November Net Worth

November Net Worth: not great. Although we show a slight raise in our net worth, this is about to plummet, as we just purchased two major appliances. Our stove chose the month of October to go out, and our dishwasher hasn't worked for three months. It's just our year; it seems like everything in the house is on its last leg.

The end came with me trying to make an apple pie; I had to light the stove six times, and it took nearly 3 hours. The pie came out like applesauce, and we finally decided it was time to bite the bullet and buy new appliances (it is more than the stove is worth to fix it; we've been coaxing it along for nearly 3 years). Sears had a nice 15% off deal for people buying two appliances, so we got a new, very energy-efficient dishwasher, and a brand-new gas stove. Our 1963 Kenmore 36-inch monstrosity of a stove is no more.

In addition to buying appliances, I used the credit cards to buy some needed storage cabinets and a new drill to install them (we need a special drill for our masonry walls). This purchase, like the appliance purchases, was born out of continued frustration. I am continuing to try to get boxes unpacked and our lives in order, but some of the changes we've made to the house greatly reduced our storage space. Renting the guesthouse is a loss of 400 square feet of space as well, so I finally decided it was time to buy some cupboards for the laundry room and some under-bed storage boxes. I spent several hours considering the best course of action, and my final decision was carefully and knowingly made, even if I did have to use our credit cards. So, our credit cards went up slightly, rather than down.

On a brighter note, my investments have really taken off, and I've seen a $300 raise in their worth in the past two months. In addition to this, I am trying a few money-making things this month. They won't make up for the $1275 we spent on appliances, but it will at least help out with clutter. I am selling books via Amazon and Half.com. So far my only sale (Amazon) has resulted in a loss of .55, primarily because I chose the wrong postage (priority rather than media mail). I hope that, when this gets going, I will earn a little bit, at least enough I can buy a new novel or two when I'm done. So far I have listed about 60 books, and have 3 more boxes to go.

Our bill for the appliances hasn't shown up, so I don't have it reflected in our net worth yet, but expect it to drop sharply. I may edit it this month, or I might leave it for next, depending on when the bill comes. I am hoping, however, that next year we will see some nice savings from upgrading to energy-efficient appliances, and a lot fewer headaches.