But you could also use the money on non-essential things like dining out or traveling. Ideally, you'd use this extra money to increase your savings, especially if you don't have an emergency fund. On the other hand, if you have more income leftover after listing your expenses, you can increase certain areas of your budget. It's a good idea to reduce these costs and regularly make adjustments to the amount of money you spend so you can avoid debt. This may include reevaluating how much you spend on groceries, household goods, streaming subscriptions and other flexible costs. You should review your variable expenses to find ways to cut costs in the amount of $300. If you notice that your expenses are higher than your income, you'll need to make some adjustments.įor instance, let's say your expenses cost $300 more than your monthly net pay. You’ll get access to an Emergency Fund Savings Tracker worksheet, a Bill Pay checklist, and more. A Mom’s Take Family Budget Worksheet includes worksheets for creating a budget and more. Work out a proposed household budget by inputting your sources of income and projected expenses into Kiplinger's exclusive worksheet. A Mom’s Take blog is a place where people can go to learn about all things related to home and family. By Ansley Fender On There are dozens of tools for making a budget, tracking bank accounts, and create savings goals. You’ll learn more about your money and how you think about it.
The last step in creating a budget is to compare your net income to your monthly expenses. A good budget helps you reach your spending and savings goals. Home Budgeting Resources How to Make a Budget in Google Sheets (Step by Step) You can create your own free Google Sheet budget template in less than an hour. If you find that the average you spend on groceries each month is $433, you may want to round up and set the spending limit to $450. To calculate the average amount you spend on groceries, for example, add up all of your grocery spending during the past three months and divide by three. But fixed utilities, such as electric and gas, and variable costs, such as dining and household goods, often fluctuate month-to-month, so you'll need to do some math to find the average.įor these categories and any where you spending changes from month-to-month, determine the average monthly cost by looking at three months worth of spending. For example, debt repayment on a mortgage or auto loan will cost the same each month. You can look up your spending on bank and credit card statements.įixed expenses are easier to list on your budget than variable expenses since the cost is generally the same month-to-month. After you separate fixed and variable expenses, list how much you spend on each expense per month.