Outgo:
Food: $600.00
Wine: $40.60
Housing: $1426.07
Daycare: $930.00
DCFSA: -$425.00
Utils: $279.26
Household: $125.74
Apparel: $160.66
Furnish: $165.98
Veh. sav: $405.46
Gas & Oil: $180.00
FlexCar: $87.07
PubTrans: $15.00
Veh. exp: $143.34
Healthcare: $160.00
Amusement: $120.00
PersonCare: $51.00
Reading: $30.00
Education: $100.00
Miscel.: $77.72
CashContrib:$60.00
Insurance:$ 90.00 (car, bike, life)
Internet: $26.95
Phone: $69.26
LongDist: $18.00
Gifts: $33.00
--------------------
Outgo: $4970.11/month

These are maximum average amounts. My plan is to live so low on food, and lower energy costs that any strange head-and-shoulders blip in one category can be readily absorbed.

Wrote a cheque out for escrow and interest. Still waiting for DCFSA reimbursement check for $930.00. Looks like the stock market isn't working in our favour for the stock bonus. However, we are at least increasing our equity in the home by $3000 this year. Our net worth may make a dip this year but at least it's no foreclosure, right?

Let's check in on the Maxed Out Americans: 2006Q1 household mortgage grew by 13.6%. Consumer Credit grew by a modest 2.2%. It even shrunk 0.7% in 2005Q4. Way to lay off the credit cards, America! Make Chase, MBNA, CitiBank, and Discover BEG.

I'm bracing for a 34% decline in market value for our home. Houses supposedly appreciate 1% per year, but I think it's probably more like 4-5% when inflation is factored within. My house SHOULD be $286386.37, priced at a modest YOY 4.25% appreciation. Zillow has it at $107K above that amount.

I'm learning from John December that I must be a better steward of my time, money, belongings, child, information. Scheduling these looks like a good idea -- it's too easy for me to get randomized, to get off-track.

I'm spending $2360/month on mortgage and daycare. That's a little less 50% of our budgeted takehome. Should I be concerned about saving so I can live on 60% of my income? No. I'll live on 35% of my income. I won't have daycare in a year. I won't have a mortgage in eighteen, unless I'm investing in properties.

Mean retirement assets by age of household head (35-44): $68,735. Median retirement assets (35-44): $27,000.

Funds to look into: VIPSX; EKWYX; SCGDX; FSAGX; TGLDX.

1. $100.00 toward scooter
2. $100.00 toward Roth IRA
3. $100.00 toward savings