March 2024 Financial Round Up - A Spendy Month

It's been a pretty spendy month this month, despite my thinking that it wouldn't be. I think I've been in a bit of a spendthrift mindset to be honest, but sometimes, if you have the money available to you, it's nice to be able to treat yourself to a few new things, especially if your body and lifestyle is changing for the better.

I have purchased a few things for myself this month that weren't essential, such as some wireless headphones and a kettlebell, both of which I purchased using a staff discount at work. I am very happy with these purchases. The kettlebell and the more recent purchase of some dumb bells, I see as an investment in my future health and fitness. The headphones I use regularly in the gym, when walking the dog and now for the Couch to 5K that I've recently started and they have made a big difference to my enjoyment of these activities. They are much simpler to use than wired earphones too.

I've needed to spend quite a bit of money on LB this month, namely paying towards some new glasses and sunglasses. She needs decent eyewear and it's difficult for her to afford these as a student. I'm hoping they should last her until she finishes her studies and finds a job, if she looks after them.  I've also bought her some clothes for a forthcoming family wedding in May. They haven't been delivered yet, but I'm hoping that out of the things we ordered, at least one item will be a good option for her to wear.

Other things I've purchased this month include some new storage boxes for some of my fabric. They weren't a huge outlay, but they seem to be working well enough so far. I haven't quite finished organising them yet, but once I have, I will post about them.

This month, I decided to buy myself a few new clothes. This was mainly because many of my existing clothes were just getting way too big and did not look good. I have to admit that I also wanted to celebrate my weight loss by buying a few items that actually fitted me well at my new size. This included some new jeans and an outfit for me to wear to a wedding, plus a few other things. Most were bought from charity shops or car boot sales, so haven't really cost a lot of money.

I have also put some stored clothes that didn't fit me for years, back into circulation in my wardrobe this month, so these, combined with what I've bought, should see me okay for the immediate future, but I don't rule out picking up a few more bits, if I see anything I like.

I am hoping that I can be a bit more restrained in April though and can reign in my spending. I need to, because I am now working less hours than I was over Xmas and the first couple of months of this year, and as such I will be earning quite a bit less going forward, although I will be getting a higher hourly rate at work from April, which is good news.

I am still putting money aside each month for birthday/wedding/Xmas presents, so any events that come up during the year should be budgeted for, rather than having to find the money at the time. I'm hoping to continue with this throughout the year.  I've also put some money into savings this month, for the first time in quite a while and I hope to continue with this too on a regular basis.

I have no birthdays or expected expenses coming up in April, save to pay for LB's dental check up and any treatment that she might need following her appointment this month. That's not to say that expenses might not crop up in the coming month. Once we make progress with the garden, I may find that I want to spend some money on some plants to fill in some gaps, but we'll see what happens.

I'm looking forward to a new month, and to accepting the challenge of being a bit more careful with my spending. It's not really very frugal to be in a spendthrift  mindset and I need to make a concerted effort to snap out of it and spend less.

I hope you've had a good month financially in March and have a good month in April.