This is such a cute budget planner printable! Budgeting can be overwhelming in the beginning. Whether you’re a new stay at home mom trying to make it work on one income or you’re wanting to start a family budget to begin saving for college, a simple budget template is a perfect place to start.
The Simple Budget Template will help you figure out a “napkin” style budget. This beginner budget planner printable covers the basics of a budget to help you answer the question, “Where in the world does all my money go at the end of the month?”
This free blank budget worksheet printable will go a long way in helping you actually stick to a monthly family budget. Grab it now to get started, here’s the link. It is the foundation of a super organized budget binder.
Original Blog Post November 2020. Updated for the current year.
There are affiliate links in this post. This means if you click on a link, I might receive a commission at no additional cost to you. Affiliate links are marked with an asterisk (*).
[Free] Simple Blank Budget Worksheet Template Printable for 2026
I remember when we first started our budgeting journey. Wayyyyy back in the day.
I THOUGHT I was good at saving. I thought I was frugal. I thought I was smart with my money.
And yet, I never seemed to have enough money to buy flights to go home for Christmas, or I stressed out when it was time to buy tires.
My husband nagged me about small purchases, and I felt like I had no freedom to buy ANYTHING.
As a good little analytical girl, I decided to research the best way to really budget and figure out where all my money was going at the end of the month.
I found a few basics that make up a budget that I thought you’d love to hear about to get started with your budgeting journey!
These simple steps will set you up quickly to succeed with a budget.
But first, don’t forget to download this cute free budget worksheet pdf to fill out as we go through the steps! This is a Zero Based Monthly Budget Free Printable.
<< DOWNLOAD Simple Monthly Budget Template FREE >>
Got it? Okay, here we go!
P. S. If the printable is “too simple” for you, I recommend trying You Need A Budget (YNAB) for free for 34 days*. This is the budgeting program I’ve used for 7+ years.
How to set up a simple monthly budget
Honestly, I think many people over complicate setting up their first budget! Once you do it ONE time following the step-by-step guide below, it really is super simple!
Here are a few budgeting tips to start your budget:
- Complete your budget before the beginning of the month
- Track your expenses daily or weekly
- Enter your monthly expenses that repeat every month
- Budget for your long-term money goals
- Use a zero-based budget worksheet (like this one!)
Who is this cute printable for?
This is a great free printable for anyone who wants something quick to grab., whether you are not to budgeting or not.
It is super cute, but also functional. I definitely recommend anyone looking for a low income budget printable worksheet to grab this one! The first step to reaching your financial goals is getting a good handle on your expenses and this printable can help you set up your first budget free!
Now, let’s talk about the step-by-step guide on how to set-up your first personal monthly budget with this beginner printable budget worksheet!
My process is a LITTLE bit different than most people. I want you to THINK about how much you make and how much you spend. Essentially you will be filling out this worksheet TWICE. But that’s okay, because it’s FREE 🙂 So, if you only printed out one copy, go ahead and hit print a second time!
1. Income: What’s your income?
First, you’d be surprised how many people I’ve talked to who have NO idea how much money actually arrives in their bank account each month. If this is you, it’s okay! Not any more!
Do you know how much money you make every month? How about your spouse?
The first step to setting up a simple budget is to know how much you BOTH bring in.
Go to the block titled “Income.” Fill in your name and how much you THINK you bring in each month under the “Budget” category.
Now, write that number down on your free printable.
2. Basic Expenses (Needs): It’s estimation time – how much do you spend per month?
Next, we’re going to look at your NEEDS vs your WANTS. NEEDS are bills that the creditors calls about. They provide food, shelter, or a way for you to make money (i.e. a car for driving to work).
When you’re first getting started managing your money, before you dive into the many, many budget categories, KISS. Aka “keep it simple, silly!” Start with the basic budget categories. The best budget categories are normally called your NEEDS or obligations. These would be categories like:
- Home Expenses: mortgage, rent, maintenance, utilities, internet, etc.
- Transportation Expenses: car loan payments, registration, gas, maintenance, tires, etc.
- Food Expenses: groceries, restaurants, coffee, liquor, etc.
- Child/Dependent Care Expenses: diapers, clothing, activities, etc.
- Medical/Dental Expenses: monthly payments, co-pays, annual deductible, etc.
- Other Loan/Debt Payments: student loans, credit card debt, etc.
Once again, I already provided a list here, but feel free to add in a few more big categories that might apply to you. Go ahead and fill in your “guesses” under the BUDGET section of the BASIC EXPENSES (NEEDS) section.
Don’t worry, we will eventually go get your actual numbers but this is a PROCESS people! Don’t skip ahead!
Related Post: How to manage your budget at home for busy moms
3. Other Expenses (WANTS)
This hasn’t been too bad so far, right? Now it’s time to look at the fun stuff.
Any other bills you can think about or fun categories will go under here. Below are a few suggested categories. Several of these categories might be called “sinking funds” as well.
Do NOT skip the Subscriptions because you’ll be surprised at how much this adds up to.
- Subscriptions: Netflix, Disney+, HBO, Sirius, etc.
- Vacation: Big trips and little trips
- Gifts: Christmas comes the same time every year, plan for it!
- Restaurants: Let’s face it, eating out costs more, track it separately!
- Cell phones/cell phone bill
- Personal Care: hair cuts, make-up, etc.
- Clothing
- Entertainment/Hobbies
- Electronics
Pssst… there’s an awesome budget binder starter pack here with 24 worksheets to organize all your finances, grab it here!
4. Total Everything Up
Now that you’ve got your Income, Needs, and Wants, it’s time to total everything up.
Add down your columns using your fancy phone calculator.
Go to the bottom box and write your total Income.
Next to the Expenses line, add “Basic Expenses (Needs)” + “Other Expenses (Wants)”. Put that total under Budget of the Expenses.
Now, just to get a general idea of where we are going, you’ll subtract Income Minus Expenses and write that number where it says “I-E-S=0”. We won’t have anything next to Savings and that is OK.
If you stop here in your budgeting process, honestly, you’ve made good progress so pat yourself on the back! But to REALLY make a difference, keep on going!
What do you do if your number is “Positive” aka bigger than zero?
If your Income – Expenses is greater than zero than this means you are living below your means! It’s time to create some finance goals and use that extra income to start working FOR you. You should consider paying down debt, saving for an emergency fund, or maybe some other savings goal.
What do you do if your number is “negative” aka less than zero?
If this is the case, do NOT panic. You can do this and there is a way forward. If you find yourself spending more than you make there are two ways to change this. Either increase your income or decrease your expenses. For each person there is a different journey based on the circumstances. But the key is awareness. Sometimes this is SCARY. But, knowing will give you the freedom to act. You’ve got this!
5. Get actual expenses from your accounts
This is the step that will take a little bit more time. You will have to open up your checking account, credit cards and take a look at your monthly expenses. I recommend looking at the last 3 months to see if there are any one-off expenses. This is where I recommend a spreadsheet to make it easier to calculate averages over time. But you can totally do it by hand too to get a general idea!
Write all your ACTUALS under the “Spent” section of your spreadsheet. Total everything up as you did before.
- Were you surprised by any expenses?
- Were they higher or lower than you thought?
- Have you identified any areas you could maybe cut down on easily?
- Any subscriptions you could maybe cancel?
Again, we are just doing this for the FIRST time around. In future months, we will have a different process. Keep going!
6. Create your FIRST budget
Now that we’ve done the dirty work, we’re going to create your FIRST budget together. You’ll be able to use the template you just filled out to customize your own budget for the next month.
Base your budget on last month’s expenses or the averages that you found. Fill this out at the beginning of the month.
If your Income – Expenses = a POSITIVE number.
Create savings goals to give that money a job. Assign every dollar so it doesn’t slip away. If you’re new to saving, I recommend taking that dollar amount and moving it to a separate savings account so you don’t see it in your savings.
If your Income – Expenses = a NEGATIVE number.
I recommend first trying to cut “WANTS” as much as possible. Then look at ways you could maybe increase your Income in order to cover all your bills. There are a lot of strategies for this. I’m not a financial advisor but I definitely recommend podcasts like ChooseFI as a starting point.
Budgets actually provide freedom because they allow you to CHOOSE where you want your money to go instead of letting it slip through your fingers like sand. And I WANT this for you. The fear caused by unexpected expenses that can be planned for is sooo heavy. Start making 1% improvements today.
If your Income – Expenses = ZERO.
Hey, that’s a great start, but I would argue you need to build a little more wiggle room to save for a rainy day. Here are so places you could put money to use.
- Get out of debt faster (Free debt payment calendar calculator that calculates a payment plan to pay off debt faster)
- Gifts
- Electronics
- Retirement Roth IRAs/401Ks
- College 529 Plans
- Taxable Brokerage Account
- Vacations (You might also like to read “How to save money for vacations“)
- Down Payment Savings
- New Car Savings
If your Income – Expenses – Savings = ZERO.
Congrats you have a zero based budget! It’s time to start living in freedom with your money choosing to vote with what’s most important to you!
I also have a whole list of family-friendly budget categories over here!
7. Talk with your spouse/partner
I highly recommend couples doing this exercise separately and then comparing numbers. Sometimes it’s uncomfortable at first, but everyone should have a general understanding of where the money is going!
Compare your actual expenses to what you think it SHOULD be according to the simple budget template you filled out with your spouse.
If you’re looking for a next step after this worksheet is done, try 15 Ways to Declutter Your Finances and Gain Back Your Time.
8. Download the free expense tracker below (part of the budget binder pack)
This will help you stay on track during the month.
9. At the end of the month, look at how much you spent…
See how your budget compared to your actual spending and adjust accordingly. If you spent higher in some categories and lower than others, than it’s okay to be flexible! Just plan that for the next month!
And that’s it! That’s how to use this simple but awesome budget planner printable!
Following these steps will get you started on that budget and help you start saving money today!
You’ll begin to be able to answer the question, “Where is all my money going anyway?”
Again, don’t forget to download the free Simple Budget Worksheet I promised you!
Print it for easy planning with you and your spouse at your next family meeting. You can start those up in the new year too 😉
Interested in a fully-loaded, everything-included, one-stop-show actual Budget Binder Starter Pack?
I mean who has time to search around a piece together all the little tips and tricks and printables that don’t even go together, overlap, and cause more work than they are worth?
NOT ME.
If you’re looking for a one stop shop budget binder set, this is a no brainer, my friend! There are SOOO many good tools in this package and all you have to do it print it off once, and you’re good to go.
Yeah, you could totally build all of these by yourself. On your own. With all your spare time in Excel or in word or something, but again, I WANT to help you save time and the money for time trade here is totally worth it.
You will feel so organized and on top of it once you start working through these worksheets. This is an investment in your sanity going forward!
Read more about this one which includes a:
- 12 Month Zero Based Monthly Budgets: Jan – Dec
- 52 Week Savings Tracker: See your progress throughout the year and celebrate the small victories.
- 100 Budget Category Ideas: Plan for all the unexpected expenses in advance and stop worrying about those surprise issues
- Finance Calendar: At the beginning of the month, write down pay days and bills due so you never miss a payment. Celebrate each week of savings.
- Monthly Bills Tracker: Track your bills paid from month to month or quarterly to make sure you never miss a beat
- Savings Goals Printable: Break down your big savings goals into smaller ones and see the progress you’re making with your mini-goals
- Debt Payoff Tracker: Set specific savings goals to pay off your debt faster
- Vacation Planner: Get excited about planning and saving for your next vacation and all the details.
- Monthly Finance Review: It’s so important to review what’s working AND what’s not when it comes to goal setting. Each month, use this finance review to reflect on last month and set actionable goals for the coming month.
- Expense Log: Manually track your expenses and keep track of your account balance.
- Car Maintenance Cost Tracker: Track car expenses and costs so you can predict and save for upcoming maintenance expenses.
- Down Payment Tracker: Turning your goals into coloring sheets might be all you need to make them fun again. Use this sheet to start saving up for the down payment of your dream home!
<< “I need this right now!” >>
Wait! More freebies! Woohoo! Free personal monthly budget template planner pack!
If the zero-based budget template above isn’t your cup of tea, here are a few other options just for you lovelies! Don’t you just love a pretty printable that is oh, by the way… free and helpful!
Quick Monthly Free Budget Printable Worksheets
Track expenses quickly and easily with these free budget templates. Customizeable and easy to change from month-to-month, these pretty budgets are perfect to add to a home binder!
Use these money saving worksheets to get control of your money and start living the way you WANT. A good budget helps you achieve your dreams and makes you feel good about your money again.
This free budget planner pack also includes 3 worksheets – a simple and quick monthly budget planner printable, a monthly expense tracker, and a yearly budget tracker to see your positive net growth each month!
I love that each of these is designed individually and slightly different formats – because everyone is different in how they handle money!
<< Download the Quick Monthly Budget Planner Printable Pack here >>
This is the expense tracker you will receive in the budget printable pack. It is a perfect addition to a starter budget binder. Because it’s blank, you can fill on all your expenses and it is super versatile.
<< Download the Quick Monthly Budget Planner Printable Pack here >>
Let me know if you have any questions about it! I’m kind of a nerdy budget lover 😊 P. S. The current monthly budget is new and improved (below is the old style!)
