FREE Printable Budget Planner By Month – Download or Print
What is your family’s financial plan? If you’re staring at the screen blankly right now or thinking “well, I do drop my loose change in a bowl each night and occasionally I take that to the bank…” then it’s time to have a talk.
Every family needs a financial plan.
Period. No ifs, ands, or buts.
However, the term financial plan is pretty broad. Let’s start at the beginning. In order to develop a successful financial plan, your family is going to need a budget. Today, I’m going to give you a free printable budget planner that will get you started.
The word “budget” makes most people cringe, but I promise it isn’t nearly as scary or intimidating as you’ve built it up to be in your mind. All a budget is is a document that tracks money coming in, money going out, and money left over. It’s as easy as that.
Now, I’ll admit, tracking this data can be a bit monotonous… it certainly isn’t going to be something you jump up and down about or fight over who gets to do it. However, it isn’t hard. Anyone can create a budget especially with the help of free tools like this printable budget planner.
The printable budget planner that accompanies this article will allow you to see exactly how much money you’re bringing in each month and where/how you’re spending it. It will allow you to see gaps (when you’re spending more than you bring in) and help you pinpoint areas where you could potentially cut back.
Download your Free Printable Budget Planner by Month now!
TIP: Start with the Excel version of this printable budget planner so that you can customize it to fit your family’s needs.
Fill out a new printable budget planner at the start of each month.
How to use the printable budget planner:
1. Insert your monthly income. If you’re salary, this will be easy. If you’re hourly or work off of commission this can be tricky. Start by taking an average of your pay per month going back a year and then update the actual amount after payday.
TIP: Be sure to include all income here such as any extra money you make from dividends or a second job.
2. List your expenses starting with the most important expenses first.
TIP: To ensure you don’t forget any expenses (ex. renter’s insurance), take a look at your bank/credit card statements for reoccurring bills.
3. Insert values into the “expected” column of the printable budget planner for each expense. Be as accurate as possible. For expenses that vary month by month (ex. electricity) take an average from previous months.
4. After you’ve added all your expenses, if there is money left over, allocate funds to debt repayment, savings plans (ex. retirement), and donation categories.
TIP: Be realistic! It is always better to be able to give more than expected than less. If you can’t meet your goals you may be discouraged from sticking to the printable budget planner.
5. Once the ending balance on the printable budget planner hits “zero”, you’ve allocated all of your money and you’re done budgeting!
Use this printable budget planner as a roadmap for your month. As income comes in and actual expenses come due (ex. bills are paid), update the printable budget planner to reflect “real” (actual) values instead of expected values.
TIP: Having the expected vs. actual columns side by side is a quick and easy way to determine how you are doing each month managing your family’s finances.
The printable budget planner is a simple way to get organized. If you’re searching for a more comprehensive money management review then be sure to download the printable budget binder which includes a goal setting and assessment page.
You may also be interested in these free printable budget worksheets. They provide a simple to use one page format for recording your family’s finances.
Getting a budget in place is only the first step on the road to creating a successful financial plan for your family. There are a lot of other factors to take into consideration. If you want a blueprint for becoming a successful family CFO I highly recommend you pick up my new eBook, Secrets of a Successful Family CFO.
You’ll find real world tips and free tools on everything from setting goals to retirement planning to being a savvy shopper plus I share how I have managed to save my family thousands of dollars and successfully manage our money.
Happy financial planning!
Nadia B says
Hello
Thank you for this post and thank you for sharing all your tips .I want to start my budget planner but it seems that in the excel version there is no line for the monthly income ?