Build-a-Budget Worksheet pdf
A good household budget starts with an honest assessment of your monthly expenses. Use this budget worksheet to jot down all of your regularly occurring expenses, including any money that you spend on eating out, hobbies or other forms of entertainment. Fill in all of the fields that pertain to you, and ignore the ones that don't. Have expenses that aren't included on the form? There's room to add those in under the "Other" category. Let the budgeting begin!
Tips:
- For auto insurance, property tax or other expenses that don't follow a monthly billing format, take the total cost per year and divide it by twelve. This will give you the monthly cost to enter on the form
- If your property tax and homeowner's insurance are in escrow, do not itemize them on the form. They'll be included in your monthly mortgage payment
- For now, only include the minimum payments required to satisfy your debts, you'll build in extra payments in a later step
- Not sure how much you spend on groceries, eating out or entertainment? Use the Monthly Spending Worksheet to track your spending, and find out
What Do I Do Next?
Once you've completed the Build-a-Budget Worksheet, it's time to determine if your living expenses are compatible with your income. Refer to "How to Create a Frugal Budget" for a step-by-step guide to the rest of the budgeting process.
