Psst: Want to know my net worth?

Iria · Sep 19, 2005, 01:02 AM

April was a stellar month for Jim Wang, 25, a software engineer who has kept a scrupulous record of his struggle to save for a down payment on his first home.

Wang, who lives in Columbia, Md., pared down his spending on groceries to just $53.98 for the entire month. He cut back on meals at restaurants and nights on the town with his girlfriend. He trimmed his utility bill by making sure the lights were off when he left his apartment. And despite an unexpected dental bill--$50 for the filling of a cavity in his right bottom molar--he managed to come in 28 percent under his monthly budget of $1,755. He put the extra $484.47 into his home-buying account.

How do we know all this? From his financial blog, an online document that manages to be confessional in tone without revealing all that much about his personal life. But it does tell more about his spending, savings and investment habits than many people know about their best friends'. The blogosphere is filled with forums on politics and music, and with intimate chronicles about relationships and sex. But for an increasing number of people, like Wang, blogging is all about the money. (His blog is at Bargaineering.com.
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Read More / Source: News.com

Sep 19, 2005, 01:02 AM	#1
Iria DriverHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 7,275 Rep Power: 89	Psst: Want to know my net worth? April was a stellar month for Jim Wang, 25, a software engineer who has kept a scrupulous record of his struggle to save for a down payment on his first home. Wang, who lives in Columbia, Md., pared down his spending on groceries to just $53.98 for the entire month. He cut back on meals at restaurants and nights on the town with his girlfriend. He trimmed his utility bill by making sure the lights were off when he left his apartment. And despite an unexpected dental bill--$50 for the filling of a cavity in his right bottom molar--he managed to come in 28 percent under his monthly budget of $1,755. He put the extra $484.47 into his home-buying account. How do we know all this? From his financial blog, an online document that manages to be confessional in tone without revealing all that much about his personal life. But it does tell more about his spending, savings and investment habits than many people know about their best friends'. The blogosphere is filled with forums on politics and music, and with intimate chronicles about relationships and sex. But for an increasing number of people, like Wang, blogging is all about the money. (His blog is at Bargaineering.com. _________ Read More / Source: News.com Last edited by MIG-31; Sep 19, 2005 at 07:14 AM.