My dividend adventure continues. This is not the most exciting adventure. It’s actually on the boring side! But, for every $100 I put into dividend growth stocks, I get a few bucks back each year to put into more dividend growth stocks. My strategy is boring but I am really starting to see progress toward my eventual goal of replacing my regular income with dividend income. Here’s what I came out with in February 2017.

I am writing this looking back from September 2017.

2 shares of MMM (3M Co) @ $175.94/share ($351.88)

I felt great about 3M after my original purchase and strengthened my position on it. It’s nice to have some no-brainer companies to invest in. I am still looking to start new investments with new dividend growth companies, but I’m starting to consider bolstering my existing investments too.

1 shares of TRV (Travelers Companies Inc) @ $118.03/share ($118.03)

I had very little exposure to the financial/insurance industry, but had my eye on Travelers with its very safe 2.4% yield and 37% payout ratio (as of Sept 2017). After buying a few 3M shares, I only had enough funds for one share of TRV. I went ahead with the purchase as a sort of “bookmark” for later. At the time I bought this share, the most recent dividend increase was about 10%. Later in the year, TRV would have a 7.5% dividend increase. Still good.

3 shares of EMN (Eastman Chemical Company) @ $78.57/share ($235.71)

2.4% yield and 27% payout ratio (as of Sept 2017). I love low payout ratios! EMN has been increasing their dividend by double digits the past few years. They still have a lot of room to grow if they wish to. They provide chemicals for a number of industries such as construction, industrials, and agricultural. All industries I am confident will continue to grow with the world’s population and require more of Eastman’s products.

2 shares of HD (Home Depot Inc) @ $137.43/share ($274.86)

I love Lowe’s, but I personally like walking into Home Depot more. I don’t know why, maybe it is the orange color on the logo? They are really the two leaders in their industry, so why shouldn’t I own both? Similar to Lowe’s, Home Depot has a lot of the metrics I look for. In Sept 2017, dividend yield is 2.23% and payout ratio is 49%. Home Depot doesn’t have as much of a dividend increase history as Lowe’s, but who really does? Shortly after this purchase, I was rewarded with a massive 29% dividend increase! I should have bought more!

7 shares of MO (Altria Group Inc) @ $71.62/share ($501.34)

Along with JNJ and KO, MO is one of the stalwarts of the dividend growth investing world. I had to get in on it. I believe “vaping” will continue to grow, and the weed industry has been exploding the last few years. I believe MO will benefit if the current legalization trend continues. There is a lot of bad press (rightfully so) about smoking, but I believe MO is run by the best of the best.

8 shares of MSFT (Microsoft Corporation) @ $63.58/share ($508.64)

I can’t believe it took me this long to buy into Microsoft! At the time I am writing this, Microsoft has grown into my very top holding. I recently read an article that described Microsoft as a new sort of utility company. Word, Excel, and PowerPoint are unquestioned industry standards. They are keeping right up with their competitors in the cloud movement. They’re building a steady dividend increase history, and with a 2.07% yield, they are still at a 49% payout ratio (as of Sept 2017). There is nothing I don’t like about Microsoft, and I will continue to buy and hold!

1 shares of FLO (Flowers Foods, Inc.) @ $20.53/share ($20.53)

With a bit left over from this deposit, I picked up another share of FLO. Big yield and big payout ratio. Not quite in line with my style.

1 shares of FLO (Flowers Foods, Inc.) @ $19.16/share ($19.16)

After a few dividends rolled in, I had enough to pick up another share of FLO. Again, big yield and big payout ratio. This will be the last FLO purchase for a while. I use Robinhood and instead of DRIP, I pick up shares of different companies when my dividends amount to enough. I will later trend towards CSCO, PFE, and HRL as I like these dividend growers and their share cost is in the low $30 range.