What We Did to Save Money This Month: March

[This month's savings: $540]

March was our "get back up on the horse" month. After our utter failure in February—the month in which we were perpetually sick—we buckled down. Which, honestly, isn't easy. After being sick, you kind of want a reprieve.

With tax season upon us, and a freelance income (albeit a small one) to account for, we didn't really have the luxury of a reprieve. We needed to make sure there was enough in the coffers to pay taxes, so...

5. Dressing Up & Extending Homemade Coffee

One of our guilty pleasures / go-to comfort items is coffee. Not just regular old black coffee with a splash of fancy creamer. No. Like the multitude of people who wait in line at Starbucks (or whichever coffee seller you choose), we like the "Grande, 2-pump, vanilla latte, with whip." The coffee "splurge" that costs around $4 a cup and makes you feel all warm and fuzzy because whether your recognize it or not, you're part of a kaffeeklatsch. A gang, if you will, or a coffee tribe.

But what do you do when you need to cut back on that habit?

My Thoughts on All of Those "How To Live on One Income" Blog Posts

You know, I'm thrilled for all of those people who post about how their family of 5 lives on their spouse's $17K / $25K / $31K income. Seriously. KUDOS. You are freaking AMAZING, and honestly, I hate you.

I was looking at financial tips on Pinterest the other day (like you do), and came across a number of these captivating pins. Since we're currently in a "one income" situation, I naturally clicked on the images.

Budgeting Experiment 2: Eating From the Pantry

I knew coming into this month that it would be pretty lean. My freelance work has dropped off, so we're basically living on one income until I can wrangle a few more clients.

Since groceries are our top expenditure (after the monthly bills), this month I thought I would try to prepare meals exclusively from the ingredients we have in the pantry and the freezer.

4. Save Money on Groceries

According to CNN, the top three things we spend our money on, regardless of income bracket, are: Housing, Transportation, and Food (coming in a distant fourth is Health & this is including health insurance and medical bills).

The first two are fairly big areas to tackle and greatly impact our way of life. It's not easy to pick up and move somewhere less expensive. Nor is it easy to decide to trade your car out for a bike (or the bus). Although these are moves you can make in attempts to save some money.

Of the top three things we spend money on, food is the easiest to tackle.

What We Did to Save Money This Month: February's List

February: Things we did to save money this month. (Hint: we got sick and blew our budget on Kleenex.)

Not every month is stellar when it comes to saving money...