• Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
Join the free Facebook group
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

My Debt Epiphany

A blog about getting out of debt and getting on the right track financially

  • Home
  • About Me
  • Blog
  • Categories
    • Budgets
    • Debt
    • Extra Income
    • Money Mindset + Motivation
    • Saving
    • Side Hustles
  • Start a Blog
  • Resources
  • Work With Me
    • Hire Me
    • Public Speaking
    • Guest Post
    • Advertising
You are here: Home / Budgets / March Budget Review

March Budget Review

This post may contain affiliate links. Click here to read my disclosure policy.

Wow what a month! March was a month of changes and a pretty standard month in terms of finances. Every month I share how well my spending went according to my budget and acknowledge my highs and lows for the month. I’ve been thinking that this may be one of the last reviews I’ll post since I’m getting married in May and I imagine it will be a huge adjustment to combine finances and work out a joint budget.

I made some progress on my wedding planning to-do list, had a great Easter at my mom’s house, and spent some quality time with my son for his spring break. This past weekend we went took my son and brother to LegoLand which was super fun. I had almost as much fun as the kids did checking out all the attractions and included some pictures below of the awesome Lego city of Chicago display. Even though it’s technically April, I paid for our tickets in March so the spending is reflected in this month’s review. I am spending a little more than I show on the spreadsheet below for wedding expenses each month, but since I deposit money to a wedding savings account each month and place it on the savings side of my budget, I don’t think I should account for it twice when I spend it. Plus, I plan on sharing a big wedding budget review later to see how we did with keeping our spending under control.

12922331_10208837798843805_242081881_o

12952713_10208837798123787_300176967_o

12952987_10208837798403794_515308702_o

12953237_10208837797883781_1372828948_o

12959334_10208837799163813_502368356_o

My Highs

  • I love starting things off by reflecting on my debt repayment progress. I put another $740 toward student loans last month and got my debt down to $17k. I really hope to get it down to around $15k by the time I quit my job to freelance this summer and I plan to get it as close to $10k by the end of this year so I can knock out the remaining balance in 2017. That’s my rough plan but it could change.
  • We lowered day care expenses by reducing my son’s schedule from 4 days after school to only 2 days. I’m thankful that my son can go to daycare after school some days but I’ll be happy when I start working from home and I can eliminate this expense altogether. Since he’ll be in first grade in the fall, I’ll have plenty of time to work while he’s in school so I won’t need childcare thankfully
  • I also made my 6-month auto insurance payment last month. Since I set about $67 aside per month to prepare for the lump sum payment, I didn’t see the need to mention it twice on this month’s report. Somehow I actually set aside a little more than the premium amount I was quoted so I transferred the leftover money to my savings account.
  • My Lows

  • I didn’t get a tax refund this year. This is not so much of a low but a change of pace for my finances. Since I’ve been working, I’ve always received a tax refund each year but for this year, since I have self employment income and my income has pretty much doubled since last year, I didn’t receive the child tax credit and had to owe. On the bright side, I over saved for taxes and had some money leftover that I also put in my savings account. So shouldn’t this be a high?
  • A $750 medical bill? Oh no! I received a large medical bill in the mail last month with demands to pay it so I’m looking into this issue to confirm what it was for and it I really owe the money. The medical industry is just so bizarre to me these days I can hardly keep up. Plus I’m with Liberty HealthShare so it makes things a bit different. I know I haven’t paid my annual unshared amount yet, but that should only be $500 so I’ll have to reach out to them to see why I’m being asked to pay it and worst case scenario, it will be added to my total debt and I’ll get on a payment plan and make small payments each month since I’m sure there will be no interest attached and I have other expenses to prioritize right now.
  • Onto the Budget

    March Budget Review

    How was your month? Any wins or surprise expenses?

    Stop Worrying About Money and Regain Control

    Screen shot 2019 10 11 at 4.33.35 pm

    Ready to regain control of your money? Take the first step with this free starter pack which includes:

    • 2 Monthly Bill Calendar templates
    • 1 'Start Paying Off Your Debt' Checklist
    • 1 'Drastically Cut Your Expenses' Checklist

    Success! Now check your email to confirm your subscription.

    There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

    You are also agreeing to our privacy policy. Powered by ConvertKit
    Share This

    Filed Under: Budgets

    More posts you might like:

    • February Budget ReviewFebruary Budget Review
    • August Budget ReviewAugust Budget Review
    • January Budget ReviewJanuary Budget Review
    • May Budget ReviewMay Budget Review

    About Choncé

    Chonce is a personal finance blogger and freelance writer who enjoys sharing debt stories (as she and her husband work their way out of $40,000 in debt) along with talking about saving, budgeting, conscious spending and improving your financial house. In her spare time,she enjoys working out, playing sports with her son, cooking, and thrifting.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Aliyyah @RichAndHappyBlog says

      April 5, 2016 at 5:54 am

      Medical bills suck! I know first-hand. But congratulations on putting so much towards your student loans and savings.

      • Choncé says

        April 5, 2016 at 8:35 am

        Thanks Aliyyah! Yes they do suck and hopefully I figure out what’s going on.

    2. Tonya@Budget and the Beach says

      April 5, 2016 at 8:22 am

      Grrr, what’s up with those unexpected medical bills?!? I’m glad to see the rest of the month went pretty well though!

      • Choncé says

        April 5, 2016 at 8:37 am

        I’m thankful for my health but they can keep those bills, haha. I’ll get to the bottom of it.

    3. Kristin says

      April 5, 2016 at 9:33 am

      Medical bills are such crap. My hospital had the nerve to recently send me a $25 bill that is over a YEAR old because they obviously forgot to charge me and were probably doing their books. I called them and told them where they could shove that bill and told them they should have a better accounting department. I know it’s only $25, but I have a huge medical loan with them already where they put all my bills together. They let it go because I raised h*ll, ha!

      • Choncé says

        April 5, 2016 at 9:44 pm

        That’s lame! That sounds like how I handle things sometimes haha.

    4. JourneyToLaunch says

      April 12, 2016 at 8:25 pm

      Thx for sharing your budget! I am a big Budgeter as well. I have been slowly trying to cut things back but we live in a VHCOL area (NYC) so it’s hard but doable.

      • Choncé says

        April 13, 2016 at 9:34 pm

        Thanks for stopping by! I bet, that does sound tough living in NYC, but I’m sure you just have to find a creative way to do it.

    Primary Sidebar

    Hello!

    Hello!

    I'm Chonce. Join me on my journey to balance finances with living a great life now and preparing for the future.

    Check out the Love Your Budget Course (Now Enrolling)

    Your Income is Abundant. Ready For Side Hustle Success?

    There is lots of extra money to be made. Sign up for the free Side Hustle Success online workshop so you can learn how to find the right profitable side hustle for you.

    Success! Now check your email to confirm your subscription.

    There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

    By gaining access, you're agreeing to join the email list. We won't send you spam. Unsubscribe at any time. Powered by ConvertKit
    300-x-250
    Top debt blogs

    Top Posts

    Rockstar Finance

    Alexa Traffic Rank

    Footer

    Join the Tribe

    Subscribe today more exclusive money tips and content via email along with full access to the financial resources that helped me pay off debt, break the paycheck to paycheck cycle, and live a more fulfilling life.

    Success! Now check your email to confirm your subscription.

    There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

    You are also agreeing to our privacy policy. Powered by ConvertKit

    Disclaimer

    I am a Certified Financial Education Instructor, but the content on this site is not professional advice. I speak from my own personal views and opinions. I may be compensated by a third party company either through advertisements, affiliate links, or reviews found on this site or in my email newsletter but I never recommend products or resources I don't believe in. Read more here.
    Copyright © 2019 My Debt Epiphany · Custom site by Moonsteam Design