Networth Update

I've been tracking our Net-worth since 2013 and when looking at just the current year month-to-month, sometimes it feels like we have such slow (or no) movement.  I enjoy end of the year posts because you can really see the long term impact of the changes you've made over the years.

I think also helpful because over the course of the year you can have dips as market's change, investments change, life changes...but over the course of six years we've made such a change in our circumstances.

The biggest changes we made in 2018 included:

• Paid off our second vehicle while is still has a trade in value
• Increased the value of our home through renovations
• Continued contributing to RRSPs, RESPs

...and some changes we didn't make, but were made and impacted us:

• Temporary employment agreement was made full time
• Jessie had two raises
• Jordan had a raise 

We don't just save our money though - we see it as a tool and some money was spent! 

In 2018 we:

• Went on a week vacation across the country for my cousins wedding
• Bought a hot-tub 
• Many many many trips to my mom's cabin by a lake around 1.5 hours from here
• Cared for my Great Aunt when she was passing (many trips to a city about 3 hours from here)
• Celebrated my sons third birthday (okay, this didn't really cost much but I wanted to share)
• Went to a city around 8 hours away during a work trip - Jordan and Little Man came and played tourist when I was working and visited family
• Ate well (perhaps too well...we'll see as I start tracking $$ on food again)

I'm sure there's more, but the point of this was just to share that we save, we spend and we try to make good choices for our family that keep us healthy and happy both now and in the future.

Networth Update

With all of the recent money changes, I thought it was time to do a net worth update.  Our investments keep fluctuating and overall we're down a couple of thousand dollars there, but now that we don't have a mortgage payment (at least for a little while), we'll be able to make up some net worth ground with saving like mad.  We also had a decent tax return due to being able to claim moving expenses.

We've update our net worth charts accounting for the sale of the house, and we've also reduced the worth of our vehicles.  I do include them in our net worth, because if the crap ever did hit the fan, we could sell one or both of them.  This year I just used the online blue book value, but in the past we have had them assessed for trade in value as well.

Our only debt is currently the Kia - it's a 0% interest loan, so we're not in a super big hurry to pay it off, though I do add extra chunks to payments every once in a while.  Once we finalize the purchase of our next house and settle on a budget for some upgrades, we'll be prioritizing paying it off.  Even though it's a 0% loan, it costs us $250/month in cash flow to have it.

Networth Update

Despite declines in the value of my pension and some of other other investments, we've had an increase in cash savings and the company shares I own which are in USD and so have gone up because of the exchange rate.

That combined with steady re-payment of the mortgage, LOC, and vehicle means that we've had a steady increase in our overall networth.

Networth Update

It's mid-March, but just to catch up here's where we are at in terms of Networth.

The big dip from January to February was a change in value in my employee-owned shares at work.

Since the dip, my Tangerine funds have done better then expected, we've re-started several automatic-savings plans, I had a bit of OT paid out, and just over $1,000 in refund from a share purchase that was refunded.


I'm feeling pretty good with where we're at so far.

2014 Year End Net Worth

Well, here it is, our 2014 Year End Net Worth.

We started out at $77,804 and are now sitting comfortably at $121,006.  A pretty sizable increase for just 12 months!  Okay, Okay, I know - we could always do better. and I get that, but I'm also really genuinely pleased with the progress we've made.

With most people out this New Years Eve celebrating the bringing in of 2015; I'm sitting on my mom's couch, suffering a cold and budgeting.  I'm seeing really good things for 2015, and I'm so looking forward to growing and sharing and continuing this journey with all of you.

Networth Update

Just $600 shy of $120K, our net worth continues to climb.

Total debts, including mortgage, have been reduced to $365K and change and total assets have risen to about $485K.

The Escape has been paid off!  Completely! I'm so very happy to be going into 2015 with one less payment, and just as happy to be able to funnel that money towards the LOC.

October Networth Update

October has been a very good month for our networth!

We were reimbursed for Jordan's dental surgery, received just over $600 for contents insurance from our hail damage claim, Jordan's increased commissions scale have been realized and my mom gave us a financial gift for something fun and sensible (that we have yet to spend, so it's added $1,500 to our networth for now).

 Today is also Jordan's pay day....and it looks like I have $650 to play with.  Here's where it's going:

• $150 to the Escape, bringing the balance down to $3,000 even
• $500 for Christmas

I really, really debated putting the whole $650 on the Escape...but that's been part of our...historical problem.  I put too much money on one kind of debt, than rack up another kind because I didn't have cash to pay for something we should have .  THEN it looks like we're crappy with  money, when really I just payed less interest (b/c the Escape has a higher interest rate then the LOC) ...annnd I shouldn't worry about looking like we're crappy with money, but there it is.

Networth Update - October 1

Well, here we are - nothing like a networth post to get back into the habit of writing.

You can see a steady increase from the image to the left.

Now sitting at just about $107K - we have  $53, 215 in debt - including both vehicles...so coming down steadily.  The Escape is down to $8K which is very exciting...she's almost paid off!!

Our combined retirement assets are now over $66K which is also an amazing feeling.  Looking forward to hitting $100K hopefully sooner rather than later.

Net-worth & Debt Update

Bam!

We did it!

We've broken the $100,000 net-worth barrier!  As of July 31st we're sitting at a sweet, sweet $102(+).

We've been tracking net-worth for the last 19 months...and it's incredible to see how far we have come in that time.

Not including the mortgage, we're not sitting with just over $50K in debt.....where does that debt come from?

• $28,700 left on the Escape and the Kia combined
• $2,180 from Jordan's dental work (waiting to be reimbursed)
• $21,500 on the LOC

...but what, what is sitting on the Line of Credit?

• $5,500 - purchasing shares at work
• $1,000 - tires
• $2,000 - random vehicle work/repairs (living in a construction zone is rough on tires/vehicles)
• $2,500 - guessing...interest over the last year and a half - embarrassed about this part.
• $3-5,000 - consumer spending, gifts, camping etc.
• $3-5,000 - remaining from the back-yard project

It's a whole smash of things, and why a lot of people don't like LOCs...it's so easy to pile extra's on to them. We've been making steady progress over the last six months though; and haven't actually added anything new to the balance for quite some time.  It's hard sometimes not to feel like we're failing because of this...but when I look at our Networth, and I see the overall progress - I know that we're making good choices (yes, we could always make better ones), but good choice, with good results!

If this year continues to trend the way it has so far, it looks like we'll be able to pay down an additional $7,000 from now through to December...oooh that'll feel good!

July 1st Networth Update

guh!

So...today, I was going to tell you how Jordan and I broke through the $100,000 Networth barrier!  Wow!

but...we didn't.

Our networth actually went down.



So what happened?

• Our Tangerine Funds went down slightly
• My Sunlife Funds went down slightly
• We spent more money then we had
• We haven't been reimbursed for Jordan's new teeth yet (over $2,100)

That'll teach me for getting excited before it actually happens.

But, some good news!  We now owe less than $10,000 on the Escape...and that's still pretty awesome.

June 1st Networth

June 1st we came so so so close to breaking through the $100,00K networth mark - but we're not quite there.  We were up to $99,623.31 and climbing.  Just the way my spreadsheets are set up; it would be more work than it's worth to do the screen shots for June ( would have to remove data, then add it back in) - but I gotta tell you; I'm really looking forward to the July 1st post.

February Networth Update

Wow!

Our net worth shot up from $77,804 to $88,068 in the last month!  A big piece of that came from my educational reimbursement ($1,900) and Jordan's dental reimbursement ($2,700).  Of course it also went up because of our regular debt repayments and regular savings as well as the increase in value of our investments (share, pension, rrsp).

There is a small balance on our Amex that we'll pay off next week, our Escape is down to $12,800 and the LOC is down to $24,400 - combined there's $37, 200 - which I could combine onto the LOC which has a lower interest rate.

I'm really torn - because the interest is 1.41% lower - but the LOC is tied to prime which could go up at anytime.

I update my tracking bars more regularly then I post these but I thought I would share where we're at with our planning spending goals - I suppose the emergency and baby fund aren't exactly planned spending - but they aren't us unaccessible as the RRSPs/Pension/Shares (which I'm not showing here).

We're coming along on paying off our debt - here's a snapshot of where we are at.

January 1, 2014 - Networth

and so it begins, a new year of Networth posts, goals, updates, spending reports and the personal finances in all of life's moments - both large and small.   Like many of my other blogging peers, the first few weeks in January will be filled with all kinds of posts around plans for 2014.  While I don't have any resolutions to share, or grand plans just yet - I'm sure it will come together in time.  I'm still in vacation mode - but wanted to get my Networth update done.

This months Networth update shows you that our chequing account has a significantly higher balance than normal - and that our Mastercard and American Express card have higher balances than normal - this is because we have not moved any of the income from my 30 hours of OT, $600 year end bonus or Jordan's final pay and vacation pay out.

We're holding out until Jordan's first pay day on January 15th as he's moving from bi-weekly pay days to twice monthly.

We also have some cash that we haven't applied to our accounts yet from my family paying us back for doing some shopping for them.  

I expect that February will see a big upswing in our Networth.

December Networth

Well, here it is - our final net-worth post for 2013.  We started this year at $16,938 and wound up at $74,198!  An incredible increase of $57,260!

The biggest factor you'll recall, is that we built our garage, deck and fence - all which significantly increased our homes market value.

We also made big gains in RRSP/Pension savings and purchased 100 shares through my work - which have already increased in value.

I am so proud of our accomplishments and look forward to the coming year where hopefully we can break through the 100K barrier!

Here's a breakdown of where the assets and debt are currently sitting.

While we still owe more on both vehicles than their trade in value - I'm comfortable with this because of the 'off the lot' phenomena.  We like new vehicles - with new vehicle smell...and (knock on wood) - these two will last us a long time.

RRSPs, Pension, and Shares have all grown significantly where planned spending has had it's ups and downs.

Our checking account has a healthy buffer which serves as our own overdraft protection - something that has been nice to have and as we move forward with Jordan's new career - a must have.

Since buying our house a little less than two years ago - we have paid down 4.43% of it - a mere $15,457.  We've sure paid a lot more than that in interest - but it is going down bit by bit.  We've toyed with increasing our weekly payments and while I'm not ready to do that just yet - it's something that is certainly on the horizon.

We have only paid down 2.73% of the Kia - as a very recent purchase we've only had a few payments so far.  The Escape on the other hand is down 40.40% of what we financed and I'm confident we're going to make a lot of progress with that loan in 2014.

Finally - our line of credit.  What we once thought would be a $10,000 limit to help coverage overages on our backyard project, turned into a $40,000 limit for several of life's incidentals.  Sitting on the LOC now is:

• $900 in online courses (crossing my fingers for reimbursement)
• $2,6179.50 for the first phase of Jordan's dental work (to be reimbursed)
• $5,406.43 for our recent share purchase at my work (interest is tax deductible)
• $977.60 for winter tires

The remaining $14,836.47 - is a combination of the remaining back yard debt as well as some credit card purchases (consumer spending).  We were expecting to carry forward around $15K in 2014 before I decided to go back to school, Jordan got dental work, we decided to invest in shares, and we bought winter tires.

So, technically (?) we're on track (ha!).

Okay, so we're not on track for the LOC - we had some expenses that we decided to incur that's that - our LOC balance has gone up.  As we knock it back in $5K increments, I intend on also reducing the amount of credit we have access  to in the same - until it's down to a 10K limit - - the original plan.

There it is - 2013's ups and downs of our networth, thanks for reading along as we navigated all these changes, I'm looking forward to another fantastic year with you.

November 1, 2013 Networth

Wow...so it's that time of the month again - net-worth time!

In the last month Jordan and I have spent $600 in education for me, $2,679.50 in dental work for Jordan, and $977.59 in tires for our cars....phew!  We also spent just over $300 at Costco doing a big shop to get our deep freeze stocked and get staples like toilet paper, paper towel cleaning supplies and the like.

it's been quite an expensive month.

Even with all of that, we have managed to increase out overall networth by $2,000 by paying down our mortgage and vehicle debts and increase our retirement savings.

We're going to be spending a lot more money before 2013 is over; but there's a plan for all of it - we just have to stay on track.

You'll see that our chequing account is a bit more hefty than normal - I like to wait until the 8th when most of our monthly auto-debits are withdrawn from the account before making a payment on the cards/LOC and as the next pay day is also the 8th; it will be waiting until then.

Networth Update

Here is my October 1, 2013 networth update.  We're still a bit below where I'd like us to be, but I think that over the fall we'll start to trend upwards again.

You'll see that I chose a trade in value for the new car a couple thousand less then what we paid - that's to account for the pretty much automatic depreciation new vehicles have...you really never cover the taxes/delivery fees that you have to pay up front.

The MasterCard also has a balance that I'm cranky about.  We're waiting for some reimbursements from Jordan's work and also had some unexpected expenses crop up.

September 1, 2013: Networth Update

Below is our networth update as of September 1, 2013.

We've dipped a bit - and that is because we had one final bill to pay for the backyard last month and the payments we've made to the LOC haven't quite off set it yet.

I'm looking forward to making a lot of headway on the LOC debt over the next few months as things settle down from Summer.

Networth Update

Here it is!  Our August 1, 2013 Networth Update!

I'm so proud of this, Jordan and I have come such a long way.

You would have seen a few days ago that our homes value has increased such that our mortgage owing is quite a bit less then what it's worth on the market.

We also continue to contribute regularly to our RRSPs, Pension and Shares.

Networth: July 1, 2013

I feel like I have a bit of catching up to do.  I'm going to start with our networth.  We've gone down from $23K to $18K over the last month.  This is because we have paid some of the bills related to our big backyard project - the project isn't done yet, so I'm not ready to increase the value of our home....that should happen next month if everything goes according to plan.  There were a few delays because of the flooding in Alberta.

Here's is a detailed breakdown:

Our home tax assessment and vehicle value hasn't changed.

RRSPs & Pension have gone up as per usual.

Shares have also stayed steady.

Regular savings has increased - but a big chunk of this is going to go towards the LOC as soon as I get my banks talking to each other properly.

The mortgage and car are going down steadily.

The credit card has some expenses on it including a new windshield, and gifts (July is a big birthday month for us) as well as gas and groceries from camping.  This will all be paid off in a few days.

June Networth Update

It's hard to believe another month has gone by already.  Over the last few weeks, there has been a lot of progress on our big backyard project - not so much that I can adjust the value of our home but enough that our networth is declining.

We have paid for about half of the backyard project, and will owe the rest once the deck and garage have been completed.

Here is a breakdown of our networth as of June 1, 2013. For anyone who's not read one of these updates before - recall that our homes value is based on a tax assessment currently, which is not necessarily reflective of the homes value on the market.

You might noticed that there is another Joint Credit Card on the list...Jordan and I bit the bullet and got a joint Amex/Costco card.  We've also used other people's memberships, but at this point we're doing it on our own.