Don’t Forget These 8 Things For Your March Budget

March is almost here! Is your budget ready? Before you finish writing your budget for March be sure to read this. There may be some things that you forgot.

First, Do You Have a Budget?

Having a budget is step one! If you don’t have a budget, click here for my excel budget template. It’s easy to use, has all the formulas pre-populated, example categories preloaded AND can be used in Excel and Google Sheets!

I also have a helpful spending analysis template that will help you determine how much to set for categories like groceries, eating out, gas, personal spending and more.

March Budget Items You Don’t Want to Forget:

March can have unexpected expenses, which can hurt your wallet if you aren’t prepared for them. Here are a few items to keep in mind when doing your March budget:

Spring Break

If you have children, spring break can be a budget buster. Set aside extra money for activities when your kids are home from school. 

Are you going on vacation this spring break? Take a look at your vacation sinking fund and create a budget for your vacation. Click here for a vacation planning template! 

March Madness

Where are my basketball fans at? Whether you are throwing parties and need to budget for beer and wings, or will be betting, be sure to factor March Madness into your budget. It’s okay to have fun but don’t go crazy. According to USA Today, last year American’s spend $8.4 billion on March Madness betting!! 

Spring Wardrobe

If you or your family are in need of new clothes for the spring and summer months, most stores will be having sales the last week of March. 

This is also a great time to make extra cash by selling your clothes to consignment stores, Plato’s Closet, Mercari, or Poshmark. 

St. Patrick’s Day

Whether you go out to the bar with your friends, shove you face with shepherd’s pie, or dress your kids from head to toe in green, budget in extra money if you will be channeling your inner Irish on the 17th

Summer Camp Fees

There may still be snow on the ground but now is the time to register your kids for summer camp. By registering early you can even snag a discount. Do some research, ask around town and find the best summer camps for your children. Often times you will need to put down a deposit or pay in full in order to reserve their spot. 

Income Tax Bills

Tax season is officially here. If you know that you are going to owe money on your taxes, file them early. You have until April 15th to file and pay your taxes, but if you do owe money it is best to know now so that you can set aside an allotted amount each month to pay for them at the beginning of April.

As a small business owner, we hire an accountant to do our taxes for us to maximize our deductions. Make sure you set aside money in your budget for CPA fees as well.

Clearance Items

Now is the time to stock up on luggage and garden supplies like fertilizer, mulch and maybe even a patio set. I live in South Florida and now that it is not 90 degrees out, it’s the perfect time to finally put down sod and have a lawn in our new home.

Stores are trying to clear out their garden supplies from last year before they bring in this year’s. Prices will also be going up once gardening fever hits in a couple months. 

Doctor’s Visits

This year is one of the worst for the flu. I swear half of my office is out and more are dropping like flies. Don’t forget to budget in extra doctor’s visits, copays, as well as medicine and soup.

Stay healthy my friends! 

Did I forget anything that you need to add to your March budget? Comment below!

Ways I save money:

Here at Freedom In A Budget, I am all about saving money! Here are some of the EASY ways that I save money:

• Billshark negotiates lower prices on your monthly bills to save you time, money and hassle.

• Fetch Rewards is a free grocery savings app that rewards you just for snapping pictures of your receipts. That’s it. Really. Free gift cards on groceries on thousands of products every day, no matter where you get your groceries. 

Just scan your receipts and get gift cards from retailers like Amazon, Target, Ulta, Applebees. Use code QHKBH to earn 2,000 points ($2)!

• Credit Sesame offers Credit Score and Monitoring, Savings Recommendations and Identity Theft Protection. ALL FOR FREE.

• CIT Bank offers high interest savings accounts and CDs to provide a safe, secure way to earn money grow your savings.

• Gabi is a full-service, online advisor who compares all your insurance options to find you the right policy, all in under two minutes.

• M1 Finance is an easy to use brokerage platform that allows you to invest in Fractional Shares and auto reinvest!

• Webull Get 2 Free Stocks on WeBull when you deposit $100 (Valued up to $1400).

• Glasses USA Save money by buying your prescription glasses, contacts or prescription sunglasses online. They have an easy to use virtual mirror so you can see what they look like on and carry tons of name brands up to 65% off your first pair.