March is a whole new month and a whole new budget. Hopefully, you have been trying to anticipate these extra costs since the start of this series. Our credit counseling advice is to prepare for additional expenses ahead of time to avoid credit card debt. Here are a few examples of unexpected March budget items to consider as you prepare your monthly budget.
Avoid credit card debt by saving for these March expenses.
March Budget Items to Consider
Spring is right around the corner. March is the start of some milder weather. School half over for the semester. All things point to summer. Take a look at this list of March budget items for your budget.
Summer Vacation
If you plan on making any trips this summer, March could be the month to start saving for your summer vacation. Even day trips cost money. To prevent credit card debt, plot out each trip you expect to make. Then you can see how much you need to stash away every month until it’s time to use those savings. You may need to rework your vacation plans based on how much money you can save.
Graduation Party
Graduation parties for high school or college seniors are typically scheduled for May, June and July. Depending on the size of the event, now might be the perfect time to put some money away towards the event. You could also talk with other families to try and combine efforts and resources. Additionally, you may want to just take a small group out to a nice dinner to celebrate.
St. Patrick’s Day
Do you like St. Patrick’s Day? Big family dinners, parades, green t-shirts… all of this needs to be covered in the budget. Even though it’s an obvious date on the calendar, not many actually plan for the additional costs.
Summer Activities
Vacations aren’t the only thing to plan for this summer. Your kids may want to go to camp or have another kind of experience that costs money. Make sure you and your kids are on the same page. It might be good if they contribute some of their own money.
Gardening
Finally, March is a great time to start seedlings and the start of a lot of other gardening tasks. Gardening can save money, but it does take funds to get things going. Plan what you will be growing. Take an inventory of your tools, seeds, soil and other supplies. Then you will know what you may need to purchase.
If you’re struggling to pay off debt, ACCC can help. Schedule a free credit counseling session with us today.
