March 2008 Review

My net worth as of March 31st, 2008:

($52,263.48)

Assets:
Liquid assets: $4,579.65
Investments: $202.77
Total: $4,782.42

Liabilities:
Consumer Debt: $23,003.00
Hospital Bills: $34,042.90
Total: $57,045.90

My assets have increased by 109% since last month. Both my liquid assets and my investments more than doubled, so I think that's a clear sign of progress. My liabilities also decreased - consumer debt was down 7.8% and my hospital debt decreased by 15.7%, for an overall decrease of 12.7%. That resulted in my net worth increasing by over 17% this month. I expect for those trends to continue through April.

Monthly income and expenses:

Income:

Bonus: $581.87
Interest: $2.39
Internet income: $25.70
Salary: $2,333.66
Total: $2,943.62

Expenses:

Debt Repayment: $99.00
Dining: $2.00
Entertainment: $39.99
Gifts: $58.36
Investment: $100.00
Medical: $28.81
Misc.: $128.88
Transportation: $73.00
Utilities: $24.00
Total: $554.04

Overall Total: $2,389.58

A pretty good month. Obviously not having rent or grocery expenses allowed me to save quite a bit. About 18% of my spending was discretionary this month. I spent $58.36 on a jacket that also counted as a political contribution. I needed the jacket, and I felt the money went for a good cause as well. The entertainment charge was for a fantasy baseball league, which will provide me with entertainment through September. I also spent $2.00 on sodas at work. The misc. category charges stemmed from costs associated with filing my taxes. For the second month in a row, I have spent less than I earned.