July 2015 Plan Update

The Numbers:

Our investments are up to $62,800 and we now have $89,000 left on our mortgage. Again, we’re not upping the ante on paying that down until we finish the Alaska State Energy Rebate Program. So, that puts our grand total needed to reach early retirement at $526,200! I’m hoping to get that number down to at most $500,000 by the end of the year. This year’s PFD (estimated to be around $2000/person) should help get us there as well as our energy rebate check if we manage to get all the projects done by year’s end.

Notable Expenses this month:

  • $302.50 – Our largest notable expense this month comes from our annual dipnetting trip to catch Sockeye salmon. We gave details on the cost breakdown of this, but the bottom line is that $302.50 = 77 lbs of delicious salmon for the freezer. The cost also includes taking 19 of those pounds to be professionally smoked. We picked them up two days ago and they smell divine.
  • $6 – Dollar Shave Club – I order razors every other month for about three times and then pause my membership until I’m ready for more. The razors are cheap and fabulous. (And I’m a picky shaver. I was a Gillette Fusion snob before making the switch.)
  • $15.84 – School supplies for the girls. I will have to supplement a bit, but July always rocks with the penny and quarter sales on school supplies at big office supply stores.
  • $38.48 – Summer clothes purchased on clearance at Target. This should cover both girls for next summer. Lui has enough hand-me-downs from cousins and friends, he should already be set.

Extra income this month:

  • $1.20 – This very blog! Some kind soul purchased diapers through my Amazon affiliate link. Thank you. You are loved.
  • $19.25 – An out-of-towner paid me $25 to send him his mail in a $5.75 flat rate envelope. He told me the remainder was strictly for ice cream treats. I have more prudent plans. 🙂

Financial Phrases (I’m planning to start this new segment for things I overhear or are said during conversations I’ve had with others) – Do you resonate with any of these people I heard this month?:

  • “If I retired, what would I do? I would probably just sit on the computer all day and eat.”
  • “At 10 years, my company gave me a nice dinner at a local restaurant. At 20 years, I got $500 towards the purchase of art from a local artist. At 30 years, they gave me a new job and an extra week of vacation. I’m holding out to see what they do at 40 years.”
  • “How could you move somewhere for over a year with just two suitcases? I would miss my stuff! I like my stuff.”
  • “I need to be better about saving. In the fall, we’re going to Disneyland. After that, I’ll start saving.”

How did July treat you?

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4 Comments

  1. OMG — Those comments you heard are crazy! We’ve definitely gotten the “what will you do with all your time?!” question a number of times when we’ve told people our plans, but the rest of those comments are crazy. 🙂

    Good July progress! We had a pretty good month, and even though we’d love to buy more shares of our index funds at a discount before we retire, there’s something satisfying about the markets bouncing back, so that we see our numbers grow. 😉

    • MaggieBanks

      I’m happy with the progress. Slow and steady. October is a big month for us financially with the PFD hitting, so those will be big investment months for us and I hope we finish this energy audit program soon so we can get that money back! Then we’ll be truckin’!

  2. July was uber-unpleasant. Tons of doctors appointments for myself and (mainly) my husband. Physical therapy for his back too. And then just as we thought the month would end quietly, a brief hospitalization. Bringing another $900 in bills in the coming month or so.

    I’d say I’m glad it’s August, but we still have more PT and some doctors appointments to go.

    Can it just be September yet?

    • MaggieBanks

      That’s terrible! I hope the rest of your August shapes up! C’mon August!

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