Monthly Net Worth Statement

What a bad month for my wallet! I don’t pay any premiums for my health insurance, so I shouldn’t complain, but it chafes paying for a $1500 deductible out of pocket all at once. Then the device I need to wear cost me $850. Welcome to the suck. I’ll be OK. The treadmill I bought finally got delivered, so I’m using it at least twice a week. I’m trying to eat better, so the cost of organic and healthier groceries has more than doubled my food spending. So much for cutting expenses. Did I mention how bad beet juice smoothies taste?

My Zillow home value has fallen yet again. Down almost 2.5% since last month. The good thing is that my neighbor has his house up for sale at $239,000, so if it goes at that price, mine should hopefully be buoyed by that. I did have to repair some things in the house — clothes dryer, air conditioner maintenance, and drywall damage. Money in, money out.

My renters paid me in cash. Good news – they paid me. Bad news – I didn’t deposit it. Instead I put it on my desk thinking I’d use some of it as my pocket money for the month. Since I didn’t keep tabs on what I used the cash for, by the end of the month I was trying to find out where it all went. I don’t think it was stolen by the lawn gnome, so it must have been me. My PO Box rental expired, but since I only check it once a month, I didn’t get notified because they just cleared the contents and taped it over. Thanks US Postal Service. They charged me a lock change fee even though they didn’t really change the locks. I’ll let them have the $30. I was late a month and they didn’t rent it to anyone else, so I’ll rationalize it as my late fee. They need the money anyway.

Oh a few weeks ago, I turned on my car and smoke and an electrical smell came from behind the dashboard. I thought I was a target of a mob hit, but it turned out to be a short-circuiting stereo. The dealer wanted $1000 for parts and labor, so I told them to nicely get lost. I ordered a the cheapest stereo withan iPod input and front speakers from Cructhfield. I installed it over the weekend, but had to go to Sears Hardware twice to pick up stuff they didn’t include, like electrical tape and crimp covers. I saved $700 by doing it myself, so I guess that’s a good thing minus a couple of hours of grief. So add up the medical expenses, cost of the treadmill, stereo and home repairs, increased food spending, and I get more credit card debt than I started the year off with. Yay! One bright spot for May is my 401(k). I received my employer match contribution for the quarter. Luckily, most of the expenses in May were one time items (let’s hope). Back to the grind.