Five Ways I Saved Money in March

Our goal this year is to completely pay off all of our non-mortgage debt. This goal is definitely a stretch goal, because I’m not sure if the numbers add up (in fact, actually, they don’t), but I have faith that we will make it with overtime, side hustles, and God’s blessings. Here’s a peek of what we did in March to reduce spending, increase income, and save money.

How I Saved Money in March

1. Zero-Based Budget. This is something I do every month and it is an absolute necessity (if you ask me) to winning with money and getting out of debt. It seriously revolutionized my life! Read all about my zero-based budgets here. And take a peek at my actual, real life budgets in my saved stories on Instagram.

You can also check out my new budget sheets which help keep me on track, where budgeting is concerned.

2. Used Cash Envelopes. Cash envelopes are a great way to force yourself to stay within budget. You simply allocate a set amount of cash per budget category and withdraw that amount and place in an envelope. Vow only to use the grocery envelope for groceries and the pet envelope for pet supplies, etc. I use cash envelopes for the categories where I tend to overspend: Eating Out and Fun Money. When the money in the envelope is gone, it’s gone. No more spending!!

3. Intentional about Fuel for the Car. I always fill up on gasoline at Costco, which is by far the cheapest gas around. You can always use an app like Gas Buddy, to find the cheapest gas near you!

4. Tracked My Spending. This month, I used a new printable to record all my spending. (You can take a look at how I spent every penny in March in my March Budget Review.) Tracking your spending is SUCH a good way to curb spending because you are forced to write down everything you spend money on—and that act alone can cause you to second-guess the purchase long enough to avoid it altogether. Plus, it helps you stay on budget! Check out my new expense trackers below. In addition to the categories you see here, there are also blank sheets so you can customize these sheets to your spending preferences.

5. Fourteen No Spend Days. Last, but not least (I always seem to forget this one!), I challenged myself to complete 15 No-Spend Days. Each month, I aim to complete at least 15 days of no-spending (essentials excluded), so that by the end of the year, I can say I went six months without frivolous spending. This month, I fell a little short, and only made it 14. But, that’s still pretty good and not even really a loss when you consider I hit 24 days of no spend in January!

To get all the details of my No Spend Challenge, plus a free printable to help you master the challenge, check out this post!

What about You?

Did you try anything new in March to save money? I’d love to hear down in the comments below!

If you like what you’ve read, please Pin it for your friends to see, too! Just click the image below to Pin!

And, to access all my “How I Saved” articles, just click here.