Money Making March

Money Making March
3M Challenge

Well March is creeping its way to a close. In a matter of days I will be able to crunch my numbers, look at the budget and see just how well March went. I am excited and nervous. So far, our miscellaneous spending is going incredibly well. That was the goal of this challenge so I am feeling good about that. Although, my necessities budget and my grocery budget have gone over, and I am just hoping I didn't move the spending problem to another category. I guess I will just have to be patient and see what the numbers say.

So what is coming in April? I want to do something big each month to help our budget. Now I will say I am keeping some of my 3M Challenge in place because they really helped, but I still want more!

April is going to be a month of sacrifice for our house. We are not going to turn on our air conditioner until May 1st. Which, now that I think about it means that we won't really turn it on until the 8th since we will be leaving for vacation on the 2nd. So that will be an extra week that the air won't be running. People all over the world (in much hotter climates) live just fine with no ac, we can last a mild month. I hope that it will help us to keep it set higher through the rest of the summer as well. I am excited about April and how it can save us money. Plus, it is good for the environment!

What can you give up in April to help your budget or the environment? What can you and your family sacrifice?

Money Making March

Money Making March
3M Challenge

We are half way through March... can you believe that! This year is going way too fast! I am actually kind of excited for this month to finish though, just to see how I did on my budget. So far I think it is going well. I need to do the grocery shopping and a baby trip within the next couple of days though. Hopefully I will stick to my list and stay on target with my budget. Gas is actually going way better that I thought it would seeing that the prices are crazy. Our miscellaneous cash is holding up okay. It is showing me just how much I was spending frivolously before. I am liking this cash thing! By the end of the month I hope to have $20.00 left. If we can do that every month, we can save up and have a nice date night :-) Who doesn't love that? I hope you are all trying something new this month to help you save money!

Money Making March

Money Making March
3M Challenge

Well, I am so sorry that I did not do a Friday post for my 3M Challenge. I just got busy with real life and my blog is always the first thing to go. Better late than never, right?

So far, March is going well. I have done the grocery shopping for the first half of the month, we have used a portion of our out to eat money, our miscellaneous cash is doing well, the bills are all set and organized for the month and our gas tanks are full for the moment. I must say, these 'no spend days' are making a big difference. Also, having cash to spend instead of swiping my debit card has really helped too. I think if we keep it up March will be a good money making month for us!

I am not going to put my linky tool up this time.... are you sad? No? I didn't think so. It's okay that you all left me hanging on my very first challenge. I still love you ;-)

3M Challenge

Money Making March
3M Challenge

Today begins the month of March which, in turn, begins my budget challenge! I am so ready! I hope some of you will join me (so I don't feel like a big old loser having no one link up!) and so that we can encourage each other through this. The purpose of this challenge is to help me get my budget on track. I want my budget I have laid out so nicely on paper to be what I figure up at the end of the month. Plain and simple. First things first! I need to show you the breakdown of my month. Days that are left blank are days where miscellaneous trips my be made.

March
1st No Spending
2nd Necessities trip
3rd
4th No spending
5th
6th No Spending (check budget)
7th Grocery Trip/ Baby Trip
8th
9th No Spending
10th
11th (check budget)
12th No Spending
13th
14th No Spending
15th
16th (Check budget)
17th No Spending
18th
19th Grocery trip
20th No Spending
21st Necessities trip (check budget)
22nd No Spending
23rd
24th No Spending
25th
26th No Spending (check budget)
27th
28th No Spending
29th
30th No Spending
31st No Spending (check budget)

The next step for me is to go by the ATM and take out our miscellaneous spending cash out. Then, I have to run to Wal-Mart and get my gas card for the month. There's a quick tip for you. I buy Wal-Mart gift cards to get my gas with because it gives me .03 off per gallon. Seems like it may not be worth it.... but in this house, every little bit helps! I am hopeful that this month makes a big difference in how I budget for my family. I want to do a better job. I will be back in a week to give you an update! Be sure to blog about how you are going to save money this month and link up! You know you want to! (Please somebody do it so I feel just a little bit of bloggy love.... just a little bitty bit..... just one person is all I'm asking.... talk amongst yourselves and decide who it's gonna be..... flip a coin or something!)

Money Making March

Money Making March
3M Challenge

Google Image

Feburary was a tough month budget wise for me. I have phases with my budget. For a while I will be totally on top of things and really do great. Then we hit a slump where it seems like we are just unable to keep our budget in the front of our mind. Are we the only ones? Please tell we aren't alone.... anybody else out there wishing their budget was closer to what it is on your monthly outline?

Well coming in March I am doing something drastic with my budget. Not so much drastic, more challenging really. I am not changing anything on my outline. I am not switching over to an envelope system (quite yet) I am simply going to use cash only for my miscellaneous category. That is the one category that I have the most trouble with (big surprise!). The other thing I am going to do is have a calender with a spending schedule on it. I want to have it outlined when I will do what shopping for the month. Along with this schedule there will be mandatory 'no spend' days. That means on those days, unless it is a medical emergency needing medication or something major like that or my husband needing gas for his vehicle to get to and from work, no money will be spent.
This is my blank slate (sorry it's a little grainy). On March 1st I will post my filled out calender. Then throughout March I will post updates to how I am doing. I will let you know if I think these few changes are making a difference. My goal is to do a better job of spending the money God is blessing my family with. I fail over and over again to do a good job with our money and I desperately need to do better. These few changes should change our budget by $300 in the positive direction of done correctly. If I can do this for 3 months I will have positively increased our bank account by $900.00! WOW! Then, if I can do it for 6 months you're talking $1800.00! This is a big deal my friends! But let's not put the cart before the horse though.

Do you need to buckle down and get better grip on your money? Don't be afraid to join me! Perhaps just adopt the mandatory 'no spend' days and scheduled shopping trips. Make Money Making March work for you! Grab a calender and fill it out! Don't want to fill out a calender, then just post about how you plan to save money in March. I'm not picky, I simply want to see what ideas you have about getting a better handle on your budget. Post about it on your blog and give your readers updates on your progress! Lets encourage each other this March! What do you have to loose? Each Friday I will have a Money Making March post with a link tool. If at any point during this challenge you want to join in on the fun, please do!