To do this, we are just going to expand on the lazy man’s budget mentioned above. Rather than having just 1-3 categories of items budgeted for, we are going to create as many as we need to put a limit on our spending in all areas. You can use the budget spreadsheet (mentioned at...
A budget spreadsheet is a simple tool for organizing and tracking income and expenses. It provides a clear view of money coming in and going out over a set period of time, typically weekly or monthly. Assigning categories to each income and expense makes it easy to identify trends and uncove...
Here are some steps to help you create a simple budget worksheet. Step 1: Create your budget worksheet document We’ll be using our budget software, Goodbudget, to demonstrate the next steps, but you’ll start by choosing the spreadsheet program you want to use. If you prefer Excel, use ...
5. Set up the spreadsheet Ready to set up your budget spreadsheet? You can generally make it as simple or detailed as you want. At a minimum, you might want to create one category for your total income and another for your total expenses. Then underneath those categories, you could create...
A budget spreadsheet can be a helpful tool to manage your finances. Learn more about a few tips to consider during each step when creating a budget spreadsheet.
2. Create a Budget Spreadsheet You don’t have to be an Excel whiz to put together a simple monthly budget. You don’t even need to create it yourself — try our samplebudget template in Google Sheets. The spreadsheet should include four categories: savings, income, expenses, and financial...
You want to balance your finances so that you’re not spending more than you earn each month. You’ve got a variety of options when it comes to how to budget, so we’ll cover some of the most commonly used ones: How to make a budget spreadsheet One of the most common ways to...
Now it's time to make your budget. This step will depend on your approach. If you're using a zero-based budget, then you'll divide all of your money into specific categories of spending. If you're using a 50/30/20 budget, then you'll group al...
How to Make a Budget in 5 Steps No matter how you feel about budgeting right now, no matter what money goals you have, and no matter your income—you can make (and keep!) a budget in just five steps. But first, decide if you’re making a budget on paper, with a spreadsheet, or...
Learn how to make a monthly budget so you can be more intentional about how you spend your hard-earned money!