I have been giving updates on my budgeting each month, but as my spending becomes more regular and I have less fluctuation to report, it becomes less interesting, so I am going to change the focus to my net worth, which is a long term goal as I reach for decreasing my debt, increasing my savings, and reaching 0.
January was a great month for both my net worth and for the blog. Let’s start with my financial progress. My bank accounts got a nice boost because I received the second half of my signing bonus at work and completed my orientation period. That comes with a small salary increase which I’ll see in future paychecks. It’s always nice to get a raise and receive recognition for doing a good job.
Net Worth
I was able to increase my net worth by $1,510, up to -$15,975. This includes fully funding my emergency fund, starting my IRA, and paying down student loans. This brings my student loan debt down to $22,587, with the average interest rate being a low 2.79%. Since I’m paying just the minimums due to the low interest rates, this won’t be decreasing quickly, but my other accounts will definitely show sizeable increases moving forward.
Blog Traffic
In terms of the blog, traffic increased 158% over December numbers. The great increase in visitors was likely due to several guest posts, which explains the increase in subscribers as well as return visitors. While these increases are beyond what I would ever have expected, I don’t think the trend will continue. However, I would like to continue growing at a 20% rate, which is definitely possible if I continue to guest post and get my name out there.
Samurai Alexa Ranking Challenge
Personally, I have been doing very well in the Samurai Alexa Ranking Challenge. When we started 12 days ago, I was at 682,918, which was my average ranking over the previous 3 months. Obviously, as I grow, my ranking increases, so even then, my 1 month ranking was just 371,965. Currently, my 1 month rank is 213,551, and my 3-month rank is 441,611. As long as I keep my 1-month number below my 3-month rank, I will continue to build toward my goal of breaching the 200,000 mark.
Favorites
Here are my favorite articles from January, as well as my list of guest posts that went up, in order of referral traffic generated from each post.
Mailbag: 5 Steps to Get Out of Debt
How to Avoid Paying $900/Month For Your iPhone
Impressing Your Friends Can Cost You
Maybe Phone Insurance Would Have Been Worth It (Lauren’s Guest Post)
Guest Posts
Money Relationship – Why I Don’t Stress About My $23,000 Pile of Debt (Jan 14)
Budgets Are Sexy – Who Cares If You Saved Money By Spending Money? (Jan 14)
PT Money – Simple Negotiation Boosts Your Mood and Your Wallet (Jan 13)
You Have More Than You Think – The Pinnacle of Frugality (Jan 13)
PT Money – How I Saved $27.95 on My Taxes (Jan 29)
158% a month?! Great work! Yes it won’t last forever, but wouldn’t it be great to get another month like that? :)
Good luck, and thanks for the Alexa Challenge updates.