Your March WalletPop monthly planner

Welcome to March, that Oscar-awarding, time-changing, tax-preparing, vacation-planning, basketball-madness-watching month. May the seasonal winds blow away your debts and bring you a clean balance sheet.

To help you make the transition from short-but-feisty February, we've compiled a March planner. Enjoy.


Shop Smart: March is a great time to buy:

• Spring clothing
• Sporting equipment
• Gardening supplies
• Luggage and other travel items
• Frozen foods
• Boats
• Coats and outerwear

Save some money:

• Cancel your gym membership if you can exercise outdoors for the summer.
• Open or add money to your IRA: you can still deduct it from your 2009 tax return.
• Apply for a tax extension if you need one.
• Check your credit score.
• Put your house on the market in time for the spring sales season.
• Check to see if you need flood insurance to avoid an expensive surprise.
• Change your freakin' passwords. Don't wait until you've been stung.
• March 1-7 is Return Your Borrowed Books week. Some libraries waive late fees then, so take advantage, procrastinators.

Do your home chores:

• Clean dryer vents.
• Replace smoke detector and carbon monoxide detector batteries.
• Prep your garden.
• Fertilize the lawn.
• Clean salt off your car.
• Schedule an air-conditioner checkup.
• Solicit bids for house projects such as painting, asphalt or siding.

Enjoy seasonal foods:

• Navel Oranges from Florida
• Texas SpringSweet Onion
• California cactus leaves
• Asparagus from California
• Japanese eggplant
• Oysters (only one month with an R in it left until fall)

Think education

• High schoolers: pay one last visit before choosing your school from those which have accepted you.
• Grad students: Ditto.

And don't forget to celebrate! Some March holidays:

• Women's History Month
• Deaf History Month (March 13-April 15)
• National Cheerleading Safety Month
• National Eye Donor Month
• Sing With Your Child Month (my favorite)
• National Ghostwriters Week: March 1-7
• Telecommuter Appreciation Week: March 7-13
• Act Happy Week: March 15-21
• Root Canal Awareness Week: March 28-April 3
  (Does it strike you as ironic that those two weeks are so close on the calendar?)
• National Grammar Day: March 4 (aka as "I haz gud grammer" Week)
• Organize Your Home Office Day: March 9
• Letting Go of Stuff Day: March 25

And it's not too early to think spring.