The Complete Collection of Monthly Budget Templates

By Andy Marker | February 22, 2017

Monthly budgeting is a common challenge. Whether you’re managing your family’s finances, running a business, tracking your personal spending, or planning for college, the costs can seem endless. Creating a monthly budget spreadsheet is a useful way to keep track of all these expenses and compare them with your income, so you can gain control over your finances.

Of course, there are many different ways you can budget money, depending on your income source, family size, and the level of visibility you want into your finances. You may also want to create separate budgets for special purposes, such as retirement, college savings, or home improvements, in addition to your personal monthly budget. Perhaps you’re interested in creating a budget for monthly business expenses or corporate projects. That’s why we created this comprehensive list of monthly budget templates. No matter what you’re budgeting for, this collection has a template to meet your needs.

 

Monthly Business Budget

 

Maintaining a budget is especially important when running a business. Whether you offer goods or services, this monthly budget template can help put you on the road to success. Record business expenditures, such as advertising, taxes, and legal fees, and plot them against business income, such as product sales and service fees. This template shows you where you need to reduce or eliminate spending, and helps you identify your most profitable sources of income.

Download Monthly Business Budget

Excel  | Smartsheet

Household Monthly Expense Budget

 

Household Expense Budget Template

When you have a house full of people, tracking expenses can get complicated. Monthly budget spreadsheets are helpful when managing spending for your family or roommates. This template gives you a close look at your household’s planned versus actual income and details expenses for individual categories on a monthly basis. Carefully tracking this information will help you better meet financial goals, prepare for emergencies, and plan for the future.  

Download Household Monthly Expense Budget

Excel  | Smartsheet

Personal Budget

 

Personal Budget Template

Setting a budget for yourself is hard — and following it can be even harder. Using monthly budget sheets helps make it easier. This detailed template offers a summary of your income, expenses, and savings goals (both in aggregate and by month) on one sheet with a detailed monthly breakdown by category on another. By taking a closer look at your budget, you can gain better control over your finances.

Download Personal Budget

Excel  | Smartsheet

Department Budget

 

Department Budget Template

This monthly budget sheet can help you forecast expenses for your business or academic department for the entire fiscal year, as well as by month. You can also compare percentage changes in the budget from year over year. Expenses are grouped by category (for example, website, research, and travel costs) to give you a snapshot of how you’re allocating department funds.

Download Department Budget

Excel  | Smartsheet

Home Construction Budget

 

Home Construction Budget Template

Whether remodeling your home or building a new one, it’s easy for costs to get out of hand. Use this monthly budgeting worksheet to account for all labor and materials expenses, track spending by category, and ensure you’re within your overall budget. This template can also help you set aside extra funds for emergency repairs and unforeseen costs, which are common with construction projects. Check out these Excel construction management templates to help you manage a budget for larger jobs.

Download Home Construction Budget

Excel  | Smartsheet

Simple Monthly Budget

 

Simple Budget Template

If you just need a basic budget tracker, or if you’re making a budget for the first time, this simple budget template can help you get organized. It offers a basic snapshot of your income, expenses, and insight into extra money that you can save. You can also use this template to plot your finances on a chart for an at-a-glance look at your spending.

Download Simple Monthly Budget

Excel  | Smartsheet

Academic Club Budget

 

Academic Club Budget Template

This monthly budgeting sheet helps you track income and expenses for an academic club. Clubs often have annual goals for fundraising, dues, or sponsorship, as well as limits on monthly and annual spending. Tracking all this on a monthly budget planner can help you gauge progress toward financial goals, and verify that your club isn’t spending more than it’s making.

‌ Download Academic Club Budget

Monthly Budget Calculator

 

Using this basic budget calculator, you can quickly and easily plot regular expenses for major categories (housing, transportation, debt, etc.) against your income for the month. Simply plug in the payment and receipt amounts, and the calculator will reflect totals in aggregate as well as by category for the month. This gives you an at-a-glance view of how closely you’re sticking to your budget.

‌ Download Monthly Budget Calculator

College Student Monthly Budget

 

College is one of the biggest investments many people will make in their lifetime. Use this monthly budget Excel spreadsheet to help plan for it accurately. In addition to tuition fees, this sheet will help you track spending on textbooks and educational supplies, housing, and transportation, as well as income from jobs, internships, and student loans or scholarships. You can also track your college budget by month or by quarter.

Download College Student Monthly Budget

Excel  | Smartsheet

Early Retirement Budget Sheet

 

Early Retirement Budget Template

Planning ahead is especially important when it comes to your retirement. If income and expenses aren’t tracked and distributed properly, it could seriously impact your future. Using this monthly budgeting worksheet, you can ensure you’re financially secure when you retire. Track income sources as well as living, personal, and medical expenses on a weekly, bi-weekly, quarterly, or annual basis. You can also compare your actual income with what you need to retire comfortably.

‌ Download Early Retirement Budget Sheet

Monthly Family Budget Planner

 

Family Budget Template

Families have a lot of expenses. From doctor’s visits to vacations to saving for college, you need a comprehensive budget to track your family’s spending. This monthly budget worksheet allows you to compare expenses with your family’s income and savings, and reflects annual totals by category. Using this template, you can make sure your family is financially prepared for future expenditures, such as education and retirement, as well as for any emergencies that may arise.

‌ Download Monthly Family Budget Planner

GLBL Monthly Budget Spreadsheet

 

GLBL Budget Template

If you want granular control over your finances, this “Gather Little by Little (GLBL)” budget template is for you. It allows you to designate every dollar of income you receive from your paycheck for a specific purpose, so you can avoid spending more than you’re making. This comprehensive monthly budgeting worksheet offers an at-a-glance view of all expenses and income on one sheet, and breaks down each spending category in detail on the following sheets in the template.

‌ Download GLBL Monthly Budget Spreadsheet

K-12 School Expense Budget Template

 

Even before your kids reach college, school expenses can add up. Keep track of them with this monthly budget template. It allows you to track all spending related to school and extracurricular activities: tuition, lab fees, books and school supplies, uniforms, club and team dues, and more. By managing your school budget, your kids will have the financial support they need to achieve their goals.

‌ Download K-12 School Expense Budget Template

Monthly Budget Template

 

This all-purpose monthly budgeting spreadsheet can help you keep track of most personal and family expenditures. Use this template to enter housing expenses such as rent, utilities, and telephone; recurring payments such as car loan, insurance, and credit card charges; food and drink expenses; and other costs of living, such as child care, gym memberships, and entertainment. These can be tracked against your individual and/or family income, so you can make sure you’re prepared for the future.

‌ Download Monthly Budget Template

Zero-Based Budget Spreadsheet

 

Similar to the GLBL budget spreadsheet, the zero-based budget involves distributing your income to certain expense categories, so the balance equals zero at the end of each month. Whether you’re allocating money to living expenses (housing, car, groceries, etc.), to fun and entertainment, or to save for the future, a zero-based budget sheet will tell you where each dollar is going. Use this spreadsheet to plot your current income against your expenses, and adjust your budget until it zeroes out.

‌ Download Zero-Based Budget Spreadsheet

Completed Sample Budgets

Need some more help getting started? These templates offer an example of what your budget might look like once it’s complete. No matter how great your income, planning ahead is important so you don’t overspend, or spend too much in the wrong place. Easily compare your own spending against these sample low-income and high-income budgets to see if you’re on track or need to make adjustments.

 

‌ Download High Income Budget - PDF

 


‌ Download Low Income Budget - PDF

How to Use a Budget Template

To create your budget, first determine your regular income: for example, paychecks, government assistance, alimony payments, and child support. Businesses should consider how much money is allotted for specific projects. Don’t count irregular income, such as bonuses or gifts, since these fluctuate from month to month.

Next, calculate your regular expenses. Include everything from housing costs to insurance premiums to recreational spending. For variable expenses, such as utility bills, calculate your monthly average. Don’t forget to include things like groceries, gym memberships, and regular ATM withdrawals.

Finally, choose and download the right budget template and use it to plot all of this information - make sure your spending doesn’t exceed your income. You can also track your finances on an even deeper level by downloading and using one of our weekly budget templates.

 

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