Every month I diligently track my expenses. It helps us figure out where our biggest money leaks are and keeps us focused on our financial goals. And each time I do my monthly budget review post, all this tracking humbles me. I hope this little exercise makes you think about how you spend your money, too.
I can finally declare victory on trimming our eating out this month! I won’t say that we didn’t eat out, because, let’s face it, I like to eat out. But we did manage to cut this expenditure by $80 this month! This is a huge deal for me, since I am typically uninspired when it comes to cooking.
Unfortunately, nearly every other category saw an increase in expenditures. I did quite a bit of stockpiling this month, and was able to save $192.63 with coupons in March. (Thanks in part to some great deals during Kmart’s coupon doubling!). While we spent a bit more than I would have liked to, I don’t regret stocking up and taking advantage of some great sales.
While I didn’t meet my goal of cutting expenditures in March, we did get all of our lightbulbs switched to CFLs and opened a Roth IRA.
My goal for April is to get rid of some of the clutter from my closets. Some I’ll try to sell, and some I’ll donate. It’s got to go this month! I’ve already started by cleaning out my pantry and it feels good to know exactly what’s in there.
How did March bode for your personal finances? What are your goals for April?
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