Just like that, February is done and gone. Contrary to what Puxitawny Phil said, this winter ain’t going nowhah! That varmint is a lying sack of fur! Despite this seemingly unending winter, we have continued to strive for our financial independence. So how did we do?
As always, you can check the latest and greatest info on the Track Our Progress page.
First, the numbers:
Net Worth:
- End of February Balance: $448,151 Up $23,667 (5.58%)
- Year to Date (YTD): Up $56,313 (14.37%)
- Since January 2017: Up $143,151
Portfolio:
- End of February Balance: $304,407 Up $14,146 (4.87%)
- YTD: Up $40,870 (15.51%)
- Since January 2017: Up $64,407
Everything trended upwards for a second straight month. The bulk of the gains in February were found in our portfolio. Thank you Mr. Market!
Monthly Contributions:
- $7,644 Up 56.14%
- This is up from January as we paid off our bathroom remodel and made a deposit on a vacation rental for this summer. Plus we added $500 of “found” money, discussed below
February Highlights
“Found” Money
We “found” about $500 when we received a check from our mortgage lender due to an escrow refund. This refund was triggered when we switched insurers last year. So we rolled this “windfall” into our high yield savings account.
Mrs. Heartland on FIRE put in the hours and crunched through our taxes. I mostly offered moral support and read off some forms for her. Why? Some people have trouble taking tests, others can’t speak in front of an audience… I cannot accurately fill out a form. It’s my kryptonite. Thank goodness she is willing to do the heavy lifting on this.
We actually ended up with a large tax refund. This was unexpected, as the tax changes last year had us concerned about our withholdings. Moving forward, we’ve reduced our withholdings (because we’d rather have the money then loan it to the government for free) so our take home pay is going up. Another unexpected result.
Where will this money go? You guessed it, the high yield savings account. Boring, I know. If you are getting a tax refund you might check out my post from a couple weeks ago:5 great ways to spend your tax return
Weight Loss Progress (or lack of)
I started my own weight loss challenge on New Year’s Day. My goal is 27 pounds by the end of March. How’s that going?
Umm yeah… that’s not looking so great right now. With 2 months elapsed I am down about 9 pounds and 2.5 inches off my waist. With an average loss of about 1 pound per week I figure I will end up halfway to my goal weight. Let’s see if I can finish strong!
Travel Hacking Update
My wife and I received our signup bonuses from our Chase Sapphire Preferred credit cards. We turned around and booked a trip to San Francisco/Sonoma/Napa for later this year. By using some of our Chase Ultimate Rewards points, we booked round trip air fare for two and a night at a downtown San Francisco hotel for a grand total of $22. Not too shabby!
Coming Up in March
Trying Out my Green Thumb
To fight off the winter blues I am trying my hand at starting a vegetable garden from seed. Why am I doing this? 1) I love growing my own veggies. 2) This is a good activity for my kids to try out. 3) If successful, we will have lots of healthy food options. 4) We might even save a few bucks on food.
March Madness
It’s not just for roundball. The number of activities on the agenda ramps up in March. The month includes 2 birthdays, our youngest and mine. Both girls start swim lessons (indoors thankfully!), and the oldest has spring break.
At any rate, I am eagerly awaiting the clock jumping forward an hour and the prospect of warmer weather. I wish you all a Happy and Lucky March!
