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April didn’t go as planned, but sometimes that’s life and we just have to go with the flow.

In March I was dealing with some health issues that continued into April, I ended up getting surgery which cost me over $1,000. However, I do believe I overpaid and I am waiting on the claim to go through to my health insurance.

Healthcare in the US is pretty frustrating, but I’m grateful to have access AND that I was still able to cash flow this emergency.

April was still a solid month financially though and I’m really proud of that!

Here it goes:

Debt

I started the month of April with my official debt at $36,000 and ended with $36,000. However, I technically started at $34,953.53 if you consider the money I have saved to pay those loans down. 

In April I saved an additional $1,545.75 for my student loans (bringing my total saved to $2,593.60) so my final debt for April would be $33,406.40.

I paid $0 in interest 😊

Spending

Some main things to point out about my spending in April:

Sinking Funds: I stopped saving for my ‘Personal’ sinking fund but also added a sinking fund for my car insurance. This will be $120 each month.

Groceries/Food Out: Yay for being under budget!!

Gas (car): I still only got gas once, but gas prices have been increasing so I paid a little bit more than expected.

Health/Beauty: Obviously I was WAY over budget here due to my surgery, multiple prescriptions, and multiple doctor visits.

Gifts: It looks like I spent a lot but I really didn’t at the end of it all. I purchased a group gift and was reimbursed $140 throughout April and May.

Piercing Change: I know this is technically personal spending but it wasn’t really by choice. I had to get my daith piercing removed before surgery so I had to go to a piercing shop to get a temporary. You can’t leave the temporary in for too long so I went to a different shop to get it put back in but they don’t do the type of earring I had so I had to buy a new one and pay to have it replaced!

MacBook Charger: Unfortunately, my MacBook charger snapped so I had to buy a new one! I’ve had my laptop (and charger) since 2014 though so that’s not too bad. Because of this I also decided to start a sinking fund for a new laptop beginning in May. I’m in no rush to get a new one though.

Income

Full-time job (microbiologist): $4,937
Google AdSense (ad revenue from YouTube): $464.91
Mediavine (display ads on LivinglikeLeila): $194.52
Financial Coaching: $150
Teachable: $11.08
Buy Me a Coffee: $104.40
Affiliates: $39.12

Poshmark: $4.05
Chase Flex Rewards: $7.94
IBotta: $28.65
Discover Cashback: $85.89

Business Income: $964.03
Extra Income: $126.53
Pre-tax total = $6,027.56

Net Worth

As of April 30th, 2021 my net worth is -$14,457.43.

It did go down which is upsetting but I should be able to recover soon!

Roth IRA: $6,481.81
M1 Invest: $1,338.72

Sinking Funds:

  • Taxes = $1,104.40
  • Emergency Savings = $4,629.61
  • Gifts = $337.77
  • Medical/Dental = $0.95
  • Car maintenance = $436.31
  • Travel = $371.59
  • Car Insurance = $120.06
  • FinCon = $450.81
  • Phone = $121.10

Credit Score

My VantageScore through Credit Karma stayed at 759 despite paying off the balance that was submitted last month 🙄

Overall Updates

I started a sinking fund for a new MacBook

$100 a month until I reach about $1,400. I’m definitely not in a rush to buy a new one and will make my current laptop last as long as possible even after I save that total.

I cash flowed my unexpected surgery

Instead of touching my emergency fund, I chose to cash flow the cost of my surgery. This does take away from debt savings, but I would rather do that than build up my emergency fund again.

Besides, I’m pretty sure I was only supposed to pay $100 for my surgery, not $1,022 so I’m expecting a refund eventually.

April Goals Update

  • Put at least $1,500 to student loan savings CHECK
  • Make over $1,000 online NO, BUT SO CLOSE ($964)

Money Goals for May

  • Put at least $1,000 to student loan savings
  • Make over $1,000 online