Wow, it’s been a whirlwind as of late! It’s also been very tough to get any spare time to write our October 2023 financial update blog! As such we are going to try and keep it relatively short this month so we can move things along.
After spending a little over a week in the Dallas area we moved south to start our winter work-camping positions. Since arriving here we haven’t had much down time. We had a meeting the day after we arrived and then we started working the very next day. It helps that we are already experienced with the system and familiar with most of the procedures. We just have to get to know the nuances of this particular campground which only comes with time.
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While it has been a little crazy we are very happy with how everything is going. The management has been awesome and professional. This is a stark contrast from our experience last season. The only difficulty is that the staffing is in a seasonal transition period. Because of this we are a little short staffed until everyone else arrives. As a result we have picked up some extra shifts and put in some long weeks. Things should calm down and settle in over the next couple of weeks as more people show up. In the meantime we get to help out and earn a little extra cash!
Over the course of the last couple of months we have discussed that we are looking at homes and properties as we travel. While it’s been fun it has also turned out to be a rather exhausting experience. As of late we have driven all over the state of Texas which is no easy task. It also gets expensive on top of making for very long days. It seems like when we finally have time off we end up driving somewhere to look at properties. We probably need to take a moment to breathe a little.
Seeing all of these different locations has helped tremendously when it comes to deciding on locations. It’s one thing to put together data points on a spreadsheet and look at photos online. Getting out and seeing locations and homes in person has been a real eye opener. Some places are much better than they initially look and some places must have hired a professional photographer. It will be interesting to see how things develop over the next six months while we are in one place.
Now on to the October numbers………………….
Our Portfolio Performance October 2023:
Portfolio = $1,338,984
Our Portfolio Decreased By -$38,346 or -2.78% From The End Of September
Year-To-Date Our Portfolio Has Increased By $14,357 or 1.08%
Net Worth = $1,402,569
Our Net Worth Decreased By -$38,975 or -2.70% From The End Of September
Year-To-Date Our Net Worth Has Increased By $22,741 or 1.65%
For the third month in a row the markets sold off and eventually entered correction territory. As of the end of October we have pretty much given up all of our gains for the year which is disappointing. While on it’s face this really stinks, on top of being really frustrating, it could be a good set up for the end of the year. The markets ran hard out of the gate and set a torrid pace. That was simply not sustainable in this environment. With talk of recession and the incompetent dopes running the federal government a correction was a necessary evil. Hopefully, it’s a chance to consolidate and move higher in the long run.
Our Spending for October 2023:
Monthly Budget = $5,000
Total spend for October 2023 = $4,262
Over/Under Monthly Budget = $738
Over/Under Budget YTD = $320
Prepaid Site Fees = -$418
Net Over/Under Budget YTD = $42 Under Budget
If there was a silver lining to our October 2023 financial update it’s our spending. In our last update we noted that we expected to be at of above our $5k budget amount due to travel and prepaid fees. Instead we clamped down and stayed well under budget to the tune of $738.
After factoring in our final prepaid site fee for the year we still managed to stay under budget on a net basis by $320. Even better, we turned positive for or the year by a very slim $42! This was a very welcome sight to see as we had a lot of fixed expenses in October in addition to a couple of one time expenses for personal stuff.
Looking ahead to November we once again expect to be at or over budget. Since we arrived in San Antonio and plan to be here for six months we felt it was a good time to get some additional exams taken care of. It’s turning out to be an expensive decision, but a necessary one for our health. At least we are getting some extra hours at work to help cover the expenses.
Additionally, we have some things brewing that we are not quite ready to discuss on this blog as of yet. And like everything else there are expenses that have to be paid which could impact our budget in a negative way. But it is what it is and we will see how things turn out. In the end it could be a net positive for our lives which is the most important thing.
That’s a wrap for our October 2023 financial update. Thank you as always for reading our blog!
See you on the road!
Joe
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