Low-spend March

Serena and I talk about budgeting and managing finances pretty frequently. In part because we are no adults with mortgages and bills and things other than the purchase of a $40 Japanese import CD to worry about but also because it’s fun! The different methods people use and how the handling of financials relates to other aspects of managing a household.

When Marie Kondo’s first book came out, I was just not having it. It sounded ridiculous but I decided to try it out. I went about and Kondo’d my closet, room and bathroom and I really did feel better. You start to unburden yourself from the guilt of having purchased so much you didn’t need and didn’t use. I’ve off-loaded bags and bags worth of clothes and shoes and my mother has distributed them where she’s seen fit. And that makes me feel good about the purging.

Having a place for everything in my home is my ultimate goal. I already know that I’m going to struggle the most with the kitchen and the bathroom. I have so many things rolling around — skincare and makeup, random kitchen utensils I use once in a blue moon, endless bags and containers of tea — there are a lot of things that I will need to get rid of so now it’s about finding the time.

All this to say that March is going to be a low-spend month for me. I have a variety of hefty expenses coming up in April that I want to be prepared for — my mother’s surprise 50th birthday party, third anniversary (I’m expecting we will be going on a short trip) and continuing to save up for a move this year/early 2017.

To keep myself accountable with my spending, I will be tracking it using PowerWallet and Mint.

My expectations are based on the budget I have in place is to save 45% of my take-home pay.

Let’s see how the month progresses!