January 2026 Net Worth Update: I Spent More Than I Made (On Purpose)

This month, I technically spent more than I made.

My checking account saw $3,802 in deposits. My spending was $6,007.

In a normal world, that's a problem. In my world, that's the plan.

January was the start of my aggressive front-loading strategy for 2026. I diverted nearly every available dollar into tax-advantaged accounts—401k, Mega Backdoor Roth, HSA—before it even hit my bank account. The result? A cash flow crunch on paper, but a $24K injection into my net worth.

Here's the breakdown of a month where I felt "broke" but actually got richer.

Quick TL;DR:

• Total Net Worth: $2.08M (up $38.6K from last month)
• Key Driver: Front-loading retirement accounts + RSU vesting = $24K invested in one month
• Spending: $6,007 (over my $5K target, but for a good reason)
• FI Progress: 41.6% toward my $5M goal

The Bottom Line

I'm firmly in the $2M club now. Growth this month was a mix of raw savings ($24K in new contributions) and the market doing its thing ($14.6K in growth).

Assets Breakdown: $2.43M

Retirement accounts are up from $577K in November. That's the front-loading already paying off.

Liabilities: ($349.6K)

Nothing exciting here. Autopilot.

• Mortgage: ($333.5K) — Slowly ticking down.
• M1 Loan: (~$16K) — Almost done with this one.
• Credit Cards: $0 — Paid in full, as always.

Income & Spending: Artificial Scarcity in Action

This is the part I'm most proud of. My gross income was $52,438 (inflated by RSU vesting), but my actual take-home was only $3,802.

Where did the rest go?

Add the vested RSUs (net ~$9.7K), and I put over $24K into assets in 31 days.

Spending: $6,007

Higher than my $5K target, and one category is to blame: groceries at $1,313.

January 2026 spending breakdown. Groceries dominated at 22%, but dining out dropped to $437.

This wasn't mindless spending though. I made a conscious shift to healthy eating and meal prepping this month. That $1,313 includes a one-time buy of glass containers and kitchen gear to support the new habit. I'm swapping dining out dollars (down to $437) for grocery dollars. I'll take that trade every time.

How I Survived the Cash Crunch

My spending ($6K) exceeded my take-home ($3.8K) by $2.2K. So where did the money come from?

My YNAB buffer. I'm currently living on money I earned 3 months ago. This buffer is what lets me front-load aggressively without panicking when the checking account looks low. It worked exactly how I planned it when I built the buffer last fall.

Reflections

1. Front-loading works. Seeing small paychecks stings, but knowing I've already filled a huge chunk of my 2026 retirement buckets by January? That feels good.
2. Health over convenience. The grocery bill was high, but I'd rather spend $1K at the grocery store than $1K on takeout. That's a trade I'll make every time.
3. Momentum is real. At $2.08M, the day-to-day volatility doesn't rattle me like it did at $1M. There's a steadiness now that makes it easier to stay the course.

Next month: keep going. The goal is to finish maxing the 401k and Mega Backdoor Roth by end of Q1.

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