I sold a portion of my shares in one account, before shares settled back down.

My Frugal Miser - December Expenses: $7,838

December wasn't too bad, and it's looking like January will be even better.  

• Airbnb expenses were quite low.  My goal here is to invest in the property during slow season (September-November), which is exactly what I did this year.  The only expenses in November were for normal things like utilities and supplies.  
• Rental expenses were also low.  Since I already paid property taxes, my only rental expenses in November were the management fees I pay for two properties I own in Alabama.
• The household expense includes $1,601 for the mortgage.  The only other expense was the quarterly HOA dues.
• Spending on food remains high.  We are still on the keto diet.  Protein tends to be more expensive, plus at the end of the month we visited a friend who has high-end tastes.

Fun

We love adventures, which makes it exciting to talk about the "fun" category.  

• We visited Asheville and Pigeon Forge (Dollywood).  When I was researching prices for Dollywood I discovered that buying one season pass ($150) would be a fantastic bargain because it includes a bring-a-friend ticket for this Christmas season as well as 3 tickets in 2021.  Instead of us both buying season passes, this option made more sense.  If we visit 4 times, our per visit cost is just $18.75/each.  I also splurged on an annual pass to the Biltmore Estate.  This is definitely not a frugal purchase, and I had a hard time justifying it:  even with $50 off, the annual passes were $200 each.  I used points for our hotels, so the total cost of the trip was $88 for both flights, the cost of passes to the attractions, a rental car, food and a couple of souvenirs.
• We spent a couple of nights in Miami visiting a friend.  It was a relatively inexpensive trip but we did spend a lot on food while there.
• I made another payment towards our China trip.
• I booked another cruise for later in the year.  The deals are too good to pass up.
• Last, we pay $48/month for AMC A-List membership.  I should probably cancel this until new movies return to the theater.

December is the last month I will be paying $479 for health insurance - I switched back to an ACA plan, which should save $400/mo.  Unfortunately I needed periodontal surgery in December which was the single largest expense for the month after the mortgage.  I also spent a fair amount on gifts (listed under the miscellaneous category) which won't be repeated in January.

December Business Spending:  $850
December Personal Spending:  $6,988

December Expenses:  $7,838

$364 Auto (service, gas, insurance, AAA, etc.)

$174 Bank Fees
$20 Clothing/ Personal Care
$1,454 Fun (vacations movies, gambling, alcohol, concert tickets)

$994 Food

$1,449 Health and Dental

$1,783 Household/Mortgage Payment/Home Repair

$0 Interest Expense

$370 Miscellaneous

$122 Taxes includes quarterly tax payments
$0 App Jobs Expenses (tolls, car washes, etc.)
$0 Unreimbursed Job Expenses
$0 Reimbursed Job Expenses

$259 Utilities
$420 Rental Property Expenses
$430 AirBNB Expenses

My Frugal Miser - November Expenses: $13,660

November expenses were above-average once again.   One reason is because every year around Black Friday I buy discounted gift cards for future purchases.  

• Airbnb expenses were high as we continue to prepare for peak season.   The biggest expense was the annual property tax bill.  I received a 4% discount by paying in November.  I bought a new set of pots and pans.  I also replaced the vinyl flooring in part of the house.  Lastly, I bought a few gift cards to take advantage of a special credit card offer.
• Rental expenses include the property tax bill for the condo in Birmingham.  At just under $500, it is my smallest property tax bill.  Alabama has the lowest property taxes in the country.
• The household expense also includes the purchase of gift cards.  This year Citibank offered a 5% Black Friday rebate on online purchases, so I bought gift cards in both Citi accounts to max out that offer.
• Spending on food should start to go down in December.  I did a lot of stocking up on keto-friendly foods that will last a while.

Fun

The "fun" category is still hefty on fun, and I'm really excited at how far my travel dollars go right now.  I think by April of next year the pandemic will be well under control and that this will cause a huge spike in leisure travel.  Prices for flights and hotels will normalize.  I booked several trips for 2021 so that I could "lock in" COVID-discounted rates.

• I plan to end my keto diet at the beginning of April, and since Frontier was having a big Cyber Monday sale (plus I was able to status match with my SWA Companion Pass, so our bags and seat assignments are free), I booked a flight to Austin.  We went there once before, but I had a massive toothache which ruined the fun.  Time for a do-over.  Two roundtrip flights were $84.  
• We booked a December flight to Asheville, NC ($88 for 2).  
• I rented a car to visit my mom.  
• Finally, the most exciting of them all... I paid deposits for 2 trips later in 2021:  an Australian cruise in August and another trip to China in November.  The China trip is the same unreal deal we booked 2 years ago:  $299 each for a package that includes flights, hotels, breakfast, transportation and some tours.   The Australian cruise fulfills a bucket-list trip, plus the value was solid.  I paid $148/night for a balcony stateroom.  I will receive a $1,000 onboard credit and we both get free drinks.  That onboard credit and the free drinks are worth as much as the cost of the cruise.  Insane value. 

November Business Spending:  $6,169
November Personal Spending:  $7,491

November Expenses:  $13,660

$762 Auto (service, gas, insurance, AAA, etc.)

$550 Bank Fees
$46 Clothing/ Personal Care
$1,130 Fun (vacations movies, gambling, alcohol, concert tickets)

$957 Food

$581 Health and Dental

$2,965 Household/Mortgage Payment/Home Repair

$0 Interest Expense

$80 Miscellaneous

$92 Taxes includes quarterly tax payments
$0 App Jobs Expenses (tolls, car washes, etc.)
$0 Unreimbursed Job Expenses
$0 Reimbursed Job Expenses

$327 Utilities
$1,118 Rental Property Expenses
$5,050 AirBNB Expenses

My Frugal Miser - November Income: $8,186

 November was a decent month, especially since the meeting industry is still shut down.

Amazon work picked up a bit at the end of the month but has generally been slow.  

The Airbnb continues to be a bright spot.  It was booked 27 days in November, and income exceeded $3,000.  Not bad for a house I bought in 2014 for $45,000!  

The condo tenant did not pay rent in November.  All the other rental properties are current.

November Income: $8,186

$0 Mystery Shopping/ Merchandising
$0 Meeting Jobs
$39 Gig Apps (Rideshare, Food Deliveries, etc.)
$1,608 Amazon Deliveries
$2,400 Rental Income
$3,178 Airbnb Income
$23 Interest Income

$938 Other Sources

Investment Accounts Change in Value:  ($24,102)

My investment accounts did well.  Since Vereit is my biggest position, it doesn't take much to move the needle.  Last month Vereit shares were up.  My put options for AMC declined a little, but I still believe bankruptcy is looming.  Carnival Cruise Lines gained some, and I sold a portion of my shares in one account.