Budgeting Worksheets – How to Create a Monthly Budget Using Budgeting Worksheets

When most people hear about creating a monthly budget they run the other way in fear. They just don’t know where to start. It certainly wasn’t something that most of us where taught in school. However, it would have been more useful than some history lessons.

Creating a monthly budget is really quite simply when you use the right worksheets. However, it does require a consistent effort on your part to both create and to live within your budget.
Follow the how-to directions below to start creating your monthly budget today.

First, track your spending and expenses for the next 30 days. You can begin by recording all your purchases on a weekly expense report worksheet that you fill out each day. Save your receipts from each purchase and then record a description of the purchase, the amount, its category, and how you made the purchase; whether by cash, check, or credit card.

At the end of the week, transfer all your purchases to your monthly expense record worksheet. On this worksheet, you will have a comprehensive view of all expenses for the month and how much you spent in each category such as food, household, and medical just to name a few. You will also record your monthly expenses such as utilities, car payment, credit card payments, and investments.

After you have track your spending for a month, you now have the information you need to create a monthly budget. Now you know exactly how and what you spend your money on. If you did not have a surplus of money at the end of the month, you can now see area where you can trim your spending in order to operate you budget with a surplus next month.

Next, you will want to fill out a monthly financial report worksheet where you record you income and come up with your net spendable income after taxes and any charitable giving. Then you want to take your totals from your monthly expense record worksheet and fill in all amounts in the categories such as household, food, medical, transportation, and recreation just to name a few. When you total up your expenses and subtract them from you net spendable income you will see if you have a surplus or not.

Finally, take the information you have learned and create a budget for next month using a monthly budget worksheet. On this worksheet, you will fill in your income along with your fixed expenses, fixed variables, occasional expenses, and installments such as credit card payments. After you total up your income and all expenses you will be able to see if you have an excess at the end of the month or if you are short. If you are short, now is the time to cut back on some occasional expenses as well as some fixed variable expenses in order to operate a working monthly budget.

And if you would like a free chapter of our “Finacial Solutions” Workbook along with three of our budget worksheets just go to http://www.financialsolutionsadvisors.com and sign up for our free newsletter. You will also receive helpful budgeting tips along with money saving ideas.

By: Rhonda Percell – Financial Advisor with REM Financial Solutions