My Frugal Miser - September 2025 Income

September was a rock solid month.  In addition to being paid for meeting work I did in August, I was paid for two of the three meetings I worked in September.

Rental income took a hit.  My 16 year tenant for the Alabama house moved out at the end of August.  No rent, plus I spent a significant amount rehabbing the house.  My condo tenant prepaid for September.  I did receive one small distribution from Realty Mogul.  

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

Between meeting work and spending two weeks in Birmingham working on the vacant house, there was little time for Amazon routes.

September Income: $12,520

$9,091 Meeting Jobs
$0 Gig Apps (Rideshare, Food Deliveries, etc.)
$398 Amazon Deliveries

$734 Rental Income (Rental Expenses: $5,959)
$2,247 Interest Income

$51 Other Sources

Investment Accounts Change in Value: $5,601

My brokerage accounts were up in September.

My Frugal Miser - September 2025 Expenses

 It feels good to be a little more frugal!  There's still room for improvement.  Some of my spending...

• I had to have a dental implant removed.
• I took advantage of a new benefit from my Platinum AMEX by buying some pants from Lululemon.

Fun

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

• I bought each of us a Frontier Go Wild pass and paid for an Elite Gold Status Match.  We plan to take full advantage of this incredible unlimited flying offer.
• Those passes were slightly offset by sweepstakes income from Chumba.
• I pay for two AMC A-List subscriptions each month.

September Expenses:  $1,535

$121 Auto (service, gas, insurance, AAA, etc.)

$0 Bank Fees (annual fees on credit cards)
$166 Clothing/ Personal Care

$653 Fun (vacations, movies, gambling, alcohol, concert tickets)

$255 Food

$576 Health and Dental

$110 Household/Home Repairs

$7 Unreimbursed Job Expense

($946) Reimbursed Job Expense income this month

$0 Interest Expense

$65 Miscellaneous (cat sitter, gifts)

$366 Taxes

$162 Utilities 

My Frugal Miser - August 2025 Income

August income took a hit from working less.  Although I worked two small meeting jobs, I haven't been paid for them yet.  

I received rent from both rental properties in Alabama, and the tenant in the condo paid his September rent early.  I also received two small distributions from Realty Mogul.  

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

I completed several Amazon routes and drove a little for Uber.  Driving for Uber pays less now than it did ten years ago, but I had very little income coming in and wanted to give it a try again.

August Income: $7,762

$0 Meeting Jobs
$207 Gig Apps (Rideshare, Food Deliveries, etc.)
$1,645 Amazon Deliveries

$3,685 Rental Income (Rental Expenses: $366)
$2,212 Interest Income

$13 Other Sources

Investment Accounts Change in Value: $4,140

My brokerage accounts were up in August.

My Frugal Miser - August 2025 Expenses

I spent like a drunken sailor last month, because one night I was a drunken sailor.  

• I needed a dental filling.
• Since I didn't work many meetings, I drove for Amazon and Uber instead, which used up a lot of gas.  One of the meetings I worked was in Miami and I drove, which cost a decent amount for gas.  The mileage I expensed will fully cover that.  I also changed the oil.
• I paid the $85 annual fee on my Marriott credit card.  It comes with a free night each year which is worth more than $85.

Fun

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

• I paid for a cruise we are taking in November.
• I prepaid for a short trip we are taking this week to Savannah.  It's to do some real estate research but I'm categorizing everything as fun.
• I lost a lot of money one night playing blackjack on our European cruise.  It was the only day I drank too much and my lowered inhibitions cost me dearly.
• I pay for two AMC A-List subscriptions each month.

August Expenses:  $8,920

$556 Auto (service, gas, insurance, AAA, etc.)

$85 Bank Fees (annual fees on credit cards)
$39 Clothing/ Personal Care

$6,393 Fun (vacations, movies, gambling, alcohol, concert tickets)

$456 Food

$637 Health and Dental

$29 Household/Home Repairs

$0 Unreimbursed Job Expense

$169 Reimbursed Job Expense

$0 Interest Expense

$64 Miscellaneous (cat sitter, gifts)

$0 Taxes

$183 Utilities