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I AM SO EXCITED!!! I got an expected paycheck at a very UNexpected time.
I was the assistant flag football coach at my school this year. It is a paid position (that I did NOT want, but 3 different people asked me to take the job… long story involving lots of work drama!). I knew I was going to be paid as a coach, but I thought the check would come in summer. I was, and still am, the head soccer coach at my school and I was paid in July last year. Anyway, unexpectedly,...
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We didn't do much for my birthday, but that's the way I like it.  I've never felt the desire to celebrate since becoming an adult, other than 21.  I just like to have a laid back night with my immediate family and that's what I got.  We had a pan of enchiladas and they had rice and instead of cake, some brownies.  Brownies don't have baking soda or baking powder, so I can control the sodium content, unlike cake.  The recipe made nine.  I had my one...
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Tomorrow is my birthday, which means an influx of money to add to my Me Savings.  I have spent the last several months, (however long it takes to get to $700 at $50 every 2 weeks), saving all of my spending money, plus $200 from Christmas, to have a grand total of $900 saved there.  I will get $200 from DH and somewhere between $100 and $200 from MIL for my birthday.  I think it is $150, but I am not sure.  So together, at least $300.  That puts me at $1200. ...
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My heart is better!  I got the results of my 6 month echocardiogram earlier this month and not only is the enlargement of the right chamber caused by Covid gone, the flow rate in the left chamber has gone from 45% to 55%, which is where it should be in a normal human heart.  So I have healed my heart.
I mean, I will have to keep up with the dietary changes, the weight loss, keeping my sodium low, and stay on the diuretics, but that has more to do with my hereditary condition...
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Overall, no idea what to expect this month.  It's going to be a weird one.
I think MH should mostly be fed on set.  Though he doesn't expect to be well fed and we presumed he would buy dinner every night at the hotel restaurant.  
In theory, I'd expect to spend less on food at home.  But we are already up to $450 spent on groceries this month.  This amount includes MM's monthly grocery allowance.  & MH did a grocery shop around the last...
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Does anyone of you know the Egyptian serial killers Raya and Sakina, whose story was known to the world? Here is a brief overview of them:
In the village of Al-Kalah in Upper Egypt, Raya and Sakina Ali Hammam were born in 1890 AD. They were sisters, and they grew up in a poor family. Their father died at a young age, leaving the family to their mother.
Raya and Sakina were beautiful girls, but they were also greedy and bold. After their father died, they had to work to earn a...
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So working at the one year contract that will be up in May. We hope to finish packing and move in March so that the closing of the old house will happen in April or May. We've also started moving some of the stuff as we go up there, things we know we won't need between now and then. 
I also ended up taking on a side hustle that I had retrained in after my layoff. This is in addition to my current contract so more money. 
This leads to me deciding to claim a postion...
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Debts
Mortgage -$112,689.16 (-$241.43)Land Loan -$8,388.33 (-$194.71)Hospital Bill -$366.41 (-$75)
Savings
Roth IRAs +$29,512 (+$237)401K +$60,591 (+$1,031)Emergency Fund +$5,216 (-$1,051)Animal Fund +$1,039 (+$4)Car Fund +$260 (+$20)HSA +$1,419 (-$321)
Overall: +$431.14
I was wrong in my previous check in about our deductible changing. Unfortunately, it still is $3,700. Oh well. January was a tough month for us. Lots of expenses and we had to pull from savings again....
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With everything, I find the more organized I am, the less stressed I am. My finances are no exception. So, I decided to make a “financial binder”. The nerdy, Type A person in me is LOVING it! In general, I am pretty organized. I’ve talked about the fact that even though we are in debt, we have never missed or been late on a bill. I’m a credit card company’s dream customer. I always pay (at least) the minimum payment and I always pay it on time.
I...
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Ahh. Deep sigh of reief. Both federal and state taxes are done.
Yes, I do them myself; every time I hire a CPA (like the year before last), mistakes are found. I prefer the control of reading IRS instructions and doing them myself. Despite my trepidations, it actually wasn't that bad. Partly because I was a W-2 employee last year so that in itself eliminated two or three separate forms. 
I usually use last year's form as a guide, but I had a few new income sources this year...
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Just a few updates to my spending log. The heater in my aquarium bit the dust (haha, no dust in an aquarium!) -- it malfunctioned, the red light flashing on and off erratically. I didn't want to take a chance of the fish being harmed, so I bought a new one. That, and an underwater thermometer, cost me $26. I bought a few groceries for $9, valentines for $11 and I spent $24 for lunch the other day. That seemed like a lot, but I brought home leftovers that will provide a few more...
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Ultralight spinning reels shine when paired with delicate rods for finesse fishing techniques. Their lightweight yet strong construction allows anglers to cast smaller lures and baits with precision. However, not all ultralight reels are created equal. Choosing the right reel for your specific fishing needs can make all the difference. This guide will explore the key factors in selecting the ideal ultralight spinning reel.

 
Check out the best ultralight spinning reel...
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A title loan allows you to borrow money by using your vehicle’s title as security. The lender places a lien on your car’s title, which means they have the right to repossess the vehicle if you fail to repay the loan.
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I need a new cell phone. My phone is an Apple 10. I am trying so hard to limp my cell phone along until we can get out of credit card debt. Some days, my phone works fine and there are no issues. Other days, it freezes for minutes at a time and no matter how many times I click on an app, nothing happens.
I don’t upgrade my phones very often. I try to use them until they die. The phone before my 10 was an iphone 4. I don’t’ want to use my (already small) emergency...
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So we have done our taxes and we owed yet again....but after last years saga we have learnt to send over where they have to sign for it and it also has tracking (in case it goes missing again)...it cost us $27 but worth it considering the headache then we will know when they have it, we sent the cheque with the taxes so hopefully once processed it will be done and dusted for the year...have also upped what they take out for taxes and they have started that this month so hopefully...
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Of course, I owe money again this year. I think my former part-time employer did not take out enough in federal taxes. Since we transitioned to the new company this year I can see that my federal taxes paid has increased. Hopefully, I won't owe as much next year.
I did move from the 22% marginal tax rate bracket to 24%.
Federal tax bill $2,941
State tax bill $694
Total owed $3,635
Thankful for the surplus I always seem to accumulate in my checking accounts. It will come in handy.
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Investments $1,448,641
Cash Savings $32,579
January 2024 Net Worth $1,481,220
December 2023 Net Worth $1,470,019
Monthly Gain/Loss $11,201
I don't include the below in my net worth.
Checking accounts $17,979
Car value $11,000
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Well, it has finally happened.  The IRA is back to where it was before the great Biden free fall of the stock market.  And it is actually above it by $263.49.  Only took what? Two years to recover?  Looks like Biden stock market year 4 is starting off well, just like year 3 ended well.  Just wish everything else was improving, like food prices and electricity and gas (for the house, not the car).  And who knows what will happen if a real world war...
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I expect it to be a bigger travel year and didn't want to exhaust the travel budget with our January 1 trip.  So I decided to use MH's paycheck to cover the Pasadena trip.  I looked at the total today and we spent about $1,300.  Most of that was for the hotel.  Hotel & food.  MH should be able to cover the $1,300 with his January paychecks. 
{Edited to add:  So okay, this is taking me forever to post.  Yes, MH's January paychecks...
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Our retirement accounts basically stayed stagnant and we didn't manage to contribute much, but we eked out a $3K increase in net worth due solely to two things: our regular mortgage payments and my getting info on two small retirement accounts that NT and AS have. So we're roughly where we were last month, but that's not terrible.
Money is tight here at the beginning of the year as projects for my new business have been slow to get started, but I'm talking to a lot of clients...
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