By: Revanche

Money & Life Report: September 2024

October 2, 2024

On Money

Income

Our primary income comes from our full time jobs. We have some income from investing in index funds and dividend stocks (that is all reinvested). We earn money on the side to supplement our main incomes. We get a bit of income from cash back sites (Rakuten, Mr.Rebates) and affiliate links to Bookshop and Amazon sometimes pay a micro-commission to keep the blog running. The sidebar has ways to support the blog and our charitable giving.

Our long term goal is to replace our day job income with passive income before my health prevents me from working. I know from my Mom’s experience that qualifying for or relying on disability is incredibly tough or near impossible here in CA. Aside from that, I aim to do my best to make the most of what we can do while we can.

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Dividend income. We received $519.25 in dividends from the stocks portfolio. That all goes to buying more index funds.

Spending

We splurged on my birthday meal ($$$). Just a simple family meal (outdoors, masked anytime we weren’t eating) with a little walkabout adventure. That’s all I would have been up for if I had planned it but I didn’t so it’s a good thing PiC planned it for me.

*****

I’ve been hunting for comfortable cargo pants that fit because I’m feeling like a sharpei stuffed into a dachshund’s jeans and I hate it. I have found two possibilities: one overpriced and one very on sale. They average out to an ok price if they both fit well ($$$).

*****

I have finally figured out a relatively easy way to get Alaska miles activity. I’d started hoarding miles a few years ago in hopes of going on a big trip, pre-COVID but I gave up a couple years ago. Now, our miles are expiring in a couple months and I had absolutely no ideas on keeping them alive. I had to spent a few rewards dollars at Office Depot anyway, so MILEAGE PLAN SHOPPING. That took me way too long to think of, and then way too long again to land on any single office supply that I don’t already have too much of and that is available for in-store pickup. I bought a mouse for JB to use when they have to do schoolwork on the computer. (Next I need to get them a computer since I took over the household computer.) That’s one account. Now I have to figure out what second purchase to make to refresh the other account in the next couple of weeks to get this off my GIGANTIC to do list. Update: Figured it out! Just waiting for the miles to post now.

*****

We’re fabricating a Halloween costume for JB (unenthusiastic face). They want to be a character that I haven’t found a reasonably priced, reasonable quality kid sized option for. Usually I won’t spend much on costumes, on principle (you’re only going to wear this once! Maybe twice!) and usually I don’t have to because sales are good enough that I might pay $20-25 for one costume. We were able to hand down two of four of JB’s costumes, Smol Acrobat loved the giraffe and now wants to be the Batman, so we’re spending $0 on them. But this year we’re having to spend time and money on making one. I’m not good at making things, making things stresses me out. I will try. Also, guess what? Making things is more expensive than buying them! I’m not specifically trying to make this as cheap as possible but I’m not trying to spend full price if I don’t have to. We have some rewards vouchers for Michael’s that came in handy and the $25 gift card Smol Acrobat accidentally won for us at the raffle last year also came in handy.

Body of costume: $15, $4.50, $8.
Michael’s supplies: $12.14 (coupon + voucher + gift card), $2.99 (voucher), $5 (coupon + GC)
Total: $47.60

Non-monetary cost: a broken needle and so much WTAF??? at the weird noises and weird seams the sewing machine was making. I have no idea how to fix it. That’s going to be a project for another day.

Not (less) spending

Comcast denied me service credits for two days of outages, the second one last month and the one this month, so I went to chat to complain that this wasn’t ok. They ended up taking $15 off my bill instead of $5 each. Every bit counts. Update: They denied me a third time this month after the fourth outage in 3 months, so back I went to the CSR Chat and asked for an explanation. That netted a follow-up $20 credit for the next bill.

Once in a while, a store (not sure that I’m allowed to publicly say) lets us pick a product to test for free, as long as you leave a review, which is pretty neat. If it’s something that the kids can use, then they do, but if it’s in excess of what they need then we review it honestly and donate it. We just had a really nice warm puffer jacket come through. JB didn’t fall in love with it, though, they prefer their current jacket, so we’re sending it in the giant donation box to the reservation. A kid about their size will be able to stay warm this fall/winter.

Giving

We have worked really hard and been very fortunate that our hard work paid off in significant ways that I only dreamt of when I first started this blog. Though we have not reached our FI number where I can feel like all income is gravy, we’ve always felt it was important to lend a helping hand. Many people say they’ll give back later, when they’re financially set. I say that if we don’t practice and prioritize giving now, we won’t give later either.

We donate to organizations that help people and animals in need and do direct aid.

The Lakota Giving Project is year-round now and we always welcome donations to support Lakota families. See how you can help at the link.

We raised $360 this month between new contributions from Bluesky users and our regular contributors, I was trying to put together a bigger pot so we could more thoroughly help someone off the list. But the month completely WHOMPED me so the first thing I did this month was also the only thing I managed this month. It was more labor intensive than costly. I packed the biggest box I can find (it fits BOTH my kids in there. Out you go!) with a well loved pak ‘n’ play that has plenty more good miles in it. Families on the reservation don’t have much space, they squeeze a lot of people into small trailers, so they often request pak’n’plays for expected or adopted babies. This one has kept 4 babies safe, it can keep many more babies safe! Then I added the new kids’ shoes, hand me down kids’ clothes and jackets, and adult clothes (all vetted to make sure they’re in good condition). This box is about 2/3 full and I don’t think I can put anymore in because it might go over the weight limit (70lbs). All of this will ship for a mere $30! Really great value for all the stuff we can fit into enormous boxes.

We commissioned a piece of art as a gift for a relative from a talented disabled artist whose GFM we have been supporting (and he still needs help) since last year. Sadly his partner has passed but he still needs to survive and that’s harder when he also has to pay for care. He had offered his art at a 50% discount to those of us who’ve been supporting the GFM but I negotiated him up to a 10% discount. It’s pricey but I don’t think it makes sense to save my money at the expense of an individual’s survival.

Saving and investing

The 401K is growing steadily while we keep our belts tightened. I keep waffling on whether it makes sense to change the investing strategy next year in case I find myself jobless halfway through the year, or if I should take it on faith that I will make it to the end of 2025 with the same job (through sheer willpower some days).

Net worth

On Life

Actual life.

September is a big month. I get officially older, not just existentially, and I share the birth month with several people I care about. It’s also a grief anniversary, and a work anniversary, and the shift of seasons.

I also marked a solid two months of working out a little bit every other day. Now that school’s back in session, I’m also walking daily again. I’ve been a bit of a lump since Sera died and dog walks stopped dominating my schedule. It’s also the fall season I like and dread: I like the little harvest things (pumpkin patches, the kids love Halloween and sometimes I steal some of their candy, the cozy idea of sweaters and cider as if I don’t live in sweats year round) but really dislike that feeling of being overcommited and overwhelmed with social stuff for the rest of the year.

Books.

This is how you lose the time war, Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone. I wanted to like this book but it was too much heavy lifting for my brain. It’s not the book, it’s me. What I did read was beautiful prose, whimsical and creative, I am sure a less toasted brain would really appreciate this book. But after long 14-16 hour days, I just need soft easy comfort reading.

I just finished the ARC of Emi Watanabe Cohen’s Golemcrafters, a middle grade book from NetGalley: Emi Watanabe Cohen’s middle grade fantasy follows two siblings on a magical adventure of emotional discovery full of Jewish and Japanese lore. It was such a good story and also so painful in a deep profound way. I was expecting an actual battle but this was much deeper.

:: How was your month?

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