Monday, September 1, 2014

Dividends & Interest Earnings-August, 2014

My expenses were a little high this month. We spent a bit more on restaurants and entertainment because the summer is almost over and we stay indoors a lot in the fall/winter months.

Expense
Cost
*Rent
$250
*Dish
$39
*Electric
$19
Groceries
$309
*Utility Gas
$50
Car fuel
$149
*Cable Internet
$37
Restaurants
$144
Phone Service
$48
Entertainment
$78
Auto Insurance
$108
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
$90
Student Loan
$75
Auto Repairs
$32
General Merchandise
$116
Gifts
$52
Total
$1,596
*These expenses are split between my significant other and I.

This month my passive income was a little high which was surprising to me. The passive income made up for the heavy spending this month. I am hoping that the passive income will keep increasing every month and will try to keep expenses a little lower.

Passive Income
Earnings
Con Agra (CAG)
$4.53
Summit Hotels (INN)
$4.75
American Realty Capital Properties (ARCP)
$3.00
Apple (APPL)
$1.50
Starbucks (SBUX)
$0.17
1.5% Cash back Credit Card
$36.27
Savings Account Interest
$6.46
CD (1.15% APY)
$0.48
Total Passive Income
$57.16

 The passive income was the highest this month but so were the expenses. Now let’s see how much of my expenses were covered by the passive income.


 
 
 
 
 

This month was surprising to me. First off I already knew I went over on my expenses by a lot. My expenses were $1305 for the month of July and $1,596 in August. This was a difference of $291, which was disappointing because I know I could do better.  On the flip side my passive Income was very high compared to previous months. Last month my passive income was $35.50 and this month it was $57.16. This really helped make this month a lot better than I expected. I am really hoping to keep expenses down in September, but we are going to Atlantic City, New Jersey so this will present some challenges. Overall August was my best month because passive income covered 3.6% of my total expenses for the month.

20 comments:

  1. Great month, all the way around. Helps to see your passive income increase to offset the increased spending. A few more years of consistent investing and the coverage chart will be an entirely different picture!

    Have fun in AC! Fun fact, I proposed to my wife not far from there!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's great to see the snowball start accumulating in such a short amount of time. I really think staying consistent is the key to successful investing. Every week adding shares to my portfolio has made a huge impact in the dividend income. Congrats on getting married in AC. I can't wait to spend my vacation time their.

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  2. Your passive income is amazing! I'm sure in some other countries, you'll easily be a "billionaire". I'm surprised at how low the rent is! And that's awesome that you practice BJJ. I used to train BJJ under 10th planet with their rubber guard philosophy. Good stuff.

    Cheers.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The cash back that I receive with my credit card has really helped my passive income. Most of my purchases are Loyal3 stocks and I use that extra income to put back into more shares. The way I look at is I don't have to work in order to get the cash bonuses so I count it as my passive income. I also received a $100 cash bonus but I did not include this in my passive income because it is a one time event. BJJ is a great wait to stay in shape and learn self defense at the same time. I have heard a lot of great things from 10th Planet and I am a fan of Joe Rogan and Eddie Bravo. Thanks for stopping by!

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  3. Great month all the way around. It's always nice to see that your passive income is increasing month over month. It's a nice feeling. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am really happy with the progress so far because I have only been investing since January of this year. I can't wait to see what my total YOY dividend income will be in 2015. Thanks!

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  4. Expenses tend to creep up from time to time but the key thing is that you're consistently saving and investing to build up your passive income stream. Great job covering over 3.6% of your expenses. Even though it might not seem like much in the beginning, eventually that snowball will look truly awesome.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey PIP,
      I didn't think my passive income would cover 3.6% of my expenses until I started to list everything. I feel it's very important to keep track of both expenses and passive income each month in order to achieve my goals for the year. Using the blog makes this much easier for me and I can truly see my progress. The passive income doesn't seem like much, but I am really motivated to keep investing into quality companies each week. Best regards!

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  5. Congrats on the Passive Income, DM. Keep it up and you will keep growing that income stream in no time.

    Best wishes
    R2R

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey R2R,
      Thanks for your words of encouragement. I am surprised how quickly I was able to build up my dividend income in as little as 8 months. If I can do it, anyone can. Best Regards!

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  6. Mongrel,

    Great job keeping the expenditures down, even though they were higher than usual. Spending under $1,600 in a month, especially considering some of this was for two people, is really very impressive.

    Expenses go up and they go down, but the key is to stay consistent and keep your eye on your long-term plan. However, it's also important to have fun along the way.

    Keep up the great work!

    Best regards.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hey Jason,
    Thanks for your compliments. It's true that my expenses are still low and once I pay off my student loan, it will be even lower. Once I pay that off I will have no liabilities except for rent. On the flip side my passive income is growing at a rapid rate. This is somewhat scary because I am slowly becoming an entrepreneur. It's definitely important to have fun along the way. I can't wait to visit Atlantic City in a few weeks! Thanks for stopping by!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Thanks for sharing your recent income and expense report with us. Your BJJ expense is similar to my TKD expense. Nice to see some bloggers spend a little and enjoy life while also being financially responsible. Sure you can cut expenses down to the bare bones but what kind of life quality will you be having. Keep those dividends rolling in.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. DivHut,
      I currently live a very comfortable lifestyle besides living in an awful neighborhood. We just started getting into couponing and shopping at Walmart for groceries. I will say that I was shocked on how much cheaper our grocery bill was this week. Walmart has stepped up and is now offering a ton of organic and gluten free items. The company is smart and adapting to what people want. I think BJJ will be a part of my lifestyle for a long time. I am able to stay fit and learn self defense tactics at an affordable price. Thanks for stopping by!

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  9. Congratulation DM,

    It is always nice whenever the passive income increased month to month. Keep up the good work!

    David

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. David,
      I was very happy to find out my passive income for August was higher than last month. Every month that goes by brings me closer to financial independence and entrepreneurship. September is going to be a big month for passive income and I can't wait to share my earnings with everyone. Thanks for stopping by!

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  10. congrats on increasing your passive income. your grocery bill looks high to me. How many people in your household? I remember when I was switching from my full time job to part time I researched a lot on savings. Saving on grocery was one of the biggest savings. Now days my bill with 2 teenagers hardly come over 200 per month and we always have lots of food. I know that some states are more expensive but still... my favorite website is moneysavingmom.com. I wrote about my way of saving on grocery in my blog too http://happyhealthyandwealthygirl.blogspot.com/2014/05/healthy-lifestyle-more-money-part-i.html. Good luck on your journey.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I just have 2 people in my household. The reason why the grocery bill is so high is because a lot of the food we buy is organic and gluten free. A half gallon of organic milk is $3.50 where I am from. We started to use coupons and switched grocery stores in order to get better deals. I am hoping the grocery bill will be cheaper next month. Thanks for sharing your link!

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  11. Only investing since January? Great job! It's tough to find good cash back cards anymore. I used to have a 2% cash back card from Schwab but now the best I could find was 1% cash back on everything plus 5% on restaurants (or other categories). What kind is your 1.5% cash back card? Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I started in January of this year with the purchase of Sony. I currently use the capital one quicksilver card for all my Loyal3 purchases. It really adds up at the end of the month. I use the cash back to buy back more shares. It's a great way to get the most out of my portfolio.

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