Thoughts On Our 2024 Finances

As I have written many times before, I spend the time around New Year’s going through the spending for the past year. I also calculate my (our) net worth, which has been much more exciting in the past few years.

It’s mid-January, and I have, in fact, gone over the household spending and net worth.

Even though I waited until the very end of 2024 to review our 2023 spending, I thought I’d go through my thoughts on our 2024 spending and finances a little sooner.

How did we do?

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Finances Of The Very Elderly

I may have mentioned that my father in law passed away in 2024.

Between one thing and another, Mr. PiN and I are dealing with settling the estate. This is made more difficult by the fact that Mr. PiN’s dad was unable to keep up with paperwork and financial tasks for several years before his death.

I recently spent a day off going through the last seven years of statements online. The goal was to look for payments related to his tax returns, but I found plenty of other interesting details.

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Looking Back At 2024, Looking Forward To 2025

Happy New Year!

I don’t know about you, I am happy to bid goodbye to 2024, and say hello to 2025.

Before I consider resolutions (or plans) for 2025, I would like to review some of the highlights of 2024.

The year wasn’t all bad, and I find it is healthier for me to pay attention to things that have gone well, rather than always pointing out what needs to improve.

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My Thoughts On Our Spending In 2023

Every year around the New Year (Eve or Day), I calculate my (our) net worth and tot up my (our) spending. [I’ve been doing this for many years, since well before I met Mr. PiN, so I will revert to the singular going forward, mostly.]

I have written about this on the blog before, usually in January.

So why am I writing now, at the end of 2024, about our 2023 spending?

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A Return To The Donor Advised Fund

This weekend I logged into my donor advised fund (DAF), to make a one-time donation in memory of a college friend’s wife. The process was quick and easy, no running around the house to find the check book, an envelope, a stamp. Click, click, click–all done.

While I was logged in, I decided to look at the total that has been donated in 2024.

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Planning Is A Saving Super Tool

This past month has been a parade of high costs, what with a funeral, a professional exam (with a hotel stay the night before), and now a last minute vacation

The amount of money flowing out of the house has been…. amazing to me. Luckily, each time we pulled out the check book or plunked down the credit card, Mr. PiN and I were able to say: we have the money, this is what it’s for.

However, by seeing how expensive it is to do things at the last minute, it becomes clear that our habit of (usually) planning ahead has saved us a good chunk of money over the years.

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In Praise Of Great Friends

Since early in the pandemic, I have been meeting weekly with a group of girlfriends via video.

We all knew each other before the pandemic, but even my closest friend didn’t meet up with me every week. After 4 years of (nearly) weekly meetings, I think we are all closer friends than before.

We are not all doctors, but we enjoy talking a little about medicine (for some reason, we especially love references to syphilis–don’t ask). Most weeks we just catch up on each others’ lives, our work challenges, our family woes, and lately our vacation plans, and support one another.

In the past 4 years, two of us have gotten promotions at work, and another took a new, more senior position. The last one, my friend with One More Year Syndrome, cut back on work and has her last day of work in her sights.

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Shampoo Bars, Little Splurges And Big Deals

A few months ago, I took the plunge (so to speak), and decided to try using a shampoo bar instead of the liquid stuff sold in plastic bottles. I was mostly inspired by Michelle at Boomer Eco Crusader, who argued that shampoo bars were better for the environment and less expensive, too.

I started using my first bar about 3 and 1/2 months ago, and I see it’s about time to replace it, so I thought it might be time to reflect on my experience.

The more I think about it, the more I realize that I have contradictory thoughts about the impacts of small changes.

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