One of the key concepts of this guide is that budgeting and goal-setting are interrelated activities. By setting goals, you can get a better idea of what you need to save each month. As you begin tracking how much, if any, money you have left over at the end of each budget period, you can start to get a better idea of what changes in lifestyle and spending you may need to make in order to achieve your goals. As you refine your budget, you can better prioritize your goals and, in some cases, set more realistic goals. Included in this guide are worksheets to help you put this concept into action. When you need more forms, you can print them the links below.
Download Monthly Budget Worksheet
The Monthly Budget Worksheet contains sections for recording your income and general categories of expenditures. Within each general category, you can set spending targets for more specific sub-categories of your choosing. At the bottom of the page, subtract your total projected expenditures from projected income to determine your projected savings for the month.
Download Savings Allocation Worksheet
Use the Savings Allocation Worksheet to record debt obligations and financial goals. Compare your obligations and goals against your Monthly Budget Worksheet’s projected surplus. Does your projected surplus cover your debt obligations? Are your goals realistic in terms of your projected surplus total? It’s likely that you’ll need several rounds of budget trimming and goal prioritization to get to a balanced result.
Download Expense Allocation WorksheetOnce your monthly budget is set, you may use the Expense Tracking Worksheet to organize your expenditures and keep track of your progress within each budget category. Use the category codes from your Budgeting Worksheet to group the expenditures on your tracking sheet. At the end of each month, add up each category and re-evaluate your budget for the next month.
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