The other sneaky expense I discovered was the total cost of fancy coffee drinks. Of course, I don’t get the movie theater popcorn ! Sigh… I decided to subscribe to a streaming service instead which dramatically reduced this entertainment cost. Oops! I love the movie theater popcorn, but I didn’t like seeing how much I spent or how often I went. I realized that I was spending more and more money each month to go to the movies. Are you seeing different categories of spending change significantly over time? It helps to pinpoint changes in expenses early and helps you to quickly adjust. Using a tool like this gives you the opportunity to review your monthly budgets.

I am surprised how quickly I forget what I spent money on, so using the notes helps to refresh my memory and makes it easy to reference later. Make sure to use the notes to explain specifically the expense. It is those sneaky, unplanned expenses that can really derail your budgeting plans. These may include rent or mortgage, utilities and estimated amounts for groceries or eating out.Ĭreate a Miscellaneous category (similar to what you do with the money envelope system) and include incidentals such as birthday or holiday gifts, or a car repair or anything else that you will pay for that doesn’t happen all the time. When you create a monthly budget, include all of the regular, recurring expenses. Ready to dig deeper and tackle your budget for this year? Snag theģ1 Day Savvy Budget Planner. We know that once you start to use these, you won’t be able to resist staying organized and on track! You don’t need anything complicated – print this one page to help you get started.īe sure to take a look at our other free budgeting printables, so you can find others that work for every personal finance project.

This free monthly budget printable is a simple tool that you don’t need anything extra.

I knew exactly how much income I had and knew where all of my expenses were going. It is funny, but after a few months, I noticed that I stressed a lot less about money. It won’t take long before it gets to be a habit. It will take a little bit to get used to writing down all of your expenses.

Printable basic budget worksheet