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Am I writing this update on the last day of March? …yes. Better late than never right? I’ll get March’s update much sooner in the month 😊
General $ Updates
My budget layout will look a bit different
Last month I mentioned filing an LLC and incorporating my business (S Corp). I’m also on payroll from my business. So my budget below has 3 different sections.
Top left = Business earnings and expenses
Bottom Left = Paychecks from my business and my day-to-day expenses
Top Right = W2 income – almost all of which is being invested/saved
I finished my business sinking fund
I wanted to save $4,000 in my business sinking fund so that when I do take my business full time, I have some backup cash for any expenses that may come up. I ended up fully funding this in February which is very exciting!
Next sinking fund I’m going to focus on is my Travel fund!
I received my $300 Truist checking bonus
I recently opened the Truist Checking Account for the $300 bonus and I ended up receiving that pay out in February! I put it straight to savings.
This checking bonus is now back up to $400! Note: Only certain states are eligible.
Spending

Some main things to point out about my spending in February:
Household: My bf and I bought a new mattress! Because of this upgrade (in quality but also size), we got a new bed frame, sheets, night stands, lamps, and comforters. I also bought quite a lot of things for my garden!
Travel: This was for a one-night stay at an Airbnb in North Carolina in April. My sister and I are going to a concert!
Income
Full-time job (consultant) – GROSS: $5,880
ONLINE/BUSINESS INCOME
Buy Me a Coffee/Venmo: $13.51
Teachable: $41.80
Etsy: $119.71
Coaching: $482.26
Mediavine (display ads on LivinglikeLeila): $889.45
Affiliates/Sponsors: $1,074.54
Google AdSense (ad revenue from YouTube): $1,708.76
Online/Business Income Total: $4,330.03
EXTRA INCOME
CITI Cashback: $25.42
BOA Cashback: $46.24
Chase Cashback: $56.80
Medical Reimbursement: $77.30
HYSA Interest: $96.99
Truist Bonus: $300.00
Rakuten: $379.63
Extra Income Total: $982.38
*Total Gross Income: $11,192.41
*I decided to start putting my gross income from all sources. This number does not reflect my taxes or 401k contributions.
Net Worth
As of February 29th, my net worth is $98,736.63. Up about 8.9% compared to last month!!

*Does not include the value of my car (personal preference).
Roth IRA (VTSAX): $33,885.50 (up 5.4% compared to last month)
401k: $27,438.86 (up 12.7% compared to last month)
M1 Invest (VTI): $7,529.73 (up 5.3% compared to last month)
Vanguard Brokerage (VGT): $1,277.04 (up 4.8% compared to last month)
Coinbase: $855.70 (up 45% compared to last month)
Sinking Funds:
- Emergency Fund = $12,394.05
- Gifts = $769.18
- Beauty = $3,026.45
- Car/Car maintenance = $3,143.60
- Travel = $610.11
- Car insurance = $349.72
- Sabbatical = $1.06
- Furniture/Home = $0.74
- House Down Payment = $104.12
- Business = $4,012.06
Sinking Funds Total = $24,412.82
Credit Score
My VantageScore is at 811.
February Goals Update
- Continue to save as much as possible! ✅
February Money Goals
- Put at least $4,000 to my Travel sinking fund
