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Welcome to summer. Last month was rough on the debt counter. I had a net gain of over $7,000 from vehicle repairs, and ordering my shed and all the extra pieces I needed for that. This month, I think turning covered calls and dividends into cash instead of reinvesting has really helped tackle some of these numbers.
Debt tracking is a lovely thing. It’s great when you succeed and hits you in the stomach when you fail. So let’s look at how this progress is going this month:
| 6/15/26 Real Total | Last Month Amount | Current Balance | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| USAA 1.5% | $66 | $0 | Still has some Auto pay items. |
| Gas CC (USAA): | $260 | $0 | Got really high from the wedding almost $300. |
| Chase Cards x3: | $0 | $0 | Auto bills for max points. |
| Robinhood Gold: | $2,271 | $1,369.49 | Mostly Medical, and purchases for games in Swagbucks and Freecash. |
| Car Loan | $16,642.72 | $16,213.25 | $500 payment, $429.47 payoff. |
| 401k Loan | $33,853 | $32,944.01 | $600 x2 payments, only $908.99 off principal, but interest is paid to my 401k. |
| HELOC | $15,821 | $13,542.42 | 2 $1,000 payments! |
| May Total: | $68,913.72 | $64,069.17 | |
| Net Progress: | $7,712 | -$4,844.55 | WOW! |
As you can see, I made some tangible progress. I had a $900 setback from my mower repair and another $400 medical bill, but overall progress is going in the correct direction. Plus, $2,000 worth of HELOC payments feels pretty huge.
This month, I also pulled $200 out of Vanguard dividends to put toward debt. From Robinhood I put $600 from dividends and covered calls against debt on the Gold Card.
Any careful readers might notice that the payout from my Freecash article is missing from this list. The reason is simple: Bitcoin crashed. It went from the $70,000 it had been at for a few months and dropped down to $60,000. I have no doubt that it will climb back up to that $70,000 number, so I have set a timed sale of the exact amount that I cashed out of Freecash for when that happens. What I cashed out of Freecash at $562 would then be $649. And if it doesn’t push to $70k by the end of the month I’ll sell it at whatever the rate is to make sure I get zero credit card interest.
Now, I do want to be clear: a portion of that Gold Card balance is related to spending I’ve been doing on the games I’m side hustling. This is not the method I was utilizing in January, but the payouts have been significantly higher. “Chaos and Puzzles” cost me $231.17 for what will hopefully cash out above at $649. “Rise of Kingdoms”, assuming I make it to the $300 milestone, is currently at $135 spent with $68 completed. There are 7 days to meet the $70 payout, and 16 days to reach the $300 payout. I’m confident I can reach these milestones.
Another Freecash game I’m working on simultaneously with Rise is “Puzzles & Survival.” I’m at $345 spent and $379 earned. I’m less than 72 hours from a further $130 more payout and shouldn’t need to drop more cash. The final level 30 for $243 is likely unreachable.
Three games: $713 spent, max expected income: $1,596. As the Freecash cashes out at a 30% bonus via Bitcoin, that adds another $152, for $1,748. That’s an ROI I can live with.
The only reason I bring that up in this debt article is because it is the bigger part of that gold card balance right now, which means I’m also getting 3% cash back on that spending, which is $21.
How is tackling your own debt going? Comment below.
~~Miniwing~~
Investor, Parent, Stoic
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