I was able to leave work today at 3 pm. I mowed the lawn and did my monthly investment statement, which looks sweeeet.

My net worth as of today is $650,633. That's more than $18,000 more than last month. Most of this....$573,000.....is tax-deferred money in IRA and 401k accounts, accumulated over a lifetime. I have $76,999 in taxable accounts. The house and car are paid for. And I have a real job now. Life is good.

Yet, all it would take is a market correction, probably overdue. Then, I would have to rebuild savings without a bull stock market acting like the wind in my sails. It would be more of an uphill climb.

My retirement savings goal for year's end was $623,000, so I've already exceeded that goal. In fact, my goal for the end of 2015 was $673,000, so it's entirely conceivable I could hit that goal also. These are specific, tangible goals I set for myself in order to save $908,000 in 5 years time, after which, I could probably retire. (Although my "number" has long been $1.25 mm, but I don't think I want to work that long.)

Home Depot never called me this past week as they said they would, to schedule a time to come to measure my front entry so I could get a new door. They charged my credit card $30 for the measurement fee, which goes toward the door purchase price if you wind up getting the door.

But I'm annoyed at their poor customer service already, not doing what they said they would do. I'm just too busy to chase after them. I called the credit card company to dispute the charge so I can get a credit and go elsewhere, but they required me to attempt to resolve it with the merchant, so then I called Home Depot but she said I'd have to talk to customer service, and evidently, they closed early becus the phone just rang and rang and rang. I'll try again tomorrow.

I also thought I would stop in at my local, in-town Windowland to check out their doors.

Tomorrow I've got an appointment at the local State Farm office to buy another $10K worth of 5-year CDs with IRA money that's earning practically nothing in my Vanguard money market. I think the rate I'll be getting is 2.15%. At least it's something. It's long-term money so I won't need to access it.

Yesterday there were more layoffs at the bank. Not on a massive scale, but selectively done. There were some long-timers, no doubt with much bigger salaries than I have, that were among the casualties. It was upsetting.

Also on the weekend's agenda: installing new bamboo shades in my upstairs bathroom, vacuuming, laundry and attending my town's Labor Day parade with a friend on Monday.

I got yet another new credit card, my 3rd or 4th (!) with Bank of America...the Better Balance Rewards card. You earn $25 cash rewards each quarter you charge something each month and pay more than the minimum balance, on time.

There's no minimum spend requirement, just that you spend something each month during the quarter and then pay more than the minimum required, on time. So it works out to $100 a year, which is equivalent to many other credit card up front bonuses I've gotten, but those offers are getting harder to find as I've gone thru most of them, and this at least lets me earn that $100 a year over and over again, if I keep the card as one of my long-term cards. It's a fairly painless way to earn free money, so that's what I'll do. The hardest part will be making sure I charge SOMETHING in each of the 3 months within a given quarter. Otherwise, no reward that quarter. I have so many cards, that can be tricky, but as soon as I accumulate enough rewards to redeem, I'll be wanting to close down some of these excess cards. Like, my Discover card will be the first to go.

While we're talking credit cards, I'm also going after an Amex deal where if you spend $50 at Stew Leonard's (a local grocery store around here), you get a $10 statement credit. I don't think it's much more expensive than any other grocery store around here, and I always need food, so why not.

Luther and Waldo have become so jaded. They won't even bat at the string I toss for them. Stop taunting us, they seem to say. We know it's dead. We like the real thing better.