End of Month Update

Time to do another end of month update to see how things are going.
This month I did manage to keep my expenses in line. It's a little less than what's showing on my bank statement because I'm getting some money back. For instance, this month I bought probably $400 worth of concert tickets (because I bought tickets for friends at the same time) so I will get the majority of that back.

I'm definitely getting ready for December, because of some planned purchases (I'll get to that below)

November '05 Net Worth: $31,030
This represents a little over a 7% gain from last month due to lower expenses and increases in my brokerage account. Overall I'm pretty happy with that figure, since it's a little higher than I expected. Psychologically, it's also nice to finally get past the 20 digits mark.

December: I don't think the market will continue to rally, but rather cool off a bit. So I'm expecting a slight decline in my brokerage account (although normally December is a good month for the market). I should bring in close to $2900 from work, but I will have extra expenses. I'm also still waiting for my reimbursement check for $280.
The big one is that I'm moving into an apartment in the middle of the month. I'll need to pay half the monthly rent, so $300. Deposit for my room is 1/3 of the total rent, so that will be another $667. I'm not sure if I'll count this against me, since it's technically still my money.
Then Christmas is near so I'm going to do some shopping. I'm not too sure how much I'll end up spending, but it will include a few big items. For instance I'm buying my parents a digital camera/printer, but I should be able to find a deal online.

Overall things are going okay, but they could be better. I'm $970 away from my year end goal with just a month to go. Monthly inflows should be $3100, which leaves me with $2130 to spare. Then probably $1200 for rent/expenses, fluctuations in my account, and Christmas shopping- my year end goal might be in jeopardy (but it won't be the end of the world).