Lunch Budget Experiment Update #3

I haven’t talked about my Lunch Experiment or Adult Allowance for quite a while, so I thought it was time for an update!

The REIT stock “ANH” dropped 11% since I bought it, but surprisingly with the dividends received so far, I’ve still even on the amount invested overall…  I also purchased a small position (only 1/2 of what I put in ANH) in a stock “EVEP” (an energy stock) that also provides a dividend. 

The EVEP dividend only pays 8%, but the stock is up almost 40%, so from a total stock evaluation stand point I’m up a combined total of a little over $200.

Okay, to summarize, the valuation of the stocks are actually up which is great, so I can count the dividends from both stocks entirely.  The amount the dividends per week comes to $8.00 (I can only buy soup when I eat out, but it’s a start).

So my experiment so far is successful.  I now generate enough income for 1 day out of the 5 work days for a lunch paid for by the dividends (yes, I know I’m not considering taxes…)!  I decided to keep doing the experiment!  I also decided to diversify into other dividend yielding stocks.  I know that the stock ANH will probably decrease their dividend in the near future, so the more I can diversify the better!

To “prime the pump” I borrowed money from my account to start this, and I’ve been slowly paying myself back.  I still have 8 weeks left, then I will start saving money again for investing in more stocks for my Lunch Experiment!

While the amounts may seem trivial, all great things start out small, and so did this!  You see, this is my first true “Dividend Fund“!!!

Eventually, I plan on creating a Christmas, Vacation and “Real Estate Tax” Dividend Funds!

Have you considered creating such Dividend funds or do you have alternative ideas? 

-MR

Related Posts:

Dividend Stocks, Lunch Experiment Update #4

Lunch Budget Experiment Update #2

Lunch Budget Experiment Update

Paying An Adult Allowance

Lunch Budget Experiment Update

 

Hurray!Woo Hoo

This past friday, I’ve accumulated my first $1,000 by cutting back on my lunch expenses…

Now , I’m looking at stocks that will pay at least a 5% dividend (and preferable around 6 or 7%).  After the fourth quarter passes (I get my first dividend after the fourth quarter), I’ll be able to go out to lunch 1 extra day each month.   Then after 25 more days, I’ll have another $1,000.  After I have $2,000 dollars invested in dividend yielding stocks,  I’ll be able go out ever other week.  After another year passes, I’ll have enought money saved up to go out and entire extra day per week.  That’s all I need, going out 3 time a week is plenty.  If I keep the experiment up past 2 year, I’ll just keep saving the money in the lunch fund.

I’m kind of excited about this, I’ve always wanted to have a dividend fund like this since I was 19 years old.  Of course, I’m not considering taxes, but I’m hoping that if I get a 6% or 7%, that will make up for my lack of tracking the tax.

Lunch Savings to date:

Savings from int. rate: 5%
Lunch Budget
Amt Cumultive Yearly Monthly Weekly
6/5/2009 40 40 2.00 0.17 $0.04
6/12/2009 40 80 4.00 0.33 $0.08
6/19/2009 40 120 6.00 0.50 $0.12
6/26/2009 40 160 8.00 0.67 $0.15
7/3/2009 40 200 10.00 0.83 $0.19
7/10/2009 40 240 12.00 1.00 $0.23
7/17/2009 40 280 14.00 1.17 $0.27
7/24/2009 40 320 16.00 1.33 $0.31
7/31/2009 40 360 18.00 1.50 $0.35
8/7/2009 40 400 20.00 1.67 $0.38
8/14/2009 40 440 22.00 1.83 $0.42
8/21/2009 40 480 24.00 2.00 $0.46
8/28/2009 40 520 26.00 2.17 $0.50
9/4/2009 40 560 28.00 2.33 $0.54
9/11/2009 40 600 30.00 2.50 $0.58
9/18/2009 40 640 32.00 2.67 $0.62
9/25/2009 40 680 34.00 2.83 $0.65
10/2/2009 40 720 36.00 3.00 $0.69
10/9/2009 40 760 38.00 3.17 $0.73
10/16/2009 40 800 40.00 3.33 $0.77
10/23/2009 40 840 42.00 3.50 $0.81
10/30/2009 40 880 44.00 3.67 $0.85
11/6/2009 40 920 46.00 3.83 $0.88
11/13/2009 40 960 48.00 4.00 $0.92
11/22/2009 40 1000 50.00 4.17 $0.96

 

For those of you who might not have seen the earlier post about my Lunch Budget Experiment (I called it an Adult Allowance Experiment for the initial post), this is what I”m doing:

I’m cutting $40 out of my weekly lunch expenses by packing cheap (but still health) lunches.  Then after the savings amount hit over $1,000 dollars, I taking the money saved and investing it into a stock that pays a dividend.  I then use the dividend money to pay for the lunches I use to pay directly out of pocket.  IMHO, the beauty of this is I don’t actually carve extra money from my earned income to pay for lunch.  I’m just spend the dividend money I would have spent on lunch anyway.  So after the first 2 years, I get a free weekly lunch via the dividend payments.

The next dividend producing funds that I’ll try to start are:

  • Christmas fund.
  • Home Improvements fund.
  • Kids Allowance fund
  • Vacation fund (this will be a hybrid approach, because it would take too long).

I would like to include a Car fund, but I don’t think I can build up a dividend producing fund quick enough…

 

Tell me what you think, and do you have any suggestions?  Do you think I should stick to the experiment for 2 or  more years?

-MR

Related Posts:

Paying An Adult Allowance

Lunch Budget Experiment #2 – Buying the Stock