Happy 4/20 – I don’t smoke, but those two do tend to go a little extreme this time of year.. 😀

My credit card balances hit zero again, across all cards as of 4/10. Just in time for the coronavirus pandemic. It feels quite liberating. No longer do I have the burden of paying near $1000 every two weeks in a rush to get the balance down to zero. I hope to continue having blessings in my life that allow me to pay the credit cards in full before they are due.

I know a few people with credit card balances in excess of $10k. For me I know I sometimes have a spending problem. Usually I’ll save money on my purchases but at the same time spending say $2800 on a computer, $1k+ on a phone, $2-300 on clothes every season, eating and dining out, it all adds up. My advice if you still have a job is to cut back your spending, put some extra cash aside and look at ways to generate more income.

On to an April 2020 financial update…
401k: $65,425.33
Roth IRA: $3921.22
HSA: $655.38
Total Retirement: $70,001.93

Car Loan: $3,761.16
Car Warranty: $0
iPhone 11 Pro: $954.88
Credit Card: $0
Total Debt: $4,716.04

Savings:
Short and Long-Term: $3,423

There is a lot of uncertainty right now in my world. Not sure about the future of a lot of things including my income. I still have a job, but many people I know have either been layed off, partially furloughed, or put on full furlough. I am going to keep grinding away in hopes that my postition stays secure along with my income. I did take a pay cut but nothing that would really impact my life all that much.

This $1200 stimulus check that everyone has been talking about it sitting right in my account. It brought my emergency fund up from $195 literally overnight. There are talks about an additional stimulus of $2,000/mo for most Americans over the age of 16.

Also another law proposed that would make it so renters wouldn’t have to pay rent for several consecutive months via a FEMA emergency declaration It sounds great on paper but also could lead to some pretty rapid inflation. Not to mention the national debt that we still aren’t paying off anytime soon. I’m sort of at a point if the government is giving out money or allowing us to pay it forward, why not do what everyone else is doing.

I really hope you my viewers are happy and healthy. Just today I found out one of my mom’s old bosses recently passed away from covid-19 related complications. The woman in question was in New York and she may have worked with the elderly but I don’t know all the details. I’ve heard story after story of people who came down with coronavirus, many didnt’ make it.

Keeping myself upbeat these times has been a struggle. I keep trying to remember certain things are outside of my control and many of them are temporary. I’m still upright, making progress toward my goals, and I’ve gone through way more challenging times in life.