Get your finances organized with these free budgeting printables and easy budgeting tips. Reduce your stress and help set your family up for future financial success!
Family Binder
One of my goals for this year is to update our family binder. It’s not my favorite task, but I’m slowly going through it one section at a time, taking out things I wasn’t using, and revamping how I want to organize it all. I’m also working on updating the printables so they match the printables from The Household Organization Diet. These free budgeting printables are the first ones to be updated, but stay tuned for more! If you have anything specific that you’re looking for, let me know.
Family Budget
Yes, I know the word “budget” may make some of you want to turn around and run away. It’s definitely not my strong point either. Taking control of your finances, however, can go a long way in reducing your daily stresses and setting you up for future success. Empowering yourself with knowledge and making a few educated changes in your spending habits can really make a huge impact for you and your family. Writing everything down and using these free budgeting printables is one of the easiest ways to get started. I thought this quote was pretty fitting:
“Financial health is re-stored in two ways – first by doing the inner work of changing how you think and feel about money and then by doing the outerwork of practical money management.” – Marianne Williamson
How to Start a Family Budget
If you’re just getting started on this family binder series with me, start with this post on how to organize your bills. To get going on the budget, you will need to gather up all of your regular bills. You will also need to have access to your past bank records {either online or a paper statements} for at least the past month.
How to Use the Budgeting Printables
The budgeting printables are designed to easily guide you through the budgeting process. First, download the printables, save them to your computer, and then print them out. You can find all of the printables below. If you’re having any difficulties downloading the printables, make sure you’re using Google Chrome for your browser. Once you’ve filled in all of your printables, add them to your family binder and keep it handy to refer back to regularly. PLEASE NOTE THAT THESE ARE FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY.
Download the Free Budgeting Printables
You can find all of the free budgeting printables below. Choose which ones work best for you and commit to a time to sit down and develop your budget and plan.
Budget At a Glance
You may want to print a couple of copies out of the Budget at a Glance so you can have a rough copy to work with and plan. There are two versions of the budget available. One is already filled in with the budgeting subcategories so you just have to add in your personal amounts. The second version just has the main categories so you can customize your own subcategories.
DOWNLOAD BUDGET AT A GLANCE{3 pages}
DOWNLOADBLANK BUDGET AT A GLANCE{3 pages}
Budget Overview
This printable just gives you a quick overview of your budget. Total up the subcategories from your budget at a glance to give you a general overview of where your expenses are going. If you have specific goals or things want to keep track of/review, just list them in the notes section for a reminder.
DOWNLOAD BUDGET OVERVIEW
Debt Tracker
Keep track of all of your debts owing in one quick glance. I usually update this one every 6 months, but you can update your amount owing monthly if you’d like. Just keep enough spaces between your debt items so you can add in the monthly updates.
DOWNLOAD DEBT TRACKER
Monthly Budget Tracker
The Monthly Budget tracker allows you to see how well you’re sticking to your budget. Use this for the first 3-6 months to make sure your budget is accurate and doable. You may need to adjust some budget expenses up or down based on results. Or see where you’re overspending so you can cut down on your expenses.
DOWNLOAD MONTHLY BUDGET TRACKER {3 pages}
DOWNLOAD BLANK MONTHLY BUDGET TRACKER {3 pages}
Tips for Taking Control of your Finances
- Make a list of all of your income and expenses on the Budget at a Glance sheet. {This should be fairly straight forward if you have already completed the bill tracking forms}. You can either use the prepared form to give you an idea of what to track or use the blank form if you would like to customize it more to your own needs.
- Mark your expenses as either a fixed expense {such as your mortgage, car payment, insurance, etc.} or a controllable expense {i.e. food, entertainment, personal care, etc.}. I like to highlight my controllable expenses but use whatever method works for you. If your budget is not looking too healthy, you will want to look at cutting back on your controllable expenses as much as possible. Your fixed income should be no more than 65% of your total income.
- If you’re not exactly sure what you spend each month {and since spending can vary from month to month}, you may want to keep a more detailed analysis of what you are spending over a 3-6 month period. You can use the monthly tracker for this.
- Don’t forget about savings! Even starting with a small amount can add up over time and will help to get you in the routine of saving. Make sure you are contributing to some kinds of long term savings account or investment fund. If you have kids, start a college fund as early as possible and look for government plans that will contribute money to this as well. These are R.E.S.P.s if you are here in Canada.
- Once you’ve developed your budget, review it on a monthly basis to see if you are staying on track. Remember that creating new habits take time, so even if it’s hard at first, you can do it!
More Tips On Organizing Paperwork
For more tips on organizing paperwork, check out these posts…
How to Organize Bills
How to Organize Paperwork – Creating a Paper Trail
Making To Do Lists Fun
The Household Organization Diet
This post is part ofThe Household Organization Diet. If you’d like to learn more and receive all of the free monthly to-do lists, check out THIS POST. You can get that house cleaned and organized once and for all! You can find everything under the Get Organized tab at the top of the blog {click on Household Organization Diet}. Or follow along over on Pinterest on my Household Organization Diet pinterest board. Start at any time and make sure you are following along so you don’t miss out…
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I hope you can join me and we can help each other stay motivated along the way!
