One of the first steps toward getting a handle on personal finances is to develop a budget. Learn where to download a free sample monthly budget template.
Free Sample Monthly Budget Template
Vertex42.com offers a monthly budget template for free. This worksheet can be used with Open Office, Google Docs, or Microsoft Excel versions 2002 (XP), 2003, and 2007. This simple budgeting spreadsheet is visually appealing and easy to understand. Income and expenses are itemized within logical categories.
Example Income and Expense Worksheet Categories
The person who created this monthly budget worksheet listed more lines under income than many other standard spreadsheets provide; there are lines for wages & tips, interest income, dividends, gifts received, refunds, and transfers from savings. These are very useful line items for the average household.
Monthly household expenses are categorized as follows:
- Charity / Gifts – gifts given, charitable donations, religious donations
- Daily Living – groceries, personal care, clothing, cleaning, education or lessons, dining out, hair cuts, pet food
- Entertainment – movies, music, games, rentals, movie theater, concerts or plays, books, hobbies, photos, sports, outdoor recreation, toys or gadgets, vacation travel
- Health – health insurance, doctor and dentist, medicine, health club dues, life insurance, veterinarian fees
- Home expenses – mortgage or rent, home or rental insurance, electricity, gas or oil, utilities (water, sewer, trash), phone, cable or satellite, internet, furnishings and appliances, lawn and garden, maintenance and supplies, home improvements
- Miscellaneous – bank fees, postage
- Obligations – student loan payments, other loan payments, credit card payments, alimony/child support, federal taxes, state and local taxes
- Savings – emergency fund contributions, transfers to savings, retirement plan contributions, investments, education
- Subscriptions – newspaper, magazines, dues and memberships
- Transportation – vehicle payments, auto insurance, fuel, bus or other fare, repairs, license and registration
Because the worksheet is customizable, it is appropriate for either single or married people with or without children.
Household Monthly Budget Worksheet Features
Beside each line item noted above is one column for entering budgeted amounts, a second column for entering actual amounts, and a third column to indicate the difference between the two. For added visual effect, any deficit will show up in red text. This allows users to quickly identify problems areas within a household’s monthly budget.
More Sample Monthly Budget Templates – Free Excel Spreadsheet Downloads
Some people can manage money without a written budget, but seeing finances on paper can help others come to terms with reality. Below are three more articles that profile simple budgeting spreadsheets:
Personal Budget Spreadsheets for Microsoft Excel – This article explains how to find all of the sample budget templates for Excel on the Microsoft website.
Sample Monthly Expense Spreadsheet – This article profiles a highly popular Microsoft Excel budgeting template.
Microsoft Excel Household Budget Spreadsheet – This article profiles another customizable monthly income and expenses worksheet.
Lena Gott - Lena Gott is a Certified Public Accountant who gives practical financial advice to her readers.
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