When it rains, occasionally it pours. Nope; it doesn’t always pour when it rains. But sometimes it does. And April was one of those times. Luckily, April showers bring May flowers, right? Okay, enough of the sayings because I’m beginning to confuse myself. Let’s start over…
April was a tough month financially. I moved into a new place, mostly in an effort to get a yard for my dog since I was previously in an apartment. Maybe I should add these expenses to the costs of raising a puppy. However, I’d be lying if I said that was the only reason. We also now have a washer & dryer (which we paid for) and a lovely patio (which we had to buy furniture for). The costs of buying new items for our apartment, as well as the double-rent we paid for half of the month, hit my finances a bit and caused me to make no progress in my balance sheet for the month of April. I also wasn’t able to keep up my savings pace in all areas. But I’m not worried at all. I knew the expenses were coming and I was prepared. Not a big deal. I’ll bounce back in May.
One positive thing that did happen is that I was finally able to open a Roth 401(k) at work. This essentially allows me to bypass the deposit limits of my normal Roth IRA account. I am contributing $250 per paycheck to this account. With my increased contribution and the $100 additional withholding I have signed myself up for, my cash flow from my job has definitely taken a hit. I’m going to need to make sure my side business keeps contributing to my bottom line.
Blog Related
I didn’t quite make my goal of five posts this month, but I made a couple of posts I’d been wanting to. I finally posted a Warby Parker review update and also a Plastic Jungle review based on my experience buying and selling. More interestingly, I posted a quick article on the S&P 500 breaking even, which surprised me. Lastly, I published my list of the best used cars under $8,000 as a follow-up to my popular list of the best used cars under $10,000. Hopefully there’s a little something in there for everyone.
Personal
With the move and work I didn’t spend the time necessary to continue to lose weight. I gained two pounds. Losing weight takes dedication, and I wasn’t dedicated during the month.
