Making Progress Towards My Goals - June and July 2024 Update

I forgot to post my June update, so I'll combine two months.  I am doing well with my 2024 goals.

Financial

My goal this year is to invest 40% of my gross income from meeting work - 30% to index funds and 10% to something more aggressive.  In June/July I met this goal.

In June, I earned $8,400 from meeting work.   I fully funded my June goal in May, so in June I funded my July goal.  That was easy because July is a very light month for meeting work.  In July, I earned $3,875 from meeting work. I transferred $500 to the brokerage account where I make more aggressive investments and $1,350 to my other brokerage account.

I purchased a mix of CDs and an index fund for the 30%.  For the "more aggressive" investment, I bought shares of Walgreens.

In addition to these investments, I made a $2,000 contribution to my ROTH IRA in June.  I have fully funded my 2024 IRA contributions!

*This will not match what I report in my income blog as payments aren't always received in the month the work was performed.

Health

In early June I had severe pain in my left foot.  I didn't exercise as much because I was focused on letting it heal.  I did better after about a week and returned to my regular exercise routine.  I also have scheduled an appointment with a podiatrist in a couple of weeks.

Simplify

I am close to deciding to close my Platinum AMEX card.  The annual fee won't be due until November so I have time.  Although the $695 annual fee comes with many benefits, I've increasingly been annoyed by the amount of effort involved in taking advantage of those benefits.  I did some research and will first ask AMEX for a retention offer.  This usually comes in the form of points if you keep your card open and spend a certain amount of money.  If my request is denied, I will probably close the account.

Have Fun, on a Budget

We're took a vacation in July.  I used miles for our flights and points for the hotels.  I prepaid for a rental car to visit my mom.  It was much needed and fairly frugal.  I downloaded the app All Trails as a big part of our trip was hiking.

My Frugal Miser - July 2024 Income

I'm impressed by my July income as I had forecast a bad month.  The salvation came from two weeks of work I did in June that I was paid for in July.  I did pick up $700 worth of meeting work I wasn't expecting and worked quite a few Amazon routes. I received rental income from both Alabama properties as well as one distribution from Realty Mogul and a small monthly distribution from Open Door Capital.  

July Income: $11,878

$5,250 Meeting Jobs
$0 Gig Apps (Rideshare, Food Deliveries, etc.)
$1,039 Amazon Deliveries

$3,087 Rental Income (Rental Expenses: $310)
$2,503 Interest Income

$0 Other Sources

Investment Accounts Change in Value:  ($419)

My investments were slightly down, making this the second consecutive monthly decline this year.

My Frugal Miser - July 2024 Expenses

 I spent too much in July on food.  Most of the other large expenses were unavoidable.  August will probably be another expensive month as the dishwasher needs to be replaced and I have a couple of doctor appointments.

• I replaced the brake pads, rotors and calipers on the car.  Gas was also higher than normal because I did several Amazon delivery routes.
• We were gluttons in the food category.  About half the spending was for restaurants - we had a couple of really nice meals while on vacation.  The balance was for groceries.
• I redeemed miles to rebate the $250 annual fee for the United Quest Card, which I had paid in June.

Fun

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

• I spent $152 on U Relax, an alcohol alternative.
• Most of the spending on Fun was for our Asheville trip - Airport parking ($84), a winery tour, etc.

July Expenses:  $3,071

$888 Auto (service, gas, insurance, AAA, etc.)

($198) Bank Fees (annual fees on credit cards) income this month
$80 Clothing/ Personal Care

$622 Fun (vacations, movies, gambling, alcohol, concert tickets)

$1,001 Food

$206 Health and Dental

$331 Household/Home Repairs

$0 Unreimbursed Job Expense

($47) Reimbursed Job Expense income this month

$0 Interest Expense

$0 Miscellaneous (cat sitter, gifts)

$15 Taxes

$174 Utilities