monthly-expense-report-april-2018
Monthly Expense Report, April 2018

Monthly Expense Report, April 2018

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Every month I reconcile my accounts, update my tracking spreadsheets, and post an update detailing my spending in a monthly expense report and net worth progress graph. This month is no different!  Spring is finally happening and with all of those beautiful, blooming flowers comes winter cleanup and weekends full of yard work. I am definitely not complaining. I love getting outdoors – especially before the heat and humidity of summer. I’ve likely spent too much time lounging on our…

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Evaluate job offers to accelerate financial independence.
How To Evaluate Job Offers to Accelerate Financial Independence

How To Evaluate Job Offers to Accelerate Financial Independence

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The secret sauce of achieving financial independence boils down to two things: minimizing your expenses and maximizing your income. By continually working on these two goals you will accelerate your timeline to financial independence. My goal with this post is to walk you through how I evaluate job offers while keeping my financial independence timeline in mind. For those of us pursuing FI, the majority will earn their primary income from a corporate 9-5 career. In order to maximize that…

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2017 review and 2018 personal goals
2017 Review and 2018 Personal Goals

2017 Review and 2018 Personal Goals

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Okay, okay, this is coming months into 2018, but I still owe it to myself to review my 2017 personal goals. In addition, it’s high time I lay out my plans for 2018 because I expect some bigger changes this year. Looking back over 2017 I can see a handful of top-shelf highs, a whole lot of middling middles, but also some unexpected lows. On the whole, last year was a resounding success in catapulting my life forward. I look…

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monthly expense report march 2018 - zencents
Monthly Expense Report, March 2018

Monthly Expense Report, March 2018

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March was a tough month. The whole region was without power, but at least no work for a few days. Stock markets posted another negative month, but at least I posted a narrow net worth gain. My monthly expenses bloomed, but at least I got a new phone? It’s not always easy to see the positives in the everyday, but when life gives you a rough patch, the good makes itself known. From a financial perspective March is a success….

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zencents_triple_charitable_giving
It’s Time to Triple my Charitable Giving (Again)

It’s Time to Triple my Charitable Giving (Again)

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Last year one of my goals was to triple my charitable giving. During 2016 I donated an embarrassingly low $125, so my goal last year was $375 or greater. To help motivate myself even further I proposed scheduling a new organization every month and asking for reader support. I tracked this in my year long post called A Year of Giving (More!). What I didn’t realize is how time-consuming sticking to schedule, promoting each cause, and updating the post would…

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zencents_monthly_expense_report_FEBRUARY_2018
Monthly Expense Report, February 2018

Monthly Expense Report, February 2018

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Spring is coming! We’re beginning to experience spells of warm weather and the days are noticeably longer. Sometimes I even leave work early enough to drive home before it’s dark! Here’s hoping the agreeable weather brings some sanity back into my 9to5. (EDIT: Well, I spoke waaaaay too soon! After making it through the second nor’easter – number three is on the way. Last round left us without power, and internet, for a few days. My arms are still aching…

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