excel monthly budget planner template printable

#EXCEL MONTHLY BUDGET PLANNER TEMPLATE PRINTABLE HOW TO#
#EXCEL MONTHLY BUDGET PLANNER TEMPLATE PRINTABLE FULL#
#EXCEL MONTHLY BUDGET PLANNER TEMPLATE PRINTABLE DOWNLOAD#
#EXCEL MONTHLY BUDGET PLANNER TEMPLATE PRINTABLE FREE#

I track and manage the finances throughout the month and calculate all end of month balances. We never carried a balance so interest rates and fees never incurred. We are both horrendous when it comes to receipts so we opted to charge everything and pay it off each month. We withdraw the cash allowances from the ATM right around the first of the month as well. Starting on the first of the month is perfect because that is easiest to remember.

It helps us stay on track, further creates transparency, and encourages accountability. No fighting over that either.Įverything else in the discretionary categories is usually discussed prior to a purchase. We each have a set cash allowance each month to buy what we want. The allowance is usually applied to lunch out at work, activities with friends, or buying items that are not necessary. For example, if we opt to buy lunch at work, this comes from our cash allowance. We currently maintain a few rules for using cash allowance. If I wanted to buy a $6 coffee from Starbucks, I could, but it came from my cash allowance. Cash is great because it allows for a no questions asked policy, which eliminates fighting over discretionary purchases. We also opted for individual cash allowances to use on personal discretionary spending. This helped us decide exactly how much money to put into cash savings, retirement and a college fund for kid(s) each month. We asked ourselves, “How much money did we want and need for our future?” When we set up our budget it was the perfect time to talk about our long-term financial goals. We attempted to choose realistic and reasonable amounts for each category. Then we broke each major category into subcategories:

#EXCEL MONTHLY BUDGET PLANNER TEMPLATE PRINTABLE HOW TO#

How to create a monthly budgetīasically, we looked at our monthly income and broke it down into 3 major categories: Think of it this way: a few jabs or punches month by month is far better than the inevitable financial knock-out after months of neglect. Third, we also maintain transparency through weekly or monthly financial meetings where we discuss exactly where all the money went.įacing your finances is incredibly brave, and it is not always easy. Debt, bills, savings-all of this was covered in detail with complete honesty.

#EXCEL MONTHLY BUDGET PLANNER TEMPLATE PRINTABLE FULL#

Second, we gave full disclosure of our current financial situation. Since both of us regularly access our financial accounts, we are less likely to deviate from the monthly budget or fall into the treacherous troubled waters of financial infidelity (i.e. With the added dimension of accountability, we both have the ability to check bank accounts and credit card balances at any given time.

#EXCEL MONTHLY BUDGET PLANNER TEMPLATE PRINTABLE FREE#

It’s free and simple to use.įor us, sharing our passwords creates a sense of accountability.

In order to create transparency, we first shared all of our usernames and passwords and stored them securely using a program called Last Pass.

#EXCEL MONTHLY BUDGET PLANNER TEMPLATE PRINTABLE DOWNLOAD#

How to use the excel monthly budget template (FREE to download at the end of this post!)įirst, take the time to create financial transparency!Ĭreating financial transparency in a marriage can eliminate serious fights over money.įor us, it’s basically eliminated 95% of fights about money.

In the month before we were married, we created a monthly budget and an excel spreadsheet to track everything from month to month (which is available as a FREE download at the end of this post!). Since money is one of the top sources of marital discord, it was incredibly important to us to get started on the right path. Our pastor asked all the tough questions, and we jumped straight into the nitty-gritty, answering his questions with all the honesty we could muster.

When my husband and I did pre-marital counseling there was a whole session talking about finances and budgeting. Feel free to download and use so your family can create a successful monthly budget too. If you need help knowing how to create a monthly budget, my friend Lauren is guest posting today about her successful monthly budget, how she created it, and even included a free excel monthly budget template for an entire year.

Excel monthly budget planner template printable