The short answer: to start a budget, add up your take-home pay, list what you really spend, pick a method that suits you and track it for a month. Budgeting for beginners walks through a first budget step by step.
- Pick a method: budgeting methods compared, the 50/30/20 budget and the zero-based budget.
- Pick a format: a monthly budget worksheet, an annual budget template or a budget spreadsheet in Excel or Google Sheets.
- Use an app? Best budgeting apps compares 7 apps, including YNAB, Monarch, EveryDollar, Goodbudget and Rocket Money.
Our picks for budget templates & spreadsheets
Spreadsheets
Annual Budget Spreadsheet
See exactly where your money goes every month - without complicated software.
$6.99Buy
Spreadsheets
Zero-Based Budget Spreadsheet
The 'Left to budget' counter turns green when every dollar has a job.
$6.99Buy
Spreadsheets
Paycheck Budget Spreadsheet
Enter your bills once. The sheet tells you which paycheck pays each one, all year.
$5.99Buy
Printables
Budget Planner Printable
Twelve undated pages you can print every month: budget, bills, spending, savings and debt.
$5.99Buy
Guides
- Budgeting for Beginners: How to Make Your First Budget (and Actually Keep It) Start hereA plain-English guide to making your first budget sheet: gather real numbers, pick categories, plan every dollar, track the month …
- 50/30/20 budgetHow the 50/30/20 budget splits take-home pay into needs, wants and savings, with worked examples at three incomes, a sorting table…
- 70/20/10 budgetThe 70/20/10 budget rule splits pay into 70% living costs, 20% savings and 10% debt or giving. Examples by income, a biweekly pay …
- Biweekly budget templateA free biweekly budget template, 2027 pay calendars with three-paycheck months, a bill-to-paycheck example and a plan for your ext…
- Budget Planner GuideChoose a budget planner: paper, printable, spreadsheet or app. Set it up in 7 steps, see a filled-in example and keep it going in …
- Budget for charitable givingHow to budget for charitable giving in 5 steps: pick a yearly amount, build a giving fund, vet charities and use the 2026 non-item…
- Budget on a Low IncomeHow to budget on a low income: pay essentials first, plan each paycheck, lower fixed bills, check SNAP and EITC, with a free templ…
- Budget percentagesSee recommended budget percentages by category, a starter split that adds up to 100%, examples at 3 incomes and what U.S. househol…
- Budget with irregular incomeHow to budget with irregular income: find your baseline month, pay yourself a steady salary from a holding account, set aside taxe…
- Budgeting Tips50 budgeting tips grouped by bills, groceries, saving, debt, families, holidays and irregular income, plus 10 easy tips to start t…
- Budgeting for Young AdultsBudgeting for young adults made simple: plan your first paycheck, first apartment, 401(k) match and student loans, with a template…
- College Student BudgetHow to make a college student budget: spread aid refunds and paychecks across the semester, with a free template, worked example a…
- How to Create a Family Budget: A Practical PlanLearn how to create a family budget with a worked monthly example, paycheck timing, shared spending rules and a simple weekly revi…
- How to Stick to a BudgetHow to stick to a budget: fix why budgets fail, add sinking funds and fun money, run a 15-minute weekly check-in, and recover from…
- How to budget as a coupleHow to budget as a couple: joint vs. separate vs. hybrid accounts, a fair proportional split with a worked example, personal money…
- How to make a budget spreadsheetCreate a budget spreadsheet in Excel or Google Sheets in about an hour: 3 tabs, the exact SUMIF formulas, dropdowns, red alerts an…
- New year budgetMake a new year budget in 6 steps: review last year, list income and bills, turn yearly costs into monthly savings and see a worke…
- Zero-Based Budget: 5 Steps, Worked Examples and CategoriesZero-based budgeting gives every dollar a job before the month starts. Here's how to do it step by step, with a worked example and…
Comparisons
- Best budgeting appsYNAB, Monarch, EveryDollar, Goodbudget, Rocket Money, PocketGuard and Simplifi compared on official prices, free plans and who eac…
- Budgeting apps for couplesBudgeting apps for couples compared: Monarch, YNAB, Honeydue, EveryDollar and Goodbudget on yearly cost, partner logins and what y…
Ideas and how-tos
- Annual budget templateAn annual budget template that plans all 12 months: yearly income, irregular expenses, monthly targets and a year-end review, in E…
- Budget categories listA complete budget categories list: 102 categories in 10 groups, a printable checklist, percentage guide and 5-, 8- and 12-category…
- Budgeting methodsCompare 8 budgeting methods with pros, cons and a $4,000 worked example: 50/30/20, zero-based, envelope and more. Pick yours in 3 …
- Family budget meetingRun a calm family budget meeting in 30 minutes: what to review and in what order, how to involve kids, and a January kick-off agen…
- Monthly budget worksheetA monthly budget worksheet puts income, bills, spending and savings on one page. See what to include, a filled-in example and prin…
- Paycheck budget plannersBudget by paycheck instead of by month: assign each bill to the right payday, see what's left to spend, and use a planner that sch…
- Printable budget binderBuild a printable budget binder: the sections to include, supplies, a setup in one afternoon, a first-three-months plan and the pa…
- Printable vs. spreadsheet budgetsPaper or spreadsheet budget? Compare effort, accuracy, motivation and sharing, see who each one suits, and how many families combi…
- Weekly budgetBuild a weekly budget in 6 steps: turn monthly bills into weekly amounts, set spending caps, plan for a fifth week and use a weekl…
Templates
- Budget planner and bill organizerA monthly bill planner and budget organizer: group bills by paycheck, tick off payments, use the free bill calendar and set up a s…
- Budget templateGet a free monthly budget template PDF by email. Compare printable, Excel and Google Sheets options, see real previews, and follow…
- Digital budget plannerWhat a digital budget planner is, spreadsheet vs. tablet PDF vs. app, how to set one up in Excel or Google Sheets and which style …
- Household budget templateHow to set up a household budget template for two incomes, kids and shared bills, with a worked example, categories by household t…
How to use this page
Pages here cover how to budget, the common methods and the sheets to track them. The free budget calculator shows what is left after bills and your 50/30/20 split. Once the budget is set, the next steps have their own pages: bills, saving money and paying off debt. For the wider overview, see the budgeting and saving guides.
Not sure what to call each line? Start from a budget categories list, then match the budget to how you're paid: a weekly budget if money comes in every week, or a biweekly budget template if you're paid every two weeks.