11:04 PM
Here's some good journal
material: an occasional going-through of my financial situation.
First off, here's the scoop according to the record:
NET WORTH
5/12/00 -1,124
5/16/00 +5,818
5/18/00 +3,938
5/18/00 +3,487
5/19/00 +3,424
5/20/00 +6,016
5/21/00 +2,256
5/21/00 -42
5/22/00 -1,168
5/23/00 -149
5/24/00 +345
5/25/00 -1,311
5/26/00 -1,447
5/27/00 7:07 pm -2,072
5/28/00 1:19 am -4,269
5/28/00 10:14 pm -5,059
5/29/00 9:42 pm -6,376
5/30/00 10:53 pm -3,877
6/8/00 2:54 pm -4,385
6/10/00 4:21 pm -4,528
6/11/00 12:26 am -4,735
6/12/00 3:17 pm -4,658
6/13/00 12:05 pm -5,632
6/14/00 1:35 am -5,501
6/15/00 8:17 am -5,267
6/16/00 6:03 am -4,889
6/16/00 1:35 pm -4,460
6/17/00 11:35 pm -4,373
6/19/00 6:25 am -4,657 (??)
6/19/00 5:18 pm -4,427
6/20/00 4:23 am -4,387
6/22/00 11:03 am -4,592
6/23/00 3:14 am -5,028
some big, big swings in there - this is by far the most volatile period of my life (----- game had everything to do with that). So, at the time of this writing, I'm stuck about five grand. Ho hum. This probably makes me "richer" than a lot of so-called "millionaires." Our first and foremost goal, however, is to ELIMINATE DEBT, which we perceive as something abhorred by nature, much like a vacuum. Let us now consider our fixed expenses according to current living conditions, monthly:
Rent
$550
Transportation
$63 (unlimited MetroCard, 30-day)
Vitamins,
etc. $100 (a very
rough estimate)
Food
$310 (assuming a Spartan $10/day, reasonable if I rely
heavily on eating at home)
Savings
account $100 (at the beginning of 2000, I began
saving $100
per month,
regardless of other conditions)
Phone +
IT
$70 (IT $10, phone $15, cell + long distance $45)
Laundry + clothing $120
(reasonable, will keep me in socks for sure!)
TOTAL $1,313
Income from club (assuming
current work schedule, monthly)
$2,281
This leaves us with a remainder of $968 per month. Subtract the $186 as a ballpark figure for a little fun and learning materials (books and programs aint free!), and we have $800 per month toward the payment of debt. Assuming zero interest, we can be fairly sure of having paid off all debt in 6.25 months, or right around January 1, 2001, by which time I ought to be a code-writing genius and have more job offers than I can respond to. (we may adjust the extra interest paid against the $550 rent already paid for the month of July)
A brief reminder: not smoking saves me $400+ PER MONTH! Go Chasterus!
For me, financial freedom does not
mean getting "rich." There is more to it than that. It is
an expression of the relationship between how I wish to live (and the expenses
thus incurred) and how much money I have. One fundamental goal is to
eliminate want, desire, particularly in the material sense. At present I
am content to own very little, and wish to be content with less (technological
advancements will inevitably make this possible - basically all I want is
shelter, food, drink, freedom to move about the globe as I please, and a laptop
that has everything a Turing machine / data storage device could theoretically
offer). I also wish to work on what I think is important, when I think
it's right, at my own pace, for as many or as few hours as I wish.
Furthermore, I wish to live under these conditions without necessitating the
suffering of any kind by any sentient being or beings. This precludes
gambling and, for the same reasons, stock trading and
"business." Creating code, words and music (visual art?) fits
nicely into these restrictions. Who suffers when a really great program
comes out? Only those who benefit expressly from the scarcity of
such. Who suffers when a great album or song comes out? Only those
who are jealous they didn't make it themselves. We may adopt Bucky
Fuller's principle of not pursuing any specific area of research known to be
worked on by other competent folks, thus eliminating as far as possible the
feeling of competition.