Celebrating my highest net worth EVER: $520,005.78

My net worth closed this past Friday’s session at a very nice $520,005.78. This is my highest value ever so far!

It’s quite surprising, especially knowing that tomorrow we’ll already be in December. Lately, I’ve been quite frugal and making an effort to save some money. I didn’t even buy anything during the Black Friday sales. It would have been easy to spend, but I honestly didn’t need anything. I’m really trying to only spend money on things I truly need. Recently, I’ve been cooking vegetarian meals for my old folks, so I’ve been spending a bit more on food. There are three of us, so I have to cook for three instead of just myself. I can’t realistically cook for all of us for a full week, but I’m able to prepare a few meals at least. I do this on the weekend.

This saving mode will continue in the same direction in December.

I am trying to contribute a total of $7,000 to my 2025 RRSP. I already have around $4,000 invested through my job. Whatever I can save until the end of December will go toward my RRSP contribution, and whatever I can save starting in January 2026 will go into my savings.

I had bills to pay this weekend, including my rent for December, so I am now left with only $3,843.84 in savings.

It takes quite a bit of resilience and hard work to build up savings these days, but just because it’s difficult doesn’t mean it’s not doable in this economy where everything is getting so expensive. I am spending the winter months in New Brunswick, in a small town, so it’s actually easier for me to save money here than it would be if I were in Montreal. Winter can be quite long in New Brunswick, but I keep myself busy.

Despite having a net worth in the 500K range, my concerns remain the same as before: save some money, contribute to my RRSP, etc. Nothing is really changing. A 500K net worth is certainly a good amount, but it’s not yet enough to make a significant difference in my life. My investment portfolio doesn’t generate enough in dividends yet to cover all of my expenses. So building up some savings and investing in my RRSP remain on my agenda. It’s nothing I can’t deal with, but not having to actually care about those things would be nice. It just feels like I am at the same point, despite having a 500K net worth.

One reason I feel that way is that I always have to rebuild my savings. It’s something that I find quite annoying. If I could have at least a solid $20,000 in savings, it could have a positive impact on my situation. A year ago, I became debt-free; in 2025, I reached a 500K net worth; and in 2026, I would like to put a little bit more money aside. This won’t bring much excitement, but it’s something that I need to work on. Especially at my age, I am 45 and I have barely 4k in savings, come on!