We have a budgeted amount that goes towards debt repayment based on my absolute lowest expected income and then we apply everything else we make towards that. I have a fairly irregular income where some months are fantastic and some months are… not so much. We already have our emergency savings account and a slush account established, so we don’t have a set amount going to savings monthly. Your budget may look different depending on where you are in your life. Everyone is at a different point in their financial journey you may be well past us, or you may be behind us. This sample budget is based on our current household budget.
EXAMPLE OF HOUSEHOLD BUDGET HOW TO
Which is a shame, because seeing how other people spend their money is a huge help in deciding how to manage your own. This isn’t something that is discussed often, even amongst friends, so it’s really hard to see specifics of how others spend their money. A sample budget is a budget from another family that you can look over to help you create your own budget. From the young couple that doesn’t have enough money to pay their electric bill, to the largest multi-million dollar company everyone needs a budget. We started and ended up with Dave Ramsey’s plan for household budget percentages.An absolute necessity to managing your money is a budget. You might also find that one plan isn’t working for you the way you thought, and you should switch things up to another plan. My recommendation would be to start with the plan that works best for you, then make adjustments in those first couple of months. So all of these budget percentage recommendations are just that: recommendations. If you’re building savings, you’ll have to make adjustments for that as well. If you’re paying off debt, you’ll have to adjust your percentages to throw as much as you can toward that. Within each of those, you really have to take a look at where you are in your financial journey. There are a lot of others out there, but those are widely known. Some of the big ones are Dave Ramsey’s recommendations (probably one of the more in-depth guides out there), the 50/30/20 rule, and reverse budgeting. There are quite a few templates hanging out on the internet that help guide you on household budget percentages. How much should I budget for each budget category? So once you get started with those three categories, it should really get the ball rolling for you to fill in the rest of your budget. Even if you don’t have a mortgage and/or auto loan, you will have to pay for upkeep, repairs, and maintenance in these categories. The three main budget categories that will likely fit into everyone’s budget would be housing/utilities, transportation, and food. If you’re a total budget beginner, you might struggle with where to start with this huge list. This also helps figure out an approximate amount to add to your budget! What are the 3 simple budget categories I should include? Look through your expenses to see what bills come out on a regular basis. Don’t get hit with a big bill without being prepared!Īnother way to ensure you don’t miss a budget item is to open up your main banking account. These might be things like annual dues, car registration, or taxes. Some expenses might not necessarily come out every month but need to be saved up for. There are a lot of budget categories mentioned below, but not all of them will apply to you.Īs you look through the budget categories, see if any of the examples apply to your family’s budget. What categories should I include in a budget? 5 That’s our list of household budget categories!.4 How much should I budget for each budget category?.2 What are the 3 simple budget categories I should include?.1 What categories should I include in a budget?.We ended up going with this one and are liking it so far!
EXAMPLE OF HOUSEHOLD BUDGET PLUS
While you’re thinking about your monthly budget, check out our list of budget planners that could help guide you even more, plus keep all of your finances in order. It’s meant to be a guide to help you think through everything you might need to include in your family’s household budget. And it’s also possible that something you pay for each month may not be included. This list has quite a few things in it, so don’t let that overwhelm you! It’s very possible that several of the examples won’t apply to your family. Let’s take a look at these 150+ potential household budget categories you might need to include in your monthly budget. Plus, having to remember everything you spend money on each month.īecause leaving things out of your budget can really set you behind. It’s tough enough to decide you’re going to put yourself on a budget. Please check out our policies page for more details. Disclosure: this post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission if you click a link and purchase something at no extra cost to you.