Why share the details of what we spent? Because I always wish more people would. It’s an interesting way to see how people are living their lives. No two people spend money the same way.

I’ve always posted a summary to Instagram, but I’ve also always loved the way The Frugalwoods post each month. So I’m trying out something new. It’s a surprising amount of work to type it all out, but also strangely satisfying.

March was expensive

We went on vacation. We got our car fixed. And I spent a ton of money on home decor. Outside of those three things, it was actually a pretty non-spendy month. But each of those things was more than $3k soooo.

This is total spending for March of 2023 for two adults in a medium-to-high cost of living city.

Eatin and Drinkin: $1,040.42 (Not including food on vacation, further down)

🍇Groceries: $466.85 – This is so low for us! But we were out of town for a week.

🥡 Takeout: $58.56 – A dozen donuts. Three McDonalds’ breakfast sandwiches. A frozen yogurt at IKEA. One trip to Chipotle.

🍸Alcohol: $107.90 – One trip to Trader Joe’s for wine and gin.

☕️ Coffee Shops: $24.91 – Three trips to local coffee shops.

🍽️Restaurants: $382.20 – One celebration dinner with friends! And four times we were just too lazy to cook and took ourselves out for a casual dinner or brunch.

Transportation: $4,842.09

🛣️ Driving: $382.73 – Tolls, gas, insurance, parking. We also had to renew the car’s registration this month. For someone with a paid off car, driving feels awfully expensive.

🔧 Auto Maintenance: $4,308.20 – Something about struts. I don’t know? Our car is ten years old and we just take it to a reputable mechanic and do what they say.

🚕Car service: $151.16 – Lyft/uber. I don’t drive if I’ve had even one drink, so this can add up. (Doesn’t include a mountain of rides while on vacation, below!

Shopping/Personal: $3,894.83

📚Games/Books: $41.67 – A Nintendo subscription and a copy of Radical Acceptance.

🛋️Home furnishings: $3,067.64 – I’m going to do a whole post about this. I set out to “finish” decorating our house, as much as one can actually finish that. So many throw pillows! New nightstands and bedding, five vases, new dining room chairs. It looks good!

🖨️Electronics: $144.72 – Replaced a broken computer mouse and a broken kindle.

👗Clothes: $340.03 – Most of this was an absolutely beautiful yellow leather purse from Pourchet. I saw my friend carrying one and I had to have it.

💇‍♂️Personal care: $300.77 – Two manicures, a pedicure, and eyebrow appointment, a haircut, and refills on Frownies (commissioned link) and this serum I like (commissioned link).

Live performances: $100.94

🎭Live performances: $100.94 – $20 for a concert ticket and $80 in fees. (I’m exaggerating but just a little!)

Pets: $435.29

🦮Dog Walker: $186.97 – Lots of days in the office meant lots of dog walkers this month.

👨‍⚕️ Vet: $152.94 – Pet meds.

🍱 Pet Food: $95.38 – The refrigerated food isn’t cheap.

Health: $638.00

🏥 Medical: $590.00 – This was mostly physical therapy. Both of us are a little bit broken.

🚲 Gym: $48.00 – Peloton!

Utilities: $567.80

📺 Streaming: $54.05 – HBO, Spotify, and my NY Times subscription.

⚡️Electric: $379.27 – I swear I keep the thermostat low.

💦Water: $44.76 – This will go up in the summer.

💻Internet: $89.72 – Monthly internet and I put my password manager subscription here.

Home: $189.20

🪥House supplies: $189.20 – Cleaning supplies, toiletries, and other household items. This month replacement air filters were $100+.

🧹House cleaning: $440 – Our cleaners come every other week and they are wonderful.

Vacation/Travel: $3,443.96

🏖️Vacation: $3,443.96 – Eight days in the bay area. A work trip we extended into a long (and pricey) weekend. Considering we only had to pay for one night at a hotel, really not sure how this got so high!

• $752 – One flight (the other one work paid for) and upgrades to first on the way home.
• $185 – One night in a hotel. Work paid for a hotel during the week and we stayed at a friend’s two nights.
• $1,082 – Lyfts/uber. This feels bananas! But we were trying to see friends all over and didn’t have a car.
• $700 – Dinner for two at Chez Panisse, the iconic restaurant in Berkeley.
• $724 – Other food/restaurants. SF is expensive!

Giving: $1,045.15

💗Charity: $800

🍷Hosting: $245.15 – We hosted friends for dinner twice. One night just two guests and one night with four guests. I don’t track this super carefully, but when I make a special trip to the store for food or drinks, I categorize that here.

GRAND TOTAL for March (Not including the mortgage): $14,934.44

How did March treat you? I was happy my bonus was paid out in March. That made the car repair, the vacation, and the home decor feel like less of a blow.

But without those three big ticket items, March would have been one of the least spendy months we’ve had in years.

Favorite purchase lately? I will say my new purse is making me feel so happy. I saw a friend in San Francisco carrying it and I had to have it. I’ve been carrying it everywhere since it arrived and it’s making even my casual jeans and t-shirt outfits feel elevated.

Questions? Comments? Side eye? Let me know in the comments. ❤