
Category Archives: Net Worth Update


How Did We Do on Our 2016 Goals?
October 2016 Net Worth Update

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It’s been a while since I revealed our finances. If you missed it, the last time was back in April. Back then, we cracked the positive net worth ceiling. Despite being laid off in July, we continue to be in the positive. // You may have noticed that my articles have gotten fewer and further between. I truly enjoy writing on Stapler Confessions, and now that I’m typing up another Net Worth Update, I realize now much I missed doing these. The pace of life has quickened, however, and the Read more […]
Positive Net Worth! {2016 First Quarter Update}

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A lot has happened since my last net worth check-in. Un-Anticipated Expenses: A $1,300 snowblower that costs more than one of our cars. $70 of food spoiled after losing power for 36 hours. $700 generator to prevent pipes from freezing, but was returned when the power came on 10 minutes after we got it home. $625 for six months of pre-paid piano lessons for Little Stapler. $135 keyboard for Little Stapler to practice piano. (We will buy a piano if he sticks with his lessons and practicing) That’s Read more […]
January 2016 Net Worth Update: We’re Getting Closer to Zero!

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Don’t worry — I wasn’t hiding anything from you when I didn’t post a net worth update last month! I was just too busy making Christmas happen for my family. Now that the holiday season has died down, I have a chance to regroup and debrief about December. Plus, I think it’s really important to look at the year ahead and set some goals and priorities. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); I’m thrilled to report that we moved the needle even closer to zero last month! I’m Read more […]
November Financial Update: Two Years of Financial Updates!

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This month marks the 25th month of exposing our personal finances. It’s hard to believe how far we have come in the past two years. Despite being laid off and cobbling together an income for the majority of the time, we increased our net worth by over $75,000. Wait a minute. Let’s absorb that number. We increased our net worth by over $75,000. The entire time — and I mean the entire time — it felt like we weren’t getting ahead, just barely getting by. Our frugal dedication wasn’t painful, Read more […]
October Financial Update: Phew!

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This month feels great, after last month’s financial doldrums. We have our $1,000 Emergency Fund cushion and were able to meet all of our expenses in September. We set aside $400 into a “capital expenses” savings account, which helps me breathe a small sigh of relief. I feel as though we are on more stable financial ground (funny what $1,400 can do), and moved to a monthly daycare payment instead of a weekly payment. There’s no change in the price, it’s just 3 fewer checks to write each month, Read more […]
September Financial Update: I Hate Money

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I feel overwhelmed with the prospect of never getting ahead of our expenses. It’s the danger of owning a home at the very top of our price point. We knew that times would be tight at first and have been hoping for that moment when we’ll get a little bit of financial breathing space. Now that kindergarten has started and we have eliminated the $1,000 monthly daycare expense, I had hoped to be breathing big, deep, breaths. Yet, I look at the next few months of expenses and our goals for the next Read more […]

August Financial Update:
July Financial Update: Bye Bye Credit Card Debt

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Did you miss my monthly financial updates? I was too embarrassed about our credit card debt to post one last month. Now that I’ve come clean about it, and we received The Check, I’m breathing a sigh of relief over most of that mess. I would like to say that we’re putting it all behind us, but I realized that, particularly until Little Stapler goes to kindergarten, we will have to watch our spending like hawks. To that end, we are using the cash envelope system for managing our spending. It forces Read more […]