April 2026 — Budget & Debt Plan for Review
Last updated: 2026-03-27 16:15
Prepared 2026-03-23 — Please review and flag anything that looks off
March Recap
March was a heavy month. Here's where we landed:
| Amount | |
|---|---|
| Income (so far — 2nd checks still coming) | $7,338 |
| Spending | -$13,545 |
| Net | -$6,509 |
What drove the overspend
| Category | March | Budget | Over/Under |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dining Out | $1,095 | $600 | +$495 over |
| Shopping | $780 | $400 | +$380 over |
| Travel (CO trip) | $961 | $500 | +$461 over |
| Groceries | $943 | $1,500 | $557 under |
| Entertainment | $196 | $250 | $54 under |
Colorado trip breakout
The trip to CO cost $1,509 total:
- Hotels: $454 (Courtyard, Best Western, Embassy Suites)
- Rental car: $329 (Budget)
- Shopping: $319 (REI, PacSun, Art Source, Cherry Creek)
- Dining: $228 (Fat Shack, Post Brewing, Tasuki Sushi, Illegal Pete's)
- Parking/gas: $163
- Entertainment: $15 (Pinball Jones)
Without the trip, spending was still elevated — local dining was $867 (Lorenzo's $245 was the biggest single meal).
Debt plan — March missed the target
The $10,700 lump sum to Chase happened (good!). But the monthly surplus didn't go to Amazon:
| Card | Plan | Actual |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon | Pay $3,421 | Only $146 minimum paid |
| Chase | $237 min | $540 autopay |
| Citi | $120 min | $60 autopay |
Amazon balance went UP to $4,789 (new charges + $121 interest). The new charges ($116) included a TI-84 calculator, cat litter, Audible, and Amazon digital — we need to stop using this card entirely.
April Plan
Income
| Source | Amount | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Chris (WWT) | $4,306 | 04/10 |
| Chris (WWT) | $4,306 | 04/24 |
| Jennifer (Tegra) | $3,032 | ~04/01 |
| Jennifer (Tegra) | $3,032 | ~04/15 |
| Total | $14,676 |
Budget
| Category | April Budget | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Fixed costs | ||
| Mortgage | $3,600 | LoanDepot ~04/04 |
| SLUH tuition | $3,300 | ~04/20 |
| SLUH extras | $200 | Sports, activities |
| Student loans (MOHELA + Nelnet) | $525 | |
| Auto loan (Wells Fargo) | $759 | |
| Insurance (State Farm) | $525 | |
| Essential variable | ||
| Utilities | $1,200 | ATT, Ameren, Water |
| Groceries | $1,500 | ~$350/week, Sundays |
| Transportation | $350 | Gas + parking |
| Healthcare | $450 | |
| Pets | $300 | Chewy, Wolfgang's |
| Discretionary | ||
| Dining Out | $800 | Step-down from ~$1,000 avg → ~$185/week |
| Shopping | $400 | |
| Travel | $0 | No trips planned |
| Entertainment | $250 | |
| Subscriptions | $175 | |
| Home Improvement | $250 | |
| Miscellaneous | $200 | |
| Donations | $50 |
Amazon Payoff Plan — Split Across Paychecks
Checking starts at $1,000. We can't pay Amazon all at once without overdrafting. Here's the timing:
| Date | Event | Checking After |
|---|---|---|
| 03/27 | Chris paycheck | $5,006 |
| 03/31 | Jennifer paycheck | $7,888 |
| 04/01-04 | Fixed bills (mortgage, Nelnet, ATT, Amazon min) | $3,438 |
| 04/10 | Chris paycheck → pay $2,500 to Amazon | $4,308 |
| 04/12-13 | Groceries, Citi autopay | $3,798 |
| 04/15 | Jennifer paycheck | $6,830 |
| 04/16-20 | Big bills (Wells Fargo, SLUH, Insurance, Ameren) | $1,352 |
| 04/24 | Chris paycheck → pay ~$2,180 to Amazon (FINAL) | $3,478 |
| 04/30 | End of month | ~$3,078 |
Lowest point: ~$1,352 on 04/20 (after SLUH tuition clears, before 04/24 paycheck)
Action items
- Stop using the Amazon card. No exceptions. Every dollar charged costs 30 cents/year in interest.
- Manual Amazon payment of $2,500 on 04/10 (after Chris's check clears)
- Manual Amazon payment of ~$2,180 on 04/25 (after Chris's 2nd check clears)
- Dining Out target: $800 ($185/week) — watch the big restaurant dinners
- No travel spending this month — let the budget breathe
Updated Debt Timeline
| Month | Target | Milestone |
|---|---|---|
| April | Amazon | $2,500 on 04/10 + $2,180 on 04/25 → PAID OFF |
| May | Chase | Hit it hard with full surplus (~$3,600) |
| June | Chase → Citi | Chase paid off; no SLUH = $3,300 extra |
| July | Citi | ALL CREDIT CARDS PAID OFF |
Despite the March miss, we can still hit July if we stay disciplined. The summer tuition break (June + July) gives us $6,600 in breathing room.
Full details
- Cash flow day-by-day:
reports/cashflow-2026-04.csv - March analysis:
reports/analysis-2026-03.md - Debt plan (revised):
plans/debt-repayment.md - April budget:
budget/2026-04.csv