Budget Planning 101: Guide + Printable

Wondering where your money goes between paychecks? Get a grip on your finances with our budgeting pages. Free budget printable!

#Freebies #Guides and Tips

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Would you like to get a better grip on your spending patterns? Does your planned budget match your actual expenses?

Try our Budget Planner back pages to find out, and get on track with your spending this year! You can add these pages at the back of your planner at no extra cost, or create a whole Mixbook dedicated to your personal finances.

Keep reading to see our different types of budgeting pages, and download the free printable template to get started!

Our easy-to-use templates feature a monthly budget that comes in two different versions: a general or a more detailed monthly budget.


The detailed budget template provides you with preprinted categories, where you enter an estimate for each one of them. How much are you expecting to spend on utilities this month, for instance? Continue logging your spending in the relevant category so that, by the end of the month, you can check how well your estimate compares to your actual spending.


In our more general monthly budget pages you can enter your own categories or expense items yourself. These could be rent, food, clothes, hobbies, gas, etc. You can be as specific as you like here. Next, enter your planned budget for each expense. At the end of the month, enter what you’ve actually spent on each expense item to get a realistic picture of your total budget.

Fancy trying out one of the budgeting templates before adding them to your next planner or Mixbook? Click below to download one of our useful budget templates for free!

DOWNLOAD BUDGET TEMPLATE HERE

The really interesting question here, of course, is: How well does your planned budget match your actual expenses? Did you find any surprises? We all have our little extras we sometimes like to treat ourselves to, but if we don’t keep an eye on these seemingly insignificant expenses, they can easily add up over time.


Consider this scenario: A few times a week, you pick up a coffee on your way to the office. A lovely way to start off your day, sure, but how much is that latte really costing you?

As the irrefutable laws of lattematics clearly confirm, if you’re getting coffee at your fave spot three times a week, you’ll be spending over $620 a year on your milky caffeine addiction*. Is your latte really worth it? Absolutely, you might say without blinking an eye; it’s the perfect way to brighten up my daily grind! Ok, great, then you’ve made a conscious choice and can enjoy your guilt-free cup of joe.

But if you, on the other hand, are surprised at how much of your hard-earned dollars you’re using to satisfy your caffeine cravings, then perhaps it’s time to make a decision to change things.





DOWNLOAD BUDGET TEMPLATE HERE
The point we’re trying to make here is this: Mapping out your consumption patterns helps you see behavior that perhaps you weren’t even aware of, empowering you to make concrete choices for change.

You may find all sorts of interesting things once you start tracking your expenses this way. The most important is, however, that you are the one in control of your spending. And we promise you, keeping track of your dollars and logging expenses this way is a hugely rewarding feeling, with the additional side-effect of granting you peace of mind too. Everything starts with a plan and, in this case, a budget!

CREATE A CUSTOMIZED PERSONAL PLANNER™ HERE

*We’ve calculated 4.15 USD per latte, and deducted 2 weeks of annual leave. :)