Fillable Printables

Monthly Budget Planner

Plan a month of money on one page: what comes in, what goes out, and what is left. The totals add up as you type. Print it, save it as a PDF, or download it for Google Sheets or Excel.

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  • Stays on your device

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Saves automatically on this device
    Your budget

    The heading of your budget. Only the month is needed to get started.

    Money coming in

    Pay after tax, side income, benefits, child support. Use what actually reaches your account.

    Bills and spending

    Fixed bills first (rent, loans, phone), then what changes (groceries, fuel, fun). Leave "Spent" empty to fill in by hand during the month.

    Savings and debt payments

    Money you set aside on purpose: an emergency fund, a holiday, extra payments on a card. Budgeting it like a bill is what makes it happen.

    Notes

    Anything to remember this month: a birthday, an annual bill, a spending rule you are trying.

    Preview

    Your budget planner appears here as you type. To fill it in by hand, use "Blank copy".

    Monthly budget

    Budget for
    Income
    Planned out
    Left to plan

    Income

    SourceAmount

    Total income:

    Bills and spending

    CategoryWhatDuePlannedSpent

    Planned:   Spent:

    Savings and debt payments

    GoalAmount

    Total saved:

    Notes

    Preview

    How to use this budget planner

    1. Name the month. One page per month works best. Bills, pay dates and spending change from month to month, and a fresh page each month shows you where the money actually went.
    2. Add your income. Use what reaches your bank account after tax, not your salary on paper. If your pay changes, use a cautious figure: the lowest of the last three months.
    3. List your bills and spending. Start with the fixed bills you cannot skip, then the flexible spending. The "Category" carries over to the next line, so you can type "Home" once and list rent, power and internet under it.
    4. Budget your savings. Put money aside for goals the same way you pay a bill. People who save "whatever is left" usually find nothing is.
    5. Check "Left to plan". It shows income minus everything you have planned. Aim for zero: every dollar has a job. If it is negative, you have planned to spend more than you earn; cut a flexible line until it is not.
    6. Print it or keep it digital. Press "Print or save as PDF", or "Sheets / Excel" to download a spreadsheet copy.

    Want to see a finished one first? Open the filled-in example. To fill one in by hand, "Blank copy" prints the same page with empty rows.

    Budget categories to start with

    Most monthly budgets use some version of these groups. Rename or drop any that do not fit you.

    • Home: rent or mortgage, power, water, gas, internet, home insurance.
    • Transport: car payment, fuel, insurance, transit pass, parking.
    • Food: groceries, eating out, coffee and lunches at work.
    • Bills and subscriptions: phone, streaming, gym, apps.
    • Family and health: childcare, school costs, prescriptions, pet food and vet.
    • Debt: credit cards, student loans, buy-now-pay-later plans.
    • Personal and fun: clothes, haircuts, hobbies, gifts, nights out.
    • Irregular costs: a monthly share of yearly bills such as car registration or insurance paid once a year.

    Zero-based, 50/30/20 or envelopes

    This planner works with the three common ways of budgeting.

    • Zero-based budget: give every dollar of income a job until "Left to plan" is zero. Good when money is tight, because nothing is unaccounted for.
    • 50/30/20: about half of take-home pay on needs (home, food, transport, minimum debt payments), 30% on wants and 20% on savings and extra debt payments. Use the category column for "Needs", "Wants" and "Savings" and compare the totals.
    • Envelope or cash stuffing: plan each flexible category, then take that amount out in cash or move it into a separate account. Print the page and write what you spend in the "Spent" column as you go.

    Planned versus spent

    The "Planned" column is your plan made at the start of the month. The "Spent" column is what really happened. You can type it in as you go or leave it blank and write it on the printed page. At the end of the month, the lines where "Spent" is far above "Planned" are the ones to look at: either the plan was unrealistic, or that spending needs a limit.

    Google Sheets and Excel

    "Sheets / Excel" downloads a CSV file with your income, bills and savings. Excel opens it directly. In Google Sheets, choose File, then Import, then Upload. Use the spreadsheet copy if you want to add formulas, charts or a year of months side by side.

    Questions

    Is the budget planner free?

    Yes. There is no sign-up and no limit on how many months you plan or print.

    Is my budget saved or shared anywhere?

    It is saved only in this browser on this device, so it is still here when you come back. Nothing you type is sent to us or to anyone else. To keep a copy elsewhere, save the PDF or the spreadsheet.

    Can I make a budget for every month of the year?

    Yes. Fill in one month and print or save it, then change the month name and the amounts for the next one. Your bills stay in place, so each new month only takes a few minutes.

    Does it work in pounds, euros or rupees?

    Yes. Type your currency symbol in the first step and every total uses it. Write amounts with a dot for decimals (12.50).

    What if "Left to plan" is negative?

    It means the plan spends more than comes in. Lower a flexible line such as eating out or shopping, move a goal to next month, or look for a bill you can cancel, until it reaches zero or above.

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