Taking Stock

So here is what my spending looks like so far this month:

Only thing is, it's deceiving. It does not include money spent on stocks. That's more like a "transfer" from one account to another. I hate to say how much I have spent on trade commissions last year, considering the tiny amounts of stock I have purchased. I hate to say it, and I even hate to know it, but unless I do know it I won't know if I have changed. So I am going to know it. I am going to look it up right now.

I spent $139 on trade commissions last year, according to my records. I suspect this is not the whole amount, that I have miscategorized some transactions.  As I go through my records I will refine the number. What I do know is that I spent $119.76 in buyandhold.com fees last year ($9.98 per month, three "buys"), and $144 for sharebuilder, so the total is actually $263.76.

Here's what I've been doing. I've been buying bits of shares from buyandhold.com for three companies. I just buy a total of $80 worth of stock. But the fee is $6.99 for the first two and then $2.99 for each additional, so that means $9.98 every month to buy $80 worth of stock. Not a good ratio. Obviously I would do better to buy larger amounts, but I can't afford larger amounts. And I pay the $6.99 every month regardless.

I also buy stock from three companies on sharebuilder. I buy a total of $150 for a total fee of $12. A better ratio. I'm considering consolidating. Just have one account. But which one? I don't know.  I just opened yet another account (not funded) at OptionsHouse. Different type of account from Sharebuilder and Buyandhold. I need to fund it first. I have to give this all some thought.