My Uber Thrifty Month In Review - March

I started out the month with an extra $99 in my checking account.  Not a bad way to get started, if you ask me.  It was particularly helpful as my paycheck was minus a day due to February being a shorter month.  Had it not been a leap year it would have been short two days.  That can make it more of a challenge to get things taken care of.  This year though, we had it covered. J

I paid our monthly expenses ahead of their due dates and my mortgage a full two weeks early.  Loving it, loving it.  This month I was blessed on more than one occasion.  The first blessing came in the form of the opportunity to work a bit of overtime.  Normally I try not to work much overtime.  A little here and there is fine, but as a rule I try not to.  This month, however, it ended up being a work from home situation so I was happy to give it a whirl and it worked out beautifully.  All overtime earnings were put toward debt repayment.

The other blessing this month was in the form of a bonus check.  I knew I was likely to get one this month but I had no idea it would be for that much.  I nearly cried, right in front of my boss!  That would have been embarrassing.  But the possibilities this created, holy cow!

Normally I would have put that money straight into savings, however, since all my savings goals have been met for the year I decided to put it where it would have the greatest impact.  You guessed it.  Debt repayment.  Between the overtime and the bonus I was able to cut the remaining balance in half!  That moved my payoff timeline up another 2 months!!  Was there a happy dance going on?  Oh yes, there was! J

I did some shopping throughout the month.  Some was online and the rest in stores and thrift stores.  I spent a little more this month than I normally do, but since I rarely just shop for stuff I didn't feel at all guilty.  Everything I bought was for projects I am working on to get ready for my retirement.  Most of what I bought is secondhand, but in really great condition.  I am keeping track and minding my pennies in the process.

I am super thrilled with how things went last month and super excited to see what I can accomplish this month.