[this is a ymoyl update.]

in july, expenses were abnormally raised, and last month, they were abnormally lowered by the absence of a mortgage payment. this month should shift the lines back to their usual paths. the august treasury note was auctioned at 4.25%, so i’m using that as $i now. i didn’t make a purchase because i’d like to stockpile some cash in my money market account, where it’s fairly liquid. i had to take cash from my line of credit to cover the mortgage settlement, and paid $4.05 for the privilege. there’s no reason i should be doing that. i’m going to start keeping $3,000-$4,000 in the money market account to cover any emergencies that arise.

i’m also thinking of buying series i savings bonds, which are currently at 4.66%. they can’t be cashed for six months and there’s a three-month interest penalty if they’re redeemed in the first five years, but even so, they beat any money market i can find. it seems a good, safe place to park cash i won’t want for a year or two.