Sample Monthly Expense Spreadsheet
Download Microsoft Excel Template – Free Budget Worksheet Example
Jul 27, 2009
Of the sample monthly expense spreadsheets mentioned in the article Personal Budget Spreadsheets for Microsoft Excel, the worksheet entitled “personal monthly budget planning” is the third most popular on the Microsoft Office website; it has been downloaded over two million times.
This sample monthly expense worksheet is rated rather highly at four stars out of five (five being the highest) after over 11,000 votes. Anyone with Microsoft Excel software (the Excel 97 version or later) can open it.
Sample Monthly Expense Spreadsheet Download
To download this sample monthly expense spreadsheet, navigate to the preceding link, then click on “download.” The file should automatically open in Microsoft Excel.
Free Microsoft Excel Personal Budget Template Comparison
At first glance, the personal monthly budget planning worksheet looks almost identical to the family monthly budget planner profiled in the article Microsoft Excel Household Budget Spreadsheet. It appears that the same person created both worksheets because even the same example amounts appear in the housing section.
After a closer review, slight differences are apparent. The “personal” budget spreadsheet template is meant to be used by an individual whereas the “family” budgeting worksheet is meant to be used by a couple with children. Like the family spreadsheet, the personal version compares projected to actual monthly income and expenses. However, the income section is limited to only one income and an extra line for additional income (perfect for a single wage earner). The personal template also only shows one car payment line and one mortgage line and has no place for children-related expenses.
The other main formatting difference is that the personal spreadsheet shows monthly expense totals at the bottom of the page whereas the family budgeting spreadsheet displays those amounts prominently at the top.
How to Populate a Personal or Family Budgeting Worksheet
Armed with a sample monthly expense spreadsheet that is capable of comparing projected to actual income and expenses, the first step to budgeting is to give thought to how much to project in each category. Projecting income is straightforward; simply input current month expected actual income. Projecting expenses is a little more difficult.
If expenses are currently under control, one way to realistically project future expenses is to look at bank statements for several prior months and input average expense amounts in each category. If you use personal budgeting software like Quicken or Microsoft Money, this step will be even easier to complete. The goal in the following month would be to stick to the same average income and expense amounts or tweak individual categories as necessary to meet certain goals.
If the goal is to severely cut back on monthly expenses, consider looking at past monthly expenses only to get a baseline. Then, carefully consider ways to save money in each category and input realistic, yet strict expense caps on each category. The goal in the following month would be to adhere to those expense caps.
Example Budget Worksheet Expense Categories
Everyone’s personal style of budgeting will be different, but the ultimate goal for most people is to spend less money than they make. Use one of the sample monthly expense spreadsheets mentioned above to get a jump start on the budgeting process. Alternatively, consider creating a personal budget from scratch. Get a list of suggested monthly expenses to track in the article Personal Budget Expense Categories.
Resource:
Microsoft Office website
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