My Frugal Miser - February 2024 Income

February was a strong earnings month.  I worked meetings 22 out of 29 days.  Rental income was lower than expected.  I received rent from only one of my Alabama rental properties.  I also received one distribution from Realty Mogul and the small monthly distribution from Open Door Capital.  I received an unexpected windfall in the form of a $492 check from a class action settlement involving my brokerage account.

Open Door continues to pay interest on the promissory note as promised. 

February Income: $14,501

$9,428 Meeting Jobs
$6 Gig Apps (Rideshare, Food Deliveries, etc.)
$0 Amazon Deliveries

$2,196 Rental Income (Rental Expenses:  $359)
$2,345 Interest Income

$526 Other Sources

Investment Accounts Change in Value:  $1,557

My investments were up in February.

My Frugal Miser - February 2024 Expenses

 February was a decent month.  

• I paid the annual fee for my Self-Directed IRA.
• We worked an event in Orlando for the staffing company that introduced me to this industry.  It normally doesn't cover hotel rooms, so we paid out of pocket for it.
• Miscellaneous was income this month as I received proceeds from selling the Bruno Mars tickets.  My speculative purchase of these tickets resulted in a major loss.

Fun

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

• No vacations were planned.

February Expenses:  $2,892

$77 Auto (service, gas, insurance, AAA, etc.)

$895 Bank Fees (annual fees on credit cards)
$267 Clothing/ Personal Care
$220 Fun (vacations, movies, gambling, alcohol, concert tickets)

$558 Food

$13 Health and Dental

$30 Household/Home Repairs

$267 Unreimbursed Job Expense

$350 Reimbursed Job Expense

$0 Interest Expense

($265) Miscellaneous (cat sitter, gifts) income this month

$425 Taxes

$199 Utilities 

Making Progress Towards My 2024 Goals - January Update

January was a super busy month, yet I found time to work on my goals for this year.  To keep myself accountable, here's an update:

Financial

A new goal this year is to invest 40% of my gross income from meeting work - 30% to index funds and 10% to something more aggressive.  I'm on track in Month 1.

In January, I earned $8,126* from meeting work.  I transferred $3,850 to my brokerage accounts.  As a bonus (not part of this particular goal), I also made a $1,000 contribution to my ROTH IRA.  I chose the Vanguard Total World Stock Index Fund (VTWAX) for the 30%.  The "more aggressive" investment was a PUT option against Beyond Meat (BYND) that expires in January 2025.

*This will not match what I report in my income blog.  I earned $8,126, but received less than that as payments aren't always received in the month the work was performed.

Health

I want to lose weight and exercise 5x/week this year.  I've lost a few pounds and I met my exercise goal in January.

Simplify

This one is all about getting rid of things I don't use.  I found out both Amazon and Microsoft have a program where you can sell back your used electronics.  For me, this isn't about maximizing what I make from my old stuff.  It's about getting rid of things without hassle.  I sold 5 old items to Amazon (I received $22 as an Amazon gift card - pitiful but effortless).  I also sent off two Surface Pro 3 tablets and a Samsung S9 phone to Microsoft.  I just sent those and am waiting for the trade to be approved, but I should receive about 1/3 what I paid for the tablets when I bought them used.  I'll receive $58 for the three devices if they are approved.

I also added 6 pieces of clothing, a couple books, a lamp and a few miscellaneous items to the donation box.  I trashed our 10 year old Roomba and a second robot vacuum and replaced them with a new one.  I also trashed a worn out pair of shoes and broken solar charger.

Lastly, I simplified my finances just a tad.  The authorized user fee for my AMEX was $195/year, so I canceled that card.

Have Fun, on a Budget

I want to limit the fun budget to $5,000 in 2024.  In January, we drastically cut down on alcohol consumption.  We took a 2 night cruise on Margaritaville at Sea, but it was paid for in December.  I didn't book any other getaways, so the fun budget was barely touched last month.

I'm off to a promising start.  Of all these goals, losing weight will be the toughest.  It's ridiculously hard for me to stick to a diet.  Food is my addiction, yet I can't live without it.

My Frugal Miser - January 2024 Income

January was a nice month for income.  I worked 20 consecutive days doing meetings.  We ended the month with a two day Margaritaville cruise.

I didn't do rideshare or work any Amazon routes.

Rental income was as expected.  I received rent from both Alabama rental properties and the small monthly distribution from Open Door Capital.  Rental expenses were a bit higher than normal.  I paid the fire dues on the condo and my management company charged a research fee to pull up some old repair records I needed to submit for a class action lawsuit.

Open Door continues to pay interest on the promissory note as promised. 

January Income: $11,014

$6,522 Meeting Jobs
$0 Gig Apps (Rideshare, Food Deliveries, etc.)
$0 Amazon Deliveries

$2,112 Rental Income (Rental Expenses:  $1,510)
$2,381 Interest Income

$0 Other Sources

Investment Accounts Change in Value:  $4,284

My investments were up in January.