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Latest from the Blog

15 Budget Categories You Forgot In April

April Budget Categories

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Budget· Budget Tips· Debt Free· Debt Free Tips· Frugal Living· Saving· Ways We Save

It’s crazy to think that April is right around the corner, but it’s true. With the start of a new month comes a new budget. Here are 15 categories to keep in mind while you’re making your April budget. Holidays Easter and Passover vary when they arrive each year. Be sure to budget for everything needed to celebrate, whether it’s…
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March Budget Categories

March Budget Categories

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Budget· Budget Tips· Debt Free· Debt Free Tips· Frugal Living· Saving· Ways We Save

March is almost here, and it’s time to start looking at your March budget and get it set up. As you’re getting your budget and financial goals for the month ahead, don’t forget about these categories. Tax Prep Taxes in the US are due next month. If you’re savvy, you can do them yourselves. If not, you’ll want to factor…
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What To Plant In March In Your Zone 5 Garden

What to Plant in March

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Garden· Gardening Tips· Our Adventures

The beginning of March is always welcomed in the northeast. Geese start making their way back into the area, the Chickadees and Blue Jays are more active. Spring is definitely on its way! In our area, March is a unique time. It is still cold, there is still snow on the ground, and the thought of gardening seems months away…
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February Budget Categories

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Budget· Budget Tips· Debt Free· Debt Free Tips· Saving· Ways We Save

With February right around the corner, it’s time to start looking at your February budget and financial goals. Don’t forget about these eight budget categories in your February budget. Looking to set up your budget for a different month? March Budget Categories April Budget Categories May Budget Categories Spring Sports February is the time our region’s AYSO starts creating the…
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January Budget Categories

January Budget Categories

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Budget· Budget Tips· Debt Free· Debt Free Tips· Saving· Ways We Save

A new month, new year, and new a chance to create a new budget that will allow you to reach your financial goals by the end of the year.  As you’re setting new goals for the new year, and creating a budget to fit your goals, don’t forget about these January budget categories as you continue on your journey to financial…
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makingcentsmatter

makingcentsmatter
Automating your finances makes saving money and bu Automating your finances makes saving money and budgeting more convenient, and therefore easier on you. Out of sight, out of mind, right?⁠
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What's one thing you can automate this week to make your finances easier?⁠
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Me? I'm going to set up our sinking fund transfers to automate every payday (the 15th of every month). Our bank set up a feature on their app where we can schedule savings transfers now, and I'm going to take advantage of it!⁠
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#personalfinance #personalfinancetips #budgeting #budgettips #personalfinancemadeeasy #savingmoney #savings #sinkingfunds #cash #frugalblogger #frugalmom #frugalliving #debtfreejourney #debtfreecommunity #debtfreeprogess #financialfreedom #makingcentsmatter
Oh my word... our miscellaneous category has gone Oh my word... our miscellaneous category has gone a smidgen overboard this month!⁠
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I foresee a goal for March's paycheck to at out less than twice. That's where this category went awry. $99.16 of it went to eating out. 😑 Some of it was avoidable, but not all of it. Having to drive to multiple appointments in one day during snow squalls and rearranging our whole day was one of those unavoidable instances.⁠
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Tracking our expenses - much like a budget review - is vital to sticking to your budget!⁠
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#makingcentsmatter #debt #debtfreejourney #debtfreeprogress #debtfreecommunity #realbudget #budgetcategories #monthlyincome #savingmoney #savings #frugalliving #frugalblogging #budgeting #zerobasedbudget #financialgoals #personalfinance #personalfinancetips #financialfreedom #expensetracking #budgetfail
We budget paycheck to paycheck. On a monthly incom We budget paycheck to paycheck. On a monthly income paid on the 15th, that means our budget falls between two calendar months.⁠
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But like everyone else, there are (calendar) monthly obligations. Having a year at a glance is an awesome way to keep up on those budget categories that sneak in there every so often, and help you to align them with your finances, no matter your income schedule.⁠
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To read more about what budget categories you may have missed in March, check out: https://www.makingcentsmatter.com/march-budget-categories/⁠
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If you're looking for a page like this, there are a lot of budgeting bundles in my Etsy shop that have this a Year At A Glance page in them. https://www.etsy.com/shop/MakingCentsMatter⁠
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#makingcentsmatter #debt #debtfreejourney #debtfreeprogress #debtfreecommunity #realbudget #budgetcategories #monthlyincome #savingmoney #savings #frugalliving #frugalblogging #budgeting #zerobasedbudget #financialgoals #personalfinance #personalfinancetips #financialfreedom
February Debt Paid! Here are our real numbers:⁠ February Debt Paid! Here are our real numbers:⁠
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House: $511.13⁠
Citi: $2,787.05⁠
D NelNet: $100⁠
K NelNet: $100⁠
K Chase: $300.85⁠
Explorer: $336.27⁠
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Total paid in 2021: $6,611.44⁠
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Extra Payment: There isn't one this month as I lumped it all together into one large payment. Anything leftover after our February paycheck budget is done (on March 14th) is being saved for Hubs' filling and any OOP costs we are going to have for A's wisdom teeth removal.⁠
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Note: These debt-paid numbers go by the calendar month, not our pay month. So if you've already seen our January Budget Review, some of these numbers are from that. Others are previews of our February budget review.⁠
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#makingcentsmatter #debt #debtfreejourney #debtfreeprogress #debtfreecommunity #realbudget #savingmoney #payingoffdebt #savings #frugalliving #frugalblogging #budgeting #monthlyincome #zerobasedbudget #financialgoals #personalfinance #personalfinancetips #financialfreedom⁠
Our January 15th paycheck is officially in the boo Our January 15th paycheck is officially in the books. Since we're paid monthly, and we tend to leave wiggle room in our budget for things that come up (like atom projects for a 6th-grade science class), our budget tends to look messy by the end. And that's totally okay!⁠
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Even though we went over in some categories, we were under in others, and under in our overall budget! This $75 remaining stays in our checking account for the time being. We've got some dental procedures coming up in this family, and I'm not sure what the actual OOP costs will be.⁠
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To see how we did, you can check out by January Paycheck Review here: https://youtu.be/GtGRIYTX_8c⁠
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#makingcentsmatter #monthlyincome #monthlybudget #zerobasedbudget #paycheckreview #budgetreview #budgetwithme #budgeting #budgettips #budgetworkbook #frugalliving #savingmoney #debtfreejourney #debtfreeprogress
Payday is today! Actually, payday was Friday the 1 Payday is today! Actually, payday was Friday the 12th because we completely forgot today is a bank holiday in the US. The feeling of being paid and not needing it is a nice one.⁠
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Here's what our paycheck needs to get us through for bills until March 14th. For a full look at our budget over the next month, head over to my budget with me on YouTube: https://youtu.be/rb8uyi1-rNc⁠
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#monthlyincome #monthlybudget #monthlybudget #zerobasedbudget #payday #budgetwithme #budgeting #budgettips #budgetcalendar #frugalliving #savingmoney #paycheck #makingcentsmatter #debtfreejourney #debtfreeprogress
This weekend was focused on a pantry shop and meal This weekend was focused on a pantry shop and meal plan creation! This meal plan to get us to our February payday. We also picked fast meals, because it's a busy two weeks between doctor's appointments,. Academic Decathalon, dance, and drama. I'm unsure we'll be able to shop on payday, hence the extras.⁠
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Total spent: $112.39 for items to get us through this and lunches.⁠
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Keep in mind, just over $112 for 12 meals isn't sustainable for our family, just in times when we need to stretch the last bits of our monthly income. I really wish $112 was enough to feed two teenaged boys in our household.⁠
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The point being... do what works for you, and your situation based on your location. Don't try to fit yourself into someone else's situation!⁠
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#mealplan #mealplanning #frugalliving #frugalmom #makingcentsmatter #savingmoney #monthlyincome #budgeting #budgetmom #groceryshop
January's real numbers:⁠ .⁠ House: $511.13⁠ January's real numbers:⁠
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House: $511.13⁠
Citi: $720⁠
D NelNet: $100⁠
K NelNet: $100⁠
K Chase: $150⁠
Explorer: $343⁠
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Extra Payment to Citi: $500⁠
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Noteworthy... our car payment had a late fee assessed because the mail was SLOWED down over Christmas. Three headaches later, and we potentially have online banking finally set up with them. It is still a headache. And we are never taking another car loan out with this bank!⁠
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How was January?⁠
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#makingcentsmatter #debt #debtfreejouney #debtfreeprogress #debtfreecommunity #realbudget #savingmoney #savings #frugalliving #frugalblogging #budgeting #monthlyincome #zerobasedbudget #financialgoals #personalfinance #personalfinancetips #financialfreedom
Sometimes in order to see progress, you need to ta Sometimes in order to see progress, you need to take a step back.
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I'll be honest, I didn't think that we got this far in 2020. With everything going on - and more importantly, everything NOT going on - we didn't keep up with this every month. We just threw what we could at our goal. I'm simply amazed at how far we came.
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Things are still hectic, and I'm simply mentally exhausted between remote learning, extended remote learning, offset quarantining children... it goes on and on.
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But I also cannot wait to see what strides we will make in 2021.
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#makingcentsmatter #debtfreejouney #debtfreeprogress #savingmoney #savings #frugalliving #frugalblogging #budgeting #monthlyincome #zerobasedbudget #financialgoals #personalfinance
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