March 2022 Money Round Up

Another month can only mean one thing – it is time to reflect in a March money review! In this post I will break down every single penny I spent in March as well as everything I was paid. I will then share what happened to my net worth which was unbelievable this month!!

Why do I share this?

I know it might seem weird to share this on the internet but I truly believe in creating the type of content that I love and I am obsessed with seeing what people spend and earn. Hopefully you enjoy this type of content too 🤗

Context

I am a full-time student living in the north west of the UK, where the cost of living is lower than the average. March was actually the last month of teaching in my degree, meaning I had tonnes of deadlines and practically moved into the library. On top of this, I went on two all-inclusive work trips, both of which were two nights.

Now let’s get into it…

Spending

Eating Out = £53.38

I spent more on eating out through March than I usual do because I got into the unhealthy routine of getting snacks whilst in the library instead of packing real food 😅 I also got a few takeaways and went out for a lovely meal so all in all the total is not too bad!

Social = £34.12

March was a very busy month academically so my social life was on the back burner! The money I did spend in this category was on a round of drinks I bought at a pre-wedding party, snacks and booze for prinks my house hosted and a few drinks out.

Groceries = £24.63

Well under my £40 budget this month!!! Mostly down to the fact that I bought food on campus most lunchtimes and ate very basic dinners. I also managed to finally get my hands on a Too Good To Go box from Lidl – £1.50 for a box full of fruit and veg!! The meals I got out of this box are still going now – I did a lot of bulk cooking and froze for later 😉

Entertainment = £32.42

As always this includes my Spotify subscription (£16.99) and book club fees (£1.20). The rest was spent on a ticket to a show my housemates was involved in and an ebook.

Transportation = £9.60

I had to buy a train ticket from an event to my parents house which with my railcard (easy way to save on train journeys) was £6.60. The other £3 was spent on a bus ticket into Exeter, I was down there on a work trip but we were staying on the outskirts and I wanted to explore the city.

Gifts & Charity = £167

Most of this was spent on a gift for my parents but this also includes other gifts and charitable contributions. This money came out of a sinking fund I have for birthdays so did not affect my weekly budget 🤩

Total = £321.15

Not bad. Not bad at all. Minus the gifts & charity category my spending comes out to an average of £30.83 per week, as there were essentially 5 weeks in March.

Now as always, whilst sharing my spending is interesting, it is much more valuable when shared alongside my income – to really put it into context.

Income

My income this month can be broken down into four different streams, varying in amounts drastically!

Job #1 = £507.15

March was the last month of working part time at my primary job – starting this week I am back to 30hrs per week minimum! I also took two weeks off in March as I the work trips for my second job were on the days I usual worked at job #1. This means that my income in March was much lower than usual.

Job #2 = £84.88

Job #2 pays monthly so the wages paid this month was for the two shifts I did in February. I am making a conscious effort to increase this stream of income in the coming months.

Side Hustle = £300

In March I embarked on a side hustle challenge to try and boost my earnings before the end of the tax year. The original goal was £3/day so around £90 in total – I managed to make this in the first five days 🤯 I soon increased to goal to £300. Incredibly, I ended the challenge with £440.38 made in extra income!

I “paid” myself £300 out of this as a bonus – the rest will go towards side hustle expenses.

Interest = £0.08

Still pitiful but as the saying goes pennies make pounds so I will continue to include this as a mini stream of income 😅

Total = £892.11

March’s income total is much lower than usual because I had two weeks off at my primary job. My income next month will be much higher because I will get paid for all of the shifts I did at job #2 during March.

Net Worth

Even though my income was much lower than usual, my net worth increased dramatically. Specifically it increased by £2,175.16. This increase was primarily down to my investments bouncing back throughout the month. I started investing in February 2020 but only added a few pounds here and there. It wasn’t until April 2021 that I started to take investing more seriously. Throughout this past year, I have invested a total of £20,000 – maxing out the entire ISA allowance.

Start of month net worth = £25,861.97

End of month net worth = £28,037.13

I cannot believe that my net worth is now over £28k 😱 I am so close to my goal of hitting £30k net worth by my 21st birthday – 2 months left!!

I hope you had a great March ❤️

Have you read my previous money round-ups? No? Check them out!

January 2022

February 2022