March is a nice and routine month. I’ve made new happy memories.
And to be a bit melancholic, I’ve also learned some life lessons, some about money and some not.
Spendings Report: $1,504
I eat out less but at more expensive places, also healthier which costs $$$. Recently I’ve noticed that I no longer consciously immediately look at the cheapest item on the menu and actually just order what I like, which was a goal of mine when I was growing up.
Clothing is a growing category, I’m updating/replacing/introducing new pieces and it’s nice. It’s nice to be able to like a piece of clothing without thinking about how to make it as versatile as possible so I buy as little else as possible.
Most of the friends I’ve made at this school since when I first arrived will be leaving at the end of this school year, so I’m taking as many opportunities to hang out with them as I can. To be honest, I’m neglecting personal down time to balance friends/work/grad school and I won’t be able to sustain it for much longer than the remainder of this school year but that’s just how it is. Even on weekends now it’s a small treat to let myself stay in bed until 8:30. My dream for the next while is just to be able to spend an entire day in my apartment doing much of nothing.
One life lesson I learned through this was that balance doesn’t mean an even split, and I might have to accept having a diminished form of something in my life in order to have it in my life at all.
Net Worth Update: it is what it is
Another month of pretty flat-ish growth, and it’s $3,000 less than it should be because I lent some money out.
One lesson I read online a lot and follow myself is if you lend money to friends and family expect that it’s a gift and it will not be repaid. In this instance, it is to someone that I deeply trust and we have built this trust up over 24 years so I do fully expect it back. Past experience of me lending them money and them lending me money has given me a pretty solid foundation to base this on.
Anyways, it’s pretty clear I will not be reaching my goal of $250k by the end of this school year, but the 200s is not a bad place to be. 5 years ago I could not have predicted this was where I will be so overall still quite pleased.
Another life lesson I’ve had a chance to really understand is that money is a tool, with which you can use to build happiness but is not itself a sources of happiness. It’s incredibly useful, and I’m lucky to have this one, however, I shouldn’t confuse the two.