Around the time I began to struggle to write regular posts and what would turn out to be a two month hiatus from the blog, I prepared my chart for November 2020. Even though I was not writing or posting regular updates here, we did continue to track our monthly financial activity. I won’t do a complete catch up from the months I missed. But I will post a short recap of what happened that month, together with our chart. 

The renovations to our new home were set to begin in November. Mr. Vine was staying at the new house and over the Thanksgiving holiday, I joined him there with the cats. The house was 

barely furnished, but we managed a nice and quiet Thanksgiving dinner for the two of us. With pandemic cases surging (again), it felt strange to be so isolated. 

Our spending was high due to significant home renovation expenses. These months of spiking renovation expenses will continue for the next several months. We are expecting the renovation to be complete not long after the new year. 

We are trying to hold investments somewhat steady during this time. Mr. Vine’s job change means that he no longer has a 401k available, so we are using much of that additional cash flow towards this home renovation. The overall budget still works considering our expected breakeven point with an apartment rental. But it feels painful to watch the numbers remain so sluggish right now.