Planning for March 2026: Zero-Based Budget as a First-Time Homesteader

Spring is almost here friends! 

We are hitting a big milestone this month and finally paying off our trailer. It took us about a year, throwing as much extra cash we had at it. Following are our fixed expenses for March:

Cell Phone: $130
Car Payments: $1140
Trailer: $160 **PAID OFF
Insurance (i.e., car, medical, etc.): $350
Waste Management: $47
Internet: $120
Subscriptions (i.e., streaming services, etc.): $52 

Total: $1999

Paying off the trailer is huge, and means we'll have $1000 to put somewhere else next month.

This month, after paying the $160 owed (that interest will get you every time!), I had $840 left over. $40 got diverted to my garden savings account, and $800 will go to the home improvement variable expense to help with permits. I'm not sure where I'll put the $1000 next month... leave a comment below where you would use an extra $1000 each month! 

Accounting for the additional monies from the trailer payoff, below is my new list of variable expenses:

Laundromat: $50
Fuel (gasoline, kerosene, diesel): $450
Groceries: $800
Home Improvements: $2800
Propane: $100
Dining out/entertainment: $250
Pets: $100
Online orders: $200

Total: $4750

Spring is so close, I can't wait to get my garden running efficiently and using fresh foods to offset my grocery budget.

Also with warmer weather, we should see a decrease in fuel and propane usage. Today was the first day we didn't need to run the generators to boost our solar batteries, meaning the longer days and more sun are already cutting our costs.  

Savings

As mentioned above, I was able to add $40 into my garden savings account this month thanks to our diligence of paying off the trailer. After the garden is complete, whatever is left over will either go to the vacation fund or our next project: the chicken coup!

I also setup a recurring rule to roll over any spare change to a savings account for the coup. It's amazing all the little savings tools banks have available now! So far it's working well and we should have enough by the time we're ready to build, all funded with spare change.

Resources:

Free digital download of my planning budget on my Ko-fi page: https://ko-fi.com/s/296a2ecf34 
Feel free to edit and make it your own!

This blog is for entertainment and educational purposes only. I am not a finance professional, and this is not financial or legal advice. 

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