Budgeting Class
Budget Worksheet (pdf)
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In addition to a monthly budget, we also have a spreadsheet for annual budgets. Annual Budget Spreadsheet (xls)
About The Printable Budget Worksheet
It includes all of the important categories like: sources of income, housing expenses, household expenses, personal expenses and debts.
Each category is broken down so you can track expenses.
It is divided into weekly columns so you can designate where the money for each pay period goes.
Benefits of using the free Household Budget Worksheet
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You will be able to set up a household budget so you can see how much money is coming in, how much is going out and have a plan for your money instead of wondering where it went.
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You will be able to see how much you are spending in each category and adjust accordingly.
Tips for Making a Personal or Household Budget
It is not that difficult to make a personal budget, the tough part comes when you are trying to stick to it! It takes some discipline and self control, but it is well worth it! It's a great feeling when you finally get control of your finances and have a plan for your future.
Go ahead and print the Printable Budget Sheets and I'll walk you through setting it up.
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Begin by listing all of your "take home" monthly income. You may get paid weekly, biweekly or monthly, whichever it is, you can place your income in the appropriate column of the printable budget sheet. For irregular incomes, you'll want to figure out a low monthly average and use that number.
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List all of your monthly expenses – for categories like food, household items and gas, just make your best guess. Then you can track those expenses to get an accurate amount. Decide which expenses are to be paid in which pay period and record them in the appropriate column.
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Your goal is to have a "0" balance at the end of the month. When first starting out, a lot of us find that our numbers don't always balance out. You will most likely have to do some reorganizing, slimming down of a few categories and even cutting out unnecessary expenses to get your final balance to equal zero. If you have money leftover, be sure to assign it to something, such as paying extra on a credit card or going towards the new computer you have been saving for. You will be less likely to "blow" it if you have already spent it in your mind and on paper!
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Use Cash! Using cash for specific categories like, food, household items, gas, dining out, entertainment and clothing is a great way to avoid overspending. You will tend to spend less because it hurts a little to let go of the green! An easy way to keep track of your cash is to use the envelope system, where you put your cash for each category in a separate envelope and when the money is gone…it's gone!
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Give it some time! It might take a few months to get the hang of following a household or family budget and to get all of your spending numbers correct.