March Budget

As we gear up for this month, we have decided to keep most of our budget intact for March and just try and cut back with our spending since we don't really know whats going on with SCB's employment status. All the overtime I get from work is being diverted to our slush fund at the moment to help us take care of a few expenses that aren't in our regular budget that we need to account for while I can earn the overtime.

The slush fund is sitting with $2,600 in it since we got our tax returns back and i've been adding all our extra money to it each month. Before we can start using this money for some of our BIG annual goals, we need to get a few things out of the way. This month we will focus on:

• Registering my car: $118.00
• Refilling our spare Propane tank
• & Getting SCB's lower dental work done now that we got everything square with the insurance and know what they can and can't charge us for things.

If we can cash flow these three items, even better but I fear the dental work will be pricey still and will most likely come out of the slush fund. After we get these three things done we will re-assess the slush fund to incorporate doing a small Easter basket for each of us, Fixing the air circulation vent in the bathroom, finishing the trim and paint the kitchen/laundry door, & setting aside $300 to cover one trip out to Utah for the Winter Holidays. 

Then we can add a little giving in and work on our $1,000 car fund and paying 2 additional mortgage payments for the year.

On the job front, I might have a venue come May for SCB to sell his hand crafted pens once a month so we might be able to start a small business for him. This may require more wood turning spending as we will need to buy supplies and start logging sales and expenditures.

But for now, here's our budget for March:

Paycheck #1:

• Mortgage (P&I, Property taxes, MIP): $807.77
• HOA: $262.50
• Christmas Fund: $50.00
• Date Night/Spending Money: $64.32
• Prescriptions: $15.00

Paycheck #2:

• Birthday Fund: $50.00
• Prescriptions: $15.00
• Date Night/Spending Money: $55.00
• Gasoline/Car: $237.00
• Groceries: $250.00
• Insurance (2 Autos, earthquake, homeowners) $143.00
• Utility Bills (2 Cell Phones, Electricity, Internet: $230.00
• Roth IRA $220.00

You may have noticed that our budget still doesn't include any "giving" or charitable contributions. Until SCB is able to bring in a paycheck we will be donating our time, talents, and energies instead of our dollars. For one, I'm participating in the LA Marathon again on behalf of Child Share (Click here to donate) and I'm also crocheting some blankets for a cancer ward and an assisted living facility through my husbands church. Add in the fact that I'm also the 2012 chair for Relay for Life for a local city in my area, and a team captain, and you could say there is a lot of volunteering going on in our household.


How we spent our Money Last Month:

• Groceries/House Supplies: $275.53
• Eating Out: $157.84
• Gasoline: $160.22
• Car Repairs/Other: $42.24
• Giving: $0
• Prescriptions: $0
• Housing: $1,070.27
• Re-occurring Bills (Cell, Electricity, Internet): $221.83
• SCB's Wood Turning: $58.96
• Gifts: $30.00
• Other: $198.24
• Medical/Dental/Vision: $288.95
• Vacation: $374.38

How we spent our Money thus far in 2012: 

• Groceries/House Supplies: $493.15
• Eating Out: $280.41
• Cars
• Gasoline: $325.25
• Car Repairs/Smog: $116.09
• Giving: $123.84
• Prescriptions: $24.00
• Housing: $2,140.95
• Re-occurring Bills 
• Cell: $271.87
• Electricity: $77.10
• Internet: $77.88
• SCB's Wood Turning: $106.91
• Gifts: $44.57
• Medical/Dental/Vision: $288.95
• Vacation: $374.38
• $85.52 Shopping
• $168.88 Gasoline / Tolls / Transportation
• $119.98 Food/Eating Out
• Other: $206.43