May Expenses – $1103.48

Here is a breakdown of my expenses for May.

Household$16.34
Mortgage$355
Entertainment$101.60
Transportation$151.45
Food$154.3
Phone$26.67
Health$39.92
Travel$258.2
Total$1103.48

My May expenses were lower than my April Expenses. I didn’t quite hit my stretch goal of keeping my expenses under $1000 for the month.

Entertainment expense was for a one month digital subscription to the New York Times, a couple meals out with friends, seeing a movie with popcorn and soda, and a new tent for backpacking. I returned the tent I bought last month since I was skeptical of its quality. I took the refund as an Amazon credit and bought the new tent elsewhere so the refund didn’t reduce the cost of the new tent.

The mortgage payment was my regular mortgage payment.

Transportation was $106.45 for gasoline and $45 to get my car unlocked when I locked my keys in the car while out of town. .

My food expense remained high. It was at least a little lower than the previous month. Even at what I consider a high level it is still fairly reasonable. I plan to spend less on food this month.

My phone bill should be about this much every month.

Household expense was for flip flops, ant poison, and a haircut.

Health expense was for my monthly gym dues.

Travel expense was for a one way flight from SGF to ALB that will get me back to the Appalachian Trail to hike later this month. .

I think I can get my expenses back down to close to the $1000 level this month. It will depend on how much I spend while hiking and whether any unexpected expenses pop up.

How was your month?

April Income – $2740.35

Here is a breakdown of my income for April.

Interest$16.39
Amazon FBA$25.51
Class Action$2.50
Job$2527.77
Cashback$65.15
Capital Loss($7.39)
Online Income$0
Dividends$41.08
Ebay/Other Selling$69.34
Total$2740.35

April was a decent income month. My income was almost double my expenses which is pretty good.

I made $2527.77 from my doc review job. That was for about three weeks of work. I’ll hardly have any job income this month.

My Amazon FBA side hustle made a tiny bit of money.

Dividend income came in at $41.08. That is my highest ever monthly amount of dividends. I’ve been buying more dividend stocks and I should have some months with over $50 in dividend income later this year. If you sign up using my Robinhood referral link we will both get one share of free stock. Thanks to anyone who signs up using my link. Every little bit helps.

I had a capital loss of $7.39 from selling some stock. I almost never remember to report my capital gains or losses here. I’ll try to report them more consistently from now on. This is only for my taxable brokerage accounts and not my retirement accounts.

I made $69.34 selling stuff on eBay and elsewhere.

I also received $65.15 in cash back income.

Lastly, I received $16.39 in interest and $2.50 from a random class action.

This month’s income will be down again since my job has ended and I’ll be traveling and not actively making money. How was your month?

April Expenses – $1380.13

Here is a breakdown of my expenses for April.

Household$12.33
Charity/Gifts$105.40
Mortgage$355
Entertainment$82
Transportation$138.85
Food$174.49
Phone$27.5
Health$48.70
Travel$434.86
Total$1380.13

My April expenses were higher than usual, but still not too bad

Entertainment expense was for a one month digital subscription to the New York Times and a new tent for backpacking. Both of the fiberglass poles on my old tent need to be replaced and I decided to go ahead and upgrade to a new tent.

The mortgage payment was my regular mortgage payment.

Transportation was $54.61 for gasoline and $84.24 for two years of car registration, a car inspection and new wiper blades.

My food expense was rather high since I ate out almost every day and didn’t worry about how much I was spending.

My phone bill should remain about this amount now. The last $4 payment on my phone was made last month so the bill will be a little lower, until I decide to buy another phone through their payment plan.

Household expense was for deodorant, laundry, and a baseball cap. Charity and gifts was for a $100 donation and a small gift.

Health expense was for 90 day blood pressure medication refills and gym dues.

Travel expense was for two checked luggage fees, the taxes on an award flight., two nights in a hotel, the annual fee on a hotel credit card, a long Uber ride, and a $110 shuttle from near the trail to an airport almost an hour away.

This month I will be traveling again, but I think I can get my expenses back down to close to the $1000 level.

How was your month?

File Taxes Online for Free with IRS Free File

I really thought I had previously posted about this, but it appears I haven’t. It is a little late to be posting this year since most people have probably already filed their taxes. I’m going ahead and posting this so I can update it and post a reminder post each year.

Through the IRS Free File program, leading tax software providers make their online products available for free. IRS Free File online products are available to any taxpayer or family who earned $72,000 or less in 2020.  That covers about 70% of the population.

I used the Free File service this year to file my taxes and family member’s taxes. Using the IRS Free File Online look up tool I was easily able to find programs allowing me to file both my federal and state taxes for free. Once you have accessed the software provider through the Free File link, you use the software the same way a paying customer would use it.

Here’s a step-by-step overview of how to find the right Free File product:

  1. Go to IRS.gov/freefile.
  2. Use the “Free File Online Look up” tool for help in finding the right product, or
  3. Review each offer by a provider by using the ‘Browse All Offers’ tool.
  4. Select a product.
  5. Follow links to the provider’s website to begin.

For most people there is no reason to pay to file your taxes.

March Income – $6323.65

Here is a breakdown of my income for March.

Interest$5.66
Amazon FBA($0.52)
Amazon Merch$9.71
Job$3683.09
Cashback$23.43
Brokerage Bonuses$100
Other Bonuses$100
Online Income$230.54
Dividends$31
Ebay/Other Selling$740.74
Stimulus$1400
Total$6323.65

March was a great income month. It was probably one of my best ever.

I received $1400 from the economic stimulus payment.

I made $9.71 from Amazon Merch.

I made $3683.09 from my doc review job for a full month of work. I did work over 40 hours every week which helped the income total. I don’t get overtime pay or the total would be even higher.

My Amazon FBA side hustle lost a tiny bit of money.

I made $200 from a couple of brokerage bonuses and a couple of Swagbucks offers.

Dividend income came in at $31. I believe that is my highest ever monthly amount of dividends. If you sign up using my Robinhood referral link we will both get one share of free stock. Thanks to anyone who signs up using my link. Every little bit helps.

I made $740.74 selling stuff.

I also received $23.43 in cash back income.

Lastly, I received $5.66 in interest and $230.54 in online income.

This month’s income will be down significantly since my job is ending and I’ll be traveling and not actively making money. How was your month?