Checkup – January 2019

New year, same old story. We continue to just about break even, slightly on the side of red. On the plus side, job prospects are looking excellent, and the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel draws closer.

Budget/Cash Flow

Not much standout this month. Other than the $440 for a few nights at Caesar’s Palace for work, this probably represents our average monthly budget. I think I’ve mentioned this before, but one thing that keeping track of our expenses has really made me aware of is just how difficult it must be for folks making even the median income to save much money at all. We’re bringing in about $7,000 (pre-tax) per year more than the average US household, and we’re still fairly paycheck-to-paycheck. Yes we could thin out the food budget, get cheaper phones, downsize the apartment further, but on the whole this is probably a pretty typical spending pattern.

Honestly, it would probably take my wife going back to work (outside of the house) and leaning on family for childcare to make this sustainable in the long term. Which is what lots and lots of families are doing. Food for thought.

Net Worth


How Far I’ve Come

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