| The stock market for 2016 isn't looking pretty. Could have been worse, but that sure wasn't a great start. At least I have 30+ more years to weather the ups and downs. Contributions to the retirement fund are now at $400/month, which I will keep upping every 6 months until the IRA contribution limit is reached (hoping it'll be raised to $6000/year soon so I can reach a plateau of $500/month).
With increases in insurance and property tax, monthly expenses have risen slightly so I've had to adjust budgets accordingly. Lucky for me I had a decent start on freelance jobs, which covered most of the huge debt racked up on credit cards the last few months. February should see a return to normal in that department.
Provided Apple does what I hope they'll be doing, this will be the year I purchase a new computer workstation. My current machine is 8 years old and definitely starting to show its age. I'll probably need a new desk to go with it in my office, as the current one is awfully cramped. The whole package will definitely set me back a bit, but it's been on the calendar forever so it's not unexpected. I have until at least the summer to prepare for it.
In the meantime, more scheduled freelance means I'm definitely on a healthy path to reaching $20,000 in the business account by next year. Let's keep running. |