Now that we are living on an annuity and 401K$ withdrawals, I am still going to keep track of our monthly spending and income, and hopefully we'll still be able to live BELOW our means and I'll have some leftover monies each month to tuck aside.
I am trying to be as transparent as I can with how much is coming in and how much is going out. 8-)
On to the March report---
I had 2 goals for March.......
The 1st is to actually finish the month in the black and not the red.
The 2nd is to try to have a little cash leftover at the end of the previous month to tuck back into a slush fund. This slush fun may be to apply toward unforeseen bills that are coming due in subsequent months, to spend on "extras/wants" during the year or to just sit there and grow until the end of 2021.
I can report that we finished up March in the black.
The amount we ended the month of March with?....$1,251.07
Income or Funds We Can Access
The "income" in March---
* Monthly annuity payment of $3,229.07(after tax withholding)
* Interest earned on non-retirement accounts of $174.56
* 1/3 of Quarterly 401K withdrawal=$2,051.69
* RMSA account to pay for health premiums totaling $2,226.13
* Stock Dividend of $18.48
* Cash in Pts. on M/C of $189.73
* Cash in Pts. on Visa of $268.01
* Cash in Pts. on NCL Visa of $287.87
* Fed. Tax Refund of $1,842.00
Total "Income" for March.....$10,287.54
Expenses in March---
* Irregular bills in March were $1,384.55
Expenses in March---
* Irregular bills in March were $1,384.55
* Variable Expenses in March came to $5,425.79
* Health insurance premiums totaling $2,226.13
Total Expenses....$9,036.47
$10,287.54-$9,036.47=$1,251.07
Slush into March of $40,810.91 in that Fund, add $1,251.07 and we get $42,061.98 going into April's 2022's Slush Fund.
The Slush Fund on it's Page(tab at the top of the blog)shows an addition of $1,251.07
Outgo
As for the variable expenses this February here are the good and the bad side of things....
HERE are the GOOD THINGS
HERE are the GOOD THINGS
* The Internet, water, cell phone and WAM was the same as last month.
* The electric bill was $77.23 less than February's bill.
* The gas c/c was $64.64 less than in February(because we didn't use Sunoco gas much).
HERE are the BAD THINGS
* The Mastercard was up by $2,550.03 from February.
* The Amazon card was higher by $186.28 this month.
Irregular bills were paid too.
* Long Term Care premiums were due
* We had to kennel the dogs for half a month in March for $600.
The Food Budget costs for March are in another post, which is located HERE. Food costs are included in the credit card payment(mainly but sometimes our WAM cash too).
FINAL THOUGHTS on March 2022---We got out with our asses intact and did much better than I predicted. The Federal tax refund and using c/c points to throw back onto the c/c payments helped a good bit along with not having to pay the real estate taxes until April(usually they are due annually in March but COVID gave us an extra almost month long extension)so I'll pay the taxes this month as soon as the April 401K withdrawal hits the account. Otherwise, March would have been a financial fail.
THOUGHTS going forward into April 2022--Besides the real estate taxes being due, we will have a good bit of c/c bills coming due in April from this trip as well, so April might see us in the red for next month.
So how was your March financially?
Did you spend less than the income you had in March?
Did you stay within your budget or not?
What did you do with any money leftover at the end of the month?
Did you pay off any debts or put extra toward your mortgage principle or into savings, in an emergency fund or a retirement account?
Or did you blow it on a want?
Did you stay within your budget or not?
What did you do with any money leftover at the end of the month?
Did you pay off any debts or put extra toward your mortgage principle or into savings, in an emergency fund or a retirement account?
Or did you blow it on a want?
If you posted your financial progress on your own blog, leave a link in the comments so we can go check out your progress too and celebrate or commiserate with you!
Sluggy
It's complicated, but last month I had to use Tommy's credit card to pay for my new cell and service. I gave him a large check at the beginning of the month which now puts me automatically in a bind that I see coming at the end of this month! So, I need to tighten up so I won't run out of money before I run out of month. It is juggling all the time it seems.
ReplyDeleteMarch was a squeaker-we squeaked by. Our property tax is in another account, where we keep sinking funds, so won't come of our cash flow on Thursday when they get paid. You remind me we do need to cash out our credit card funds and use towards savings or bills.
ReplyDeleteWell I keep stashing money away for this trip I am going to take, so I have no money.
ReplyDeleteMarch ended in the black. Federal and State refunds came in to pay the school tax owed. I usually can put part of the Federal in savings to pay for propane in Aug. Not enough since propane went from $1.799 to about $3 with warning from the propane co. it looks to be about $3.25 before taxes come Aug. We pay by the year (so ours won't go up but can come down). Taxes and ins goes into escrow (requirement of our loan). Still we had some left that will go towards propane. April is going to be rough as we restocked everything (Hubby insisted) and still have the garden to finish up.
ReplyDeleteMarch was interesting. But the next few months will be VERY tight. No extra stuff!
ReplyDeleteSomeone is delaying doing the taxes as he fears we will owe big time.
ReplyDelete