I was freaking out these last few months, because it looked like my money was disappearing. Actually, it was just that I had lent my mom a shitload of money ($4000 or so) and had forgotten about it. December, I started getting the money back. Still, the growth of my net worth seems to be slowing down, even if you ignore the last two months. It looks like it's about to level off and stay constant. Not a good sign.

I've spent a lot of money this last month. Yes, I bought a drumset. That was about $900, but that's one of those "one-time" purchases. I also started paying bills (heating, electricity, etc.) and those are gonna be repeat expenses that I'll have to worry about for the rest of my life. I also spent a bit on tech gadgets this month: I bought an extension cord that's being used in the drum room, because there's only one outlet there, and I want to power multiple devices. I also had to replenish my supplies of blank DVDs and blank CDs, and I bought some wireless networking cards, as my mom just got a wireless modem from Sympatico. Then there was the Family Guy DVDs. I got seasons 1, 2, 3, 4 and Stewie's untold story for $150. So yeah, I splurged a bit this month. Hey, it's Christmas, right?

Cash flow forecast is pretty bad. Over the next 12 months, if I keep spending the way I'm spending now, it'll fluctuate up and down, but essentially remain at about the same level (around $3000). Prior to this month, the forecast was that I'd be making more than I was spending, and that my cash flow would hit $7000 within a year. Okay, no sweat: I'll just cut back on the spending. Like I said, I splurged this month, and the expenses will go back to a more conservative level for most of next year. I was planning buying a laptop that normally goes for $1700 at $500 off. With tax and shipping, it comes up to about $1500. I guess I'm not gonna do that anymore. It's a shame, because it looked like a pretty good deal. Oh well, there'll probably be another deal again next year, after Christmas.

My investments are still in a relative infancy. I'm only investing in a single mutual fund for my RRSP. I think the fund focuses on Canadian financial institutions (e.g. banks). I should probably diversify into US funds, and maybe a Chinese one. I'm trying to open a second investment account; jointly managed by myself and an friend of mine who does investing for a living. Unfortunately, my credit rating is currently non-existent, so it's tough to open accounts.