DIY Budget for Beginners

Hello all!

Since Jesse and I will be getting married soon, we have been talking a lot about budgets. No matter what stage of life you are in having a budget is very important. A budget will help you keep on track of your financial goals especially if you are saving for your retirement, your child's education, and etc. I decided to create a budget that can be modified to fit everyone's needs.  Feel free to download the excel sheet below. 

How to use the Personal Budget on Excel:

There are three pages within the document: 

Overview

In this tab, you will not need to input anything. This will be an overview from all of your inputs from the "Budget" and "Receipts" Tab. This will help you track your income, spending and savings. 

Budget

In this tab, you will be able to track all of your expenses, income, and savings. Your inputs in this tab will auto fill into the "Overview" tab.  You can add, edit, or delete certain expenses depending on your personal financial needs.

Receipts

In this tab, you will be able keep track of individual expenses within the "Budget" tab. I found most budgets don't have an area to put in specific grocery and other receipts. This will automatically populate in your budget tab once you add each receipt in. This will allow you to better track your spending on groceries, restaurants and etc. 

Three tips to Sticking to a budget:

1. Create a financial goal. It's a lot easier to stick to your budget when you create a financial goal. You should create a both a short term financial goal and a long term financial goal.

2. Set aside time each week to work on your budget. It will be easier to analyze your spending when you allow yourself time to look at how much you are spending on certain things through out the week. I would recommend spending at least an hour a week on your budget.

3. Allow yourself some freedom within the budget. You need to allow yourself to have some fun money within the budget. It will become super hard to stick to if you don't ever allow yourself to eat out or etc. This money will be a little reward after a long week of sticking to your budget. 

To download the budget please use the link below.

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Download Free Budget Excel Sheet Here

"The plans of the diligent lead surely to plenty, but those of everyone who is hasty, surely to poverty."

Proverbs 21:5