A surprising net worth increase again this month. In August, my net worth increased 1.75%. Yet again, this is mostly thanks to increases in my investment accounts (which includes my contributions to retirement).
August was a ridiculous spending month for me, which I am not proud of. I was over in just about every budget category. Some of this was due to poor planning (not setting aside enough for my car registration), some was unpredictable (the cat needing surgery), some was just overspending (deciding to stock up at the Lush sale).
Clearly, I can solve all of those problems. The cat’s surgery came out of my “small emergency” fund, so I was prepared for that in a way. I can and will be better about my planning in terms of things like my car registration. I’m usually good about those things, but I last registered my car 2 years ago, and while I knew the registration was due, I hadn’t bothered to go back and find out how much it cost so I would know what to set aside. Definitely a failure in planning.
As for the overspending… some of it was situational, some could have been prevented. Having to buy my lunch out a bunch due to training didn’t help, nor did my sister’s visit or my trip to Chicago for my friends’ wedding. But I also went to the mall and bought a new pair of shoes (while I did need new dress shoes, the purchase could have waited). I also didn’t need to replace my SIGG bottle with a Kleen Kanteen for the office. I could have made do with a cup or a glass.
But no matter the reason, the money is spent, and that means I have less to spend in September. I’m planning for September to be a great month in all respects. My parents come in on Wednesday and leave on Sunday, but after that, it’s back to healthy eating (I rejoined Weight Watchers for the millionth time), sticking to my running schedule to prepare for the Army Ten Miler in October, and sticking to my budget. I figure if I’m running a lot, I won’t have time to spend money, right?
