
Those templates are available for both Excel and Google Sheets. There are budget templates for monthly personal finances, weddings, students, zero-based, envelope, simplistic, etc. The easy way to create a spreadsheet would be to get started with one of our budget templates for whichever type of template you need. Find a method and approach that you enjoy and works for you. We don’t get up in the morning to grind on a budget spreadsheet…well most of us don’t. Life is a journey and money is not the end in itself.

Keep the ideas and approaches that work for you. It is easy to give advice about money and there is plenty to be had, but you can safely discard most of it. This is a comfortable and reasonable place to start. 30% of your total budget should be things you want like shopping, hobbies, restaurant dining, etc. 50% of your total budget (or thereabouts) should be devoted to needs like groceries, housing, utilities, insurance, transportation, etc.
#Recommended budget percentages calculator how to
I like the 50/30/20 budget if you need a starting point for how to divide your finances and you’re new to budgeting. It can help you learn a lot more about your finances and saving your hard-earned money.

Is there a vacation or a purchase you want to begin saving for? Would you like to map out a way to buy a home with a comfortable downpayment? Budgeting can help you do that. Whether you’re budgeting for a family, for retirement, or just to start a positive habit you need to have some goals to make sure you keep at it. It helps to have a tool like this calculator or a spreadsheet to handle the math, but you do need to make sure you’re keeping track of your expenses or your budget will be like a leaky boat: not very dependable. We have a section on our budget templates page for getting started that can help you build up your confidence and skills, but if you do only one thing today make sure you punch in the numbers you do know and make a list of what you’re not sure about. It isn’t important to make the most complete or the best budget possible the first time out. This is a great place to get started visualizing and understanding your monthly budget.
