Thursday, March 06, 2008

February 08 Recap

My net worth increased a wee bit in February, an almost negligible +0.2%. My federal tax refund was deposited, which was a big plus, but I spent a large amount on some plane tickets, which was a big minus. There were a few other odd one-time things, but otherwise my spending was more or less in line, and the stock market continued to be its ugly self.

Assets:

  • Cash and Bank Accounts total $35,689
  • Condo Equity $86,707
  • Retirement $207,128
  • E*Trade $15,771
  • Treasury Direct & Bonds $4,583

Liabilities:
  • Amex $185
  • Visa $6,293

Net worth $343,400


Expenses:

  • Housing $1,944 (this is just my maintenance charge and a prepayment of principal made in error so it's really going more towards home equity rather than being a true expense)
  • Business expense $414 (will be reimbursed)
  • Charity $230
  • Clothing -$105 (returned some stuff bought last month)
  • Dining $923 (bought Rolaids for the first time in my life. But at least they were the cheaper Duane Reade generic version.)
  • Entertainment $23
  • Gifts Given $57
  • Household $113
  • Misc $520 (includes tax prep fee)
  • Taxes, Self $2,029
  • Subscriptions $61
  • Travel $3,942 (includes Metrocard, a family visit, and part of vacation cost)
  • Gas & Electric $38
  • Telephone $78
Total Expenses $10,353

Next month will look weird due to two mortgage payments, and hopefully, another tax refund and a bonus... and let's hope the market does a little better too!

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi, longtime reader but had to ask...why do you carry a balance on both credit cards with so much money in Cash accounts? My priority would be to pay those off rather than save cash.

Madame X said...

Hi Adrienne,
I never carry a balance on my credit cards-- they are paid off in full every month, but in the middle of the billing cycle, those charges need to be shown as a liability when calculating my net worth.

Anonymous said...

Your gas/electric bill is only 38 dollars?! You're so lucky. Mine runs ~200 and it's cold when I'm not home and at night, and I have a programmable thermostat. Count your blessings.
-tasha

Madame X said...

Hi Tasha,
THe expense category is called "gas & electric" but I think actually this month it only includes electric, as my gas bill only comes every other month. But in general my utility bills are pretty low, as I also have a programmable thermostat and don't use a lot of electrical appliances.

Anonymous said...

high dining expense --> rolaids
LOL

Mike said...

you should move to an accrual basis of accounting for tracking net worth -- at least for the monthly expenses like mortgage, utilities, cellphone. that way your updates are comparing apples to apples each month.