We kicked off April in the Outer Banks for our annual spring break trip, so it was already shaping up to be an expensive month before anything else happened. And then everything else happened 😅. Beyond travel, April brought expensive dental work for me (a crown), new dental gear to prep for E's upcoming orthodontic treatment, an art class for E, and some clothing I ordered.

This was our third year heading to the Outer Banks in North Carolina for spring break. Mike and I got married on Roanoke Island back in 2011, so this place holds a special spot in our hearts. Now that we live within driving distance, we try to get back as often as we can (which is usually once a year).

The credit card debacle from February had one last victim (I hope!). I missed the fact that the compromised card was tied to our water bill (which is billed every other month). They sent a very inconspicuous email that looked exactly like our regular payment confirmation with one small line saying, “your card was declined.”

Confession. We didn’t actually budget for the holidays this past year 😬. Should we have? Maybe. But after nearly a decade of actively tracking our finances, we’ve developed pretty solid instincts about our spending. Having ample savings also plays a huge role in our lack of a holiday budget.