This report felt hard to write. The analytics have been ready since May 31st, but I quite simply didn’t feel that it was the right time to post anything, let alone a silly money analytic report in the middle of global pandemic and with protests happening all over the world and BIG IMPORTANT conversations about black lives, representation, police brutality – and bizarrely, city budgets (DEFUND THE POLICE)!
I will say this was a hard month. On a personal level, I made the decision to quit one of my jobs that I really had wanted to keep. I saw decisions being made at the leadership level and experienced some behavior that made me question my ability to stay there. I also simply hit my burnout point – I couldn’t handle what was now 6 months of working more than 65 hours a week across three jobs. I couldn’t handle late night phone calls from my second job, or staying up late to finish a podcast or follow up with sources or do accounting when I had started at 6:45 in the morning at my day job. My health really started to suffer – both mental and physical.
I watched my friends and loved ones and strangers get teargassed and beat by law enforcement all over the world, felt helpless since I wasn’t supposed to be out at the protests because I’m immunosuppressed and just worked on sharing, sharing, sharing the work of black creators and signing petitions and making donations and…
I did have a few bright spots amidst it all. Friends, livestreams each week, watching a global conversation really unfold about racism, and..probably the biggest deal:
My podcast was featured in the darn NEW YORK TIMES.
Even in the print edition. Holy kittens. The same sunday edition that contained the Minneapolis protests and fire on the front page. Feels a bit…historic? Not to say that I’m making any of the history here, but it’s quite an honor to be alongside it.
I also spent the last of my stimulus money on hot-pink custom figure skating roller blades so that I can skate outside. I have no regrets. They are great and cost as much as 4 months of ice time and coaching anyway. Not to say it was easy to spend it.
My net worth has increased by over $12,000 in the past 5 months, which is pretty incredible given the losses I took in the market and the fact that last year my adjusted gross income for the entire year of 2019 was under $8,000.
I’m going to take my foot off the saving gas pedal a bit starting in July because I want to increase my charity contributions once my emergency fund hits the 1-year point. Obviously not stopping, but right now my charity contributions are about 5% of my expenses, I would like to ramp up to 10%.
May 2020 Post-Tax Income: $4,233.44
This is the last month of this super-high income. It’s been a fun ride!
- Day Job: $2,834.17
- Radio Job: $1263.17
- Bank account interest: $.07
- Oh My Dollar (full income/expenses report below): $136.00
Full May 2020 Spending Report
Total Spent: $2,094.90
36% of total annual budget at 41% of the way through the year.
Household & Insurance – $712.13
- Rent: $615
- Water, Commons, Garbage, Sewer: $32.50
- Trash: $7.50
- Electricity: $31.68
- Household Items (detergent, TP, toothpaste, razors, etc): $25.45 (assorted sundries)
- Internet at Home: $0 This is now paid for by SSO’s employer due to being remote employee, was $20 per month.
Charitable – $118.00 (5.3%)
I’m working to slowly ramp this up from 5% to closer to 10% now that my savings is refilled.
Organizations I am supporting: XRAY.FM, Mermaids, Black Resilience Fund, National Police Accountability Project.
Through OMD (below) I am supporting TGI Justice Project on an ongoing basis and made a one-time donation to the Minnesota Freedom Fund.
Basic Food – $178.87
Ugh. Groceries are way more expensive right now for me due to the pandemic. I’m not happy about it. Also my “free coffee from work” train has run out, and I’m back to buying my own.
- Basic Groceries: $129.34
- Treats (non-essential snacks): $29.53
- Coffee/Tea For Home: $20
Travel – $0 (lol)
Health – $299.74 ***Why this is cheap
- Health Insurance Premium: $204.00
- Skin Care: $83.75 (Should last me about ~4 months)
- Optometry: $11.99 (contact lens solution)
Skating $676.95
This was the splurge of the year, most likely. The good news is they should last many, many years – over a decade, even. I got custom inline figure skates because the ice rinks are still not open, and it’s not safe for me to go to the rink – but I’ve not been doing enough exercise without the rinks lately. I got these skates:
Looking Good – $79.61
- Clothing: $18.79
- Bras: $19.11 (my first bra I’ve purchased in 5 years – NWT second-hand from poshmark)
- Makeup: $25.85 (summer cushion with SPF 50+)
- Hair: $15.86 (got curlers for the first time…maybe they will work)
Extra Food + Drink – $12.65
- Restaurants: $4.50 (extra tip on top a doordash gift card my SSO had been given)
- Coffee: $8.15 – pickup-only coffee smoothie with 30% tip! It was goood!
Flotsam: $16.96
- Spending Money: $4.97
- Streaming: $11.99
Retirement savings: $400
Cash savings: $2,315.78
YTD Total Savings: $12,696/$20,000 (63% Total of goal at 41% of the way through the year)
OMD Business Income + Expenses Report
My purrsonal finance society members have been keeping the business afloat for now, with book sales, speaking income, and advertising all down. But it’s going okay. I’ve been able to donate still a chunk of change each month and keep paying operating expenses and this month I even managed to pay myself a bit.
This is cash-based accounting, not accrual, so this only accounts for income received this month, not invoices billed.
Gross Receipts + Sales: $790.50
- Amazon Book + Kindle Sales (net after fees): $25.78
- Shopify/Direct to Consumer Book Sales: $113.92
- Radio Ads: $32.36
- Wholesale (Buyolympia): $31.56
- Patreon Memberships: $586.88
Total Expenses: $287.87
Charity: $50.00
Operating Expenses: $217.88
- Convertkit: $49
- Exist.io $6.00
- Gyroscope: $12.99
- Mailgun: $7.48
- Meals: $18.50
- Backblaze : $6.00
- Storage: $6.97
- Hosting + Servers: $28.82 (Linode and Dreamhost)
- Media Subscriptions: $9
- Office Supplies: $28.13
- Sonix: $15.00 (will be phased out as I do the work to copy old transcripts out of their player)
- Adobe Creative Cloud: $29.99
Depreciable Equipment: $19.99
- Memory Card: $19.99
Cost of Goods Sold: $42.80
- Shopify Monthly Fee: $29.00
- Shipping: $13.80
Net Income: $502.63
- Tax Savings: $125 (25% of net income)
- Lily’s Salary: $170.95
Nothing has been the same since your ex broke up with you. Anissa Axe Varrian
It has been enhanced for these reasons, enabling anyone to perform beneficial testing prior to construction. I’ll have more articles just like this one to write.
Balancing multiple jobs can take a significant toll on your health, both mentally and physically. It’s important to prioritize self-care and recognize when it’s time to step back. Late-night calls and the pressure to meet deadlines can lead to exhaustion, and it’s crucial to listen to your body and mind when they signal that you need a break.
May 2020 really was a tough month for many, pushing a lot of people to the burnout point. It’s important to acknowledge the challenges and take time for self-care when things get overwhelming.