My Frugal Miser - March Expenses: $3,589

March was a mixed bag.  Now that the month is over, a couple things surprised me.  The amount we spent on food was the biggest surprise.  There weren't any extravagant restaurant meals.  We bought a lot of groceries and had takeout several times.  The "Fun" category also surprised me, until I remembered we wrapped up a short vacation at the beginning of the month.  I also lost some money in Tunica after I sold the townhouses.  The transaction was a cause for celebration!

The Good

I received a substantial refund on my 2018 taxes.  This was mostly due to losses on rental properties.  I had major turn costs at the beginning of 2018.  Since I sold the 5 townhouses, rental expenses over time will be much lower.

The Not-So-Good

Bank fees were really high.  I opened a new credit card, the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliance card.  After meeting the spending requirement I will get 100,000 bonus Marriott points.  I also paid the annual fee for my self-directed IRA. 

I spent $2,017 on "fun".  This is a new category in 2019 that consolidates spending on vacations, entertainment, gambling, etc. 

I also had to have more dental work done last month.  Hopefully my teeth are good for the rest of the year!

March Expenses:  $3,589

$800 Auto (service, gas, insurance, AAA, etc.)

$948 Bank Fees
$30 Clothing/ Personal Care

$2,017 Fun (vacations movies, gambling, alcohol, concert tickets) 

$717 Food

$0 Gifts Given
$1,024 Health & Dental

$1,382 Household/Mortgage Payment/Home Repair

$40 Interest Expense*

$133 Miscellaneous

($5914) Taxes (Quarterly Tax Payment) tax refund for 2018 overpayment
$0 App Jobs Expenses (tolls, car washes, etc.)
$0 Unreimbursed Employee Expenses

$312 Utilities
$1,973  Rental Property Expenses
$1,053 AirBNB Expenses

*Interest expense includes student loans.  As the rate is below 2%, I am completely comfortable paying the interest each month and investing the money that I would otherwise use to pay off this loan.