Every Saturday morning I get up and fill out my personal finance spreadsheet. Yes, I could do a lot of this in even more electronic ways. But, the act of filling out the spreadsheet actually helps me internalize what is going on with the money. Saturday is the day with the least rigor in my life and most susceptible to money spendage. Filling out the spreadsheet is the psychological reminder that I really don't have anything to spend when I walk out the door on Saturday morning.
This morning I filled out the "Investment" tab and realized that my accounts are down around 40%. Wow. Some are down 80% and some are not down much, but the grand total is about 40%. Yet, on the "Debt" tab, my debt is barely moving. Of course, it doesn't help that my mortgage payment, the yearly home and car insurance fee and the yearly neighborhood association fee all came out of this last check. Still...even if that hadn't come out it would still not be chipping away.
I could stop contributing to the 401K, but then I would end up giving that money to Uncle Sam anyway because the 401k helps lower my taxes (and apparently no actual savings benefit right now).
Just a sign of the current times I guess, but it is a glimpse into how bad it must really be. What about those that are retiring, lost their jobs or are stuck in any kind of non-perfect situation (divorce, random health issue, fewer hours, or this thing called life, etc.).
I don't have the answers, I just have my spreadsheet.
It looks like I will just be buying some gas and a couple of carrots today.
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