Sample Budget
I was inspired by the MBN Group Writing Project to share a sample family budget spreadsheet. We use ours to map out and track our projected expenses (including big ticket items such as yearly tuition payments) for the next 2 years so that we can adjust our savings in anticipation. Note that budgets vary from family to family so please feel free to tweak it to suit your own needs. This will address the question “Where Did It All Go?” and help keep you on course.
Download: Sample Budget Planner. The link will expire in 7 Days and will be available for 100 number of downloads.
The very first worksheet is the TOTAL Budget and is divided 4 Sections.
1. Income Contribution (Rows 4-7)
This assumes that each partner will be contributing a set amount per month for the common fund. Enter the agreed amounts in columns F - AD (include one-off additions such as 13th month pay and bonuses which go to the family pool). Row 7 are for the other sources of income eg. rental etc.
2. Regular Bills / Fixed expenses (Rows 11-19)
This includes all regular bills including needs and wants. This includes loan payments, insurance, and savings. Note: Pay yourself first. Enter the figures in columns F-AD.
3. Budgeted Items / Variable Expenses (Rows 24-33)
These are the items which could vary month on month e.g. electricity, cellphone bills. Note the Gifts and Travel rows. I’m providing a budget for Bday/Xmas gifts and budget travel. The figures in columns F-AD are automatically picked up from the MONTHLY SHEETS. I included a Discretionary Budget for pampering e.g. dinners, clothes. Note: Unlike the previous items, inputs for variable expenses should be placed in the Monthly Sheets.
4. Totals (Column B-D)
These columns summarize the incoming and outgoing funds for 1-2 years. The remaining funds (Row 41) should be zero / positive. If it is negative, then consider adding income or minimizing expenses.
MONTHLY SHEETS
For yearly budgeting purposes, place a figure in the cells highlighted yellow. This is the average/expected expense for the month. You can then gradually replace these with the actual figures as they occur. The totals (Row 19) are auto-linked to the Total Budget Worksheet.
Keep the spreadsheet tidy by “hiding” columns and sheets for the coming months in Excel. (Under the “Format” menu, select “Column -> Hide” or “Sheet -> Hide”.)
Make it a habit to review and update this spreadsheet regularly. =)
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Motherhood has a very humanizing effect. Everything gets reduced to essentials. ~Meryl Streep
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thanks sis..already downloaded it…will try it starting the month of march!!
Just make sure to unhide the rest of the worksheets for 2008. =)
Hi Sis! Thanks for sharing your budget spreadsheet. I will try it too..
Hi, sis! Thanks for the spreadsheet.
what a great find! thankies sis for sharing! mwah!=)
i’ve uploaded the copy too
thanks for sharing.
Thanks for this!
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