August 2018 Plan Update

August 2018 Plan Update

So I’m a few days behind, but I’ve gotten really good at living life these days, which is something I’m proud of. I’m currently balancing my part-time job and building our t-shirt business. Over the next few months, we’ll see how all that plays out. It will be an interesting ride when the buyers start coming!

August was an amazing month in the Banks house. It began with my sister’s family visiting from Texas and we were able to show them Alaska, which is one of my favorite things to do. We did all the usual Alaska things we enjoy: saw humpback whales from a boat, hiked on a glacier, went on a bike ride, and ate lots of yummy food (including several forms of salmon). And the month ended with the kids back in school and all of us figuring out schedules again, which is another form of joy. It’s been a fabulous summer, but it’s also always nice to get back into a routine.

The Numbers:

Want to know how easy it is for us to write these every month? I literally just log into my Personal Capital and revel in all the numbers being in one place. Do you like checking numbers? Do you like graphics? Do you like playing with calculators like retirement calculators and how much your fees are costing you? Then, you should obviously use my affiliate link to Sign up here to help yours truly speed toward financial independence! (Also feel free to read my more in-depth review of Personal Capital.)

Our mortgage is now at $18,400. Not much to add here this month. Just LOVE watching it drop. Can’t wait to celebrate getting it below $10,000!

Investments are now at $224,870. It’s been an amazing market run. It’s actually making me a bit nervous how high things have gotten. But I’m also loving how close we are to a quarter of a million dollars (and halfway to our original goal of $500k by 2022!)

2018 Financial Goals Update:

  • KILL THE MORTGAGE – $18,400! Oh my goodness. So excited about it dropping and dropping! The PFD is coming at the beginning of October, so by November, this should be almost half of what it is now!
  • Merch Challenge Update (paying for our 27-night Europe trip and our extra mortgage payments with t-shirt sales) –  -$1,924.92 – Earned: $15,187.94, Spent: $17,112.86 (with “earned” meaning the money we’ve made from selling shirts on Amazon and “spent” meaning all of the costs for the trip as well as any extra payments toward our mortgage) – Remember how I said June was our most depressing month of sales? Ha! July and August are worse. But, fingers crossed for September to be better. And a Merch Challenge Q3 Update is coming in a month! So get excited for detailed numbers!
  • Max out Mr. T’s 401k – Automatic – however, limits rose to $18,500/year which makes it messy if you get 24 paychecks a year. We’ll probably make a contribution toward the end of the year to top it off.
  • Stretch Goal: Put $5500 into My Roth IRA – Not yet.
  • Market-Based Goal: $250,000 in investments by the end of 2018 – Not yet.

Notable Expenses This Month: The Story Our Money Tells:

These are expenses that tell an interesting story. A peek into our lives through our pocketbook:

  • $120 – Breakfast for all of 10 of us with my sister’s family here.
  • $70 – The cost to hike the glacier with my family.
  • $10.08 – Frozen Yogurt to celebrate the first day of school.
  • $499 – The ticket for me to go to a t-shirt-selling conference in September! I’m very excited (but sad I’ll be missing FinCon this year).
  • $29.85 – 3 National Park Passports for my kids. Getting ready for the fall road trip!
  • $85 – My family admission to the the wildlife conservation center. We got to see the cute little baby bear climb a tree! (And got to see some idiot try to pet the bear through the fence. This is when I tell my kids: “Adults can be idiots too. Don’t be an idiot.”)

Financial Phrases:

These are things said by actual people that were either talking to me or near me enough that I could hear them:

  • “All of my money from my new job is going toward our mortgage!”
  • “Employees who are just trying to pay their mortgage put their heads down and don’t cause waves.”

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July 2018 Plan Update

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September 2018 Plan Update

3 Comments

  1. Hi Maggie!!

    You’ve been doing amazing things with your finances and enjoying tons of fun experiences with your family. I’m so so so happy for you ?

    And wow, I really need to get started with selling t-shirts on Amazon!!!

  2. I hate that the idiot trying to pet the bear and the *deep sigh* person working to pay the mortgage could both be me. I can’t say with any certainty that my intelligence will assert itself in the presence of a baby bear when there’s an Elmira just below the surface.

    Thanks for continuing to share and support even while you’re juggling ALL OF THE THINGS.

  3. Love the updates, Maggie. But I love the “financial phrases” more. Usually, they’re depressing. But these were quite encouraging. It’s nice to see that the occasional stranger has his or her eyes on the financial prize. Best of luck on the Merch challenge. I eagerly await the results. Cheers.

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