Friday, February 13, 2015

January 2015 Income and Expenses


Here is the summary of my income and expenses for January 2015.

Day job (take home pay) --- $11,896.95
Dividends/interest --- $786.40

Total net income --- $12,683.35

Expenses --- $6757.12  (ouch!!!)

Savings --- $5926.23   Rate --- 46.72%


January usually is one of the slowest months at work, but we increased sales by 7% and net profit by over 20%. So while my income was lower than most months, it was higher than last January. Dividend income was good and continues to move in my favorite direction up.

At first glance my expenses were way out of whack! I hate explaining away certain outlier expenses because there are always seemingly special circumstances each and every month. With that said, included in my expenses are my property taxes for the entire year, my auto insurance paid through June, and finally $500 I paid back to my savings account for a fence I had installed last summer.

Removing these three irregular yet necessary payments would lower my January total down to $3554.12. Obviously these expenses are real and therefore I listed them above, but the next several months should be (hopefully) more normal. Oh, except during April when I have to pay income taxes....see what I mean, there are always expenses that can be explained away but are real nonetheless. One more thing, our Christmas expenses (presents, dinners, etc) charged in December were paid on Jaunuary's credit card statemtent and is also included in the above expense total.

Also, when calculating my take home pay, it is net of my health insurance, HSA, and my 401k contributions. I could probably filter all these different deductions, but I'm not going to hassle with it as I like to keep things relatively simple.

My wife also works and has her own checking and savings accounts (so she claims). She has a pretty good and simple strategy for keeping her expenses down. She simple lets me pay for all the household, food, car, medical, animal, insurance, and other life expenses we incur. :-) Like I mentioned her plan is pretty solid and seems to work well for her.

So I don't appear totally p*ssy whipped subservient, when we were younger and had income amounts closer together we would pool our incomes and share expenses. However as my income increased over time, this was not a strategy that we could or should continue as it would not be fair to her. Plus I don't like sleeping on the couch.

Anyway since our house and cars are paid off, our (my) expenses right now should stay around $3,200 a month. In time I hope to drop these expenses to around $2500.

It is amazing how many job related expenses occur each month. Between work lunches, dress clothes and shoes, frequent hair cuts, dry cleaning, gas, and auto maintenence I know that I could eliminate around $300.00 a month at least.

In addition to these work related expenses, it seems like there is always a cause (employees fundraising for kids, random solicitors, high school coupon book, food drives, etc.) that sucks $20-$50 a month from me. I have to admit I usually fall prey to these types of things. Last month I think I contributed $50 to a fundraiser for the local animal shelter. While these are worthwhile donations that I don't mind helping out with, it is unlikely that I would spend money on these things outside my workplace....or at least less frequently.

Anyway, my plan is to continue posting these results in a general, non itemized form each month and hopefully this will increase my focus on making improvements in both income and expenses. I had no idea that I spent this much money last month until I went down my bank statement just before making this post. It certainly is an eye-opening experience.


30 comments:

  1. Tracking your expenses can certainly be an eye-opening experience. Additionally, you've hit on one of the biggest misconceptions out there, that every month their seems to be something irregular. Just the nature of life, be it a home, car, or other expense that 'magically' pops up. Important to note is the items where money is getting spent above and beyond what you view as necessary or that will impede the monthly progress of obtaining FI.

    Based on your income, you'll be able to put away a healthy chunk of change, even after you replenish your savings accounts. Thanks for sharing your financial picture!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. W2R,

      It is amazing how many unexpected expenses can pop up throughout the year. Whether medical emergencies, home/car repairs, or other family obligations. I think this is why both an emergency fund and a 6 month expense fund should be created.

      MDP

      Delete
  2. Even with your high expenses in January you were able to put away over 45% of money for investment purposes. That's pretty awesome. Once your income goes higher in other months and your expenses drops, your savings rate will be even higher. Very awesome that your income level is so high which gives you a lot of cushions for saving. Thanks for sharing... I think this was the first time that you shared with us your monthly income and expenses breakdown if I'm not mistaken.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tawcan,

      Anything over 50% I think is good. It may not be 50 every month but as long as the average stays in that range or higher, I'll be happy. You are correct I usually just post dividend and stock purchase info each month. One of my goals is to better track spending and income. I think this will help me refocus on lowering expenses to a FI friendly level.

      MDP

      Delete
  3. Damn you got one well payed job I tell you that! And can you keep your expenses around $3200 you will have an awesome savingsrate for 2015! Keep up the good work man, inspiring to read your blog! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aktienovisen,

      Things are good....right now. I live in Houston so I'm riding a pretty good boom cycle wave. As we know waves can eventually crash. This is why I am trying to tighten up my expenses. My goal is to get below $2500.

      MDP

      Delete
  4. That's a great month by any standards. Even with these one time expenses, your savings is close to 50%. Remaining months should be even better. All the very best.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. DGJ,

      I'm certainly hoping for over 50% and maybe 60%. Life throw curve balls all the time so we'll se how it goes.

      MDP

      Delete
  5. MDP,

    Man, that's more income in a month than I make in a quarter! :)

    Sounds like you'll be able to bring the expenses down, which will allow your savings rate to increase quite a bit. With income like that, it should be pretty easy to attain a 70% or so savings rate, even if you continue to spend a lot.

    Best regards!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. DM,

      It may be more income than you make in a quarter, but I promise you are less stressed, more independent state than I am. That is ok, because I plan on booking my reservations to join you real soon. :-)

      MDP

      Delete
  6. Keep up the great work MDP. Keep making that paper. It's great. I love making money. Cheers to us. For them dividends!!
    Much love. Tyler.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hustler,

      Thanks buddy, you are killing it also. I'm going to make as much as possible for as long as possible. In the mean time if I can get expenses down that is all the better.

      MDP

      Delete
  7. Hi MDP,

    First of all thanks for sharing this information with us. Taking the initial step to publicly divulge the ins and outs of your finances isn't easy.

    I think any saving rate above 50% is generally good going, and you're very close to that with an expense month. You said your wage was lower than normal..... WTF! I'm not sure what 'normal' is for you, but it would take me months to earn what you earn in your lower months. If you take into account your big spends and lower wage you should be comfortably above 50%. I checked your goals for 2015 and you don't have a rate on there. Do you have a number in mind you'd like to keep it around or too? Or is it too early to tell at the moment?

    The biggest tip I could give to anyone looking to improve their finances is counting all money going in and all money going out for at least a year. It's only when you measure something that you can manage it. Like you said you had no idea how much you'd spent until you added it up at the end of the month. After writing up my expenses, I started doing it each day or each time I spent something so I knew how it was going at any time in the month.

    I have no doubt you'll see see increased income and lower expenses from this practice!

    All the best with it.
    Huw

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Huw,

      Income is very high right now, but as I mentioned in a comment above, Houston has been in riding the wave of an energy boom supercycle. A year from now I could be make half of what I am currently making. The saying "Make hay while the sun is shining" is something I have been following for quite a few years now. I expect to save over 60% for the year, but anything over 50% is great. I can't wait to see how the year plays out.

      MDP

      Delete
  8. Very nice take home pay MDP....definitely helps make the compounding go much quicker! I know you say your expenses are high but it is somewhat relative and you are still saving almost 50% of your pay is what most of us strive for. :) Keep up the great work. Wishing you continued success! AFFJ

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AFFJ,

      Yeah expenses were high for January, but I had a lot of one time expenses. I don't know if I will ever get much below $3500 while in the rat race. I do think I will be much more focused on expense reduction once I reach FI as I will have less daily distractions.

      MDP

      Delete
  9. MDP,

    Funny my wife has a similar strategy. I hear you on the office stuff, I bring my lunch a whole lot more now and save a ton that way. I'm glad my office is small and I don't too many distractions. For instance I already am on the hook for 4 boxes of Girl Scout cookies for my one niece. And its a good thing only 1/6 is in GS, otherwise I'd have 24 boxes on the way.

    Have a good weekend,
    Gremlin

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. DG,

      I think a lot of wives have a similar strategy. :-) That's ok it's just part of life in my opinion. The Girl Scout cookies always get me as well. I was a Boy Scout as a kid and am a sucker for buying those peanut butter cookies. I have 10 boxes or so in my hamper. It's a great cause and those kids certainly work hard for the donations.

      MDP

      Delete
  10. I always pay for insurance for the year in full as well. Overall your expenses are not bad considering. i dont think u have to cut too much especially with your high savings rate. You are living well within your means which is a feat you should be proud of. Your income is bananas. Keep grinding away buddy.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AG,

      The bananas require a lot of tree climbing. You are right about the expenses. I used to obsess over them quite a bit and still do to a certain degree. I try to just focus on keeping them relatively in line now and not worry about the occasional splurge.

      MDP

      Delete
  11. MDP,

    Killer income and savings, regardless, that's impressive as heck. I know - the irregular payments definitely bite back at some point, but hopefully you can control what you can. Nice job and an almost 50% savings rate is sweet. February will be better (shorter month too haha).

    -Lanny

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lanny,

      February will be much better, but I do have a few outliers this month as well. We'll see how the second half of the month turns out. Keep up the great work yourself. I know you are piling up the hours at work right now. Hang in there!

      MDP

      Delete
  12. Tremendous month, regardless... You still managed to save more this month than most people make! ;)

    Thanks for the inspiration... I'm trying to slowly but surely rebuild a passive income dividend portfolio and using your blog as a guide.

    Cheers!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. FI Fighter,

      Thanks for the kind words. Your blog is very helpful to me as well. Good luck building your passive income stream. It looks pretty damn awesome already!

      MDP

      Delete
  13. Congrats on a great month! You make great income at your day job, and I'm equally impressed with your dividend income! Great job!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Felix Money,

      Thanks for stopping by! I have been fortunate over the last 3 or 4 years, but it took many years before that getting myself in position to harvest. I plan on grinding it out a few more years and then we'll see what happens.

      MDP

      Delete
  14. Thanks for sharing your income and expenses with us for the month. I bet you are itching to edge that savings rate a little higher but as we all know "things" always seem to come up when you least expect them and greater expenses are usually the result. Still, a great update with very healthy dividend income.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. DivHut,

      I certainly would like a higher savings rate, however I did pay my house taxes and six months worth of auto insurance in January. February's expenses will be a bit high as well. I think 50% will be achievable this month and 65% in March.

      MDP

      Delete
  15. Still a very solid month.

    I just started publishing a financial report on my blog as well. January was the first month and it was eye opening for sure. I firmly believe that you can't optimize what you don't measure.

    Also I think publishing it publicly adds accountability and motivation. I know since I published my report I have been way more conscious of my spending.

    Also really looking forward to see my net worth go up now that I am tracking it.

    Can't wait to see more of these. This is one thing I love about many in the PF blogosphere is the level of transparency. I think it helps the readers add context around what were are all doing and aiming for.

    Cheers!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. GYFG,

      The accountability factor is huge. I am already try to see how I might squeeze a few extra percentage points for February. Your net worth should start sky rocketing based on your recent income reports. Good luck with your goals!

      MDP

      Delete