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October has really taken a toll on me. Balancing family, work, and mental health has been challenging with everything that’s been going on. I’m almost embarrassed to admit it, but to protect my mental health and clear my head, I had to push myself to rejoin the gym.
It’s been a goal of mine for a while, and working out at home just wasn’t cutting it. On the days I don’t make it to the gym, I’ll make it a point to walk Boston around the block for at least thirty minutes. It’s a good way to keep active and unwind.
Thankfully, things are finally starting to settle down. I’m also grateful that my investments have been on autopilot, so they’ve stayed on track without adding to the stress.
Table of Contents
Here’s a Look at My Expenses for October 2024
| Mortgage | $2000 |
| Groceries | $163.93 |
| Home Improvement | $73 |
| Personal Care | $68.45 |
| Car insurance | $880.70 |
| Automotive | $54 |
| Mobile Phone | $0 |
| Internet | $109.99 |
| Gasoline/Fuel | $122.33 |
| General Merchandise | $932.57 |
| Total | $4404.97 |
Dividends for October 2024
In October 2024, I received $81.37 in dividend income from the following:
| Months | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
| Div Income | $37.46 | $38.92 | $91.36 | $45.49 | $39.72 | $65.20 | $84.10 | $43.25 | $65.71 | $81.37 |
AGNC Investment Corps (AGNC)
Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO)
Coca-Cola (KO)
Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF (VTI)
Altria Group Inc (MO)
Realty Income (O)
Invesco S&P 500 High Dividend Low Volatility ETF (SPHD)
Delta (DAL)
SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY)
Student Loan
I realized a while back that there’s no chance of my student loans just disappearing. The only way to truly put them behind me is to pay them off, so I’ve been throwing every extra dollar at the balance. Right now, I’m down to $5,210.68, and my goal is to have it paid off completely before next summer.
I can’t wait for the day I make that final payment and put this behind me for good. With my daughter just three years away from college, being able to focus more on building her investment account has always been part of the plan.
October 2024 Summary
It’s been a challenging month, but for all the right reasons. Now that we’re in the last quarter of the year, I’m looking forward to seeing how my dividend income performs. October reminded me that we’ll have ups and downs—not just small setbacks but some really tough days that call for patience and reflection.
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Gio founded TheGrowthFocusedGuy in January 2020 because he was fed up with debt.
His mission is to document his journey to Financial Independence in order to motivate and inspire others to get out of debt and begin building generational wealth.
