![]() Generally, people use Quicken or other software to keep a record of transactions. Use formulas like "=23+12+43" to add amounts from your various receipts. Add cell comments as needed to explain the purchases. ![]() Step 5: Enter Actual Income and Expenses. Make sure to maintain a good cushion in your spending account to handle these variable expenses. For groceries, especially, it's good to use the past 3-6 months. To calculate an average, you can find the total for the past 3 months and divide the value by 3. Enter an average monthly value for Variable Expenses (monthly expenses that change from month to month, like groceries). ![]() For example, if you are planning to spend $600 for Christmas, then put away $50 each month into a special savings account, and budget $50 each month in the Christmas category. That way, the balances in your spending accounts will more closely match the balance shown in the ACTUAL column each month. If you are using the averaging approach, I strongly recommend that you use a special savings account as a holding place for these larger expenses. Include Irregular Expenses (non-monthly large lump payments) in the months in which they will likely occur, or use the approach of averaging the cost across each month. For example, enter the names of Birthdays in comments for the Gifts Given category. This is one of the benefits of using a spreadsheet. Cell comments show up as little red triangles, like the one to the left. Add cell comments as needed to help explain costs. So yes, you could probably get away with a single category for all "Entertainment", but I certainly wouldn't lump regular expenses in with variable expenses. Breaking out your expenses into specific categories will help give you a better idea of where you are spending and therefore where you may be able to cut back. If you have multiple savings goals, add a sub-category for each one. If you have a negative NET, then you'll need to cut back somewhere or earn more money. If you have extra (a Positive NET value), then you could allocate that to savings or paying off debt for example. When creating your budget, you would generally want to make the NET (Income-Expenses) equal to zero. There is a lot of information about this step inside the budget calculator Instructions worksheet, including the following:īudget Guideline #1 - Total Allocation or "It All Goes Somewhere" Step 3: Modify the Month labels as needed, depending on when you are starting your budget. Remember the note about copying/inserting entire rows. Step 2: Edit, Add, or Delete sub-categories as needed. This will usually be the sum of the balances in your spending account(s). Step 1: Enter your Current Balance as of Month 1. Please read through the instructions before asking me questions about how to use the budget calculator. Instructions: I've included a fairly extensive set of instructions and tips in the Instructions worksheet. Easy to edit/add/remove budget sub-categories (major categories not so easy, but doable).Fairly comprehensive list of budget categories.Calculates the Percentage (%) of Income for each major expense category.Actual spending for each month and each major budget category. Calculates the difference between Budgeted and Actual expenses on a monthly basis.Tips for Creating a Budget for Travel at - This article is actually a really good resource to help you remember what to consider when budgeting for a trip.IRS Publication showing Standard Mileage Rates at irs.gov - You might consider using the standard mileage rate if you are estimating the cost of driving.Be sure to check out our Travel Itinerary and Packing List templates.Remember to include both fuel and wear as part of the cost (see the link below for what the IRS uses as the standard mileage rate - $0.56/mile in 2014). If you will be driving rather than flying, you can enter the total miles and the cost per mile. For example, for lodging you can enter the number of nights you will be staying and the cost per night. The worksheet is set up to let you enter a quantity and unit cost for each item. ![]() The top section allows you to set a total budget, and as you enter your travel costs you can quickly see where the money is going, how much extra you'll have, or how much you'll need to add to your budget. This travel budget template makes it easy to enter your travel expenses for your next trip. ![]()
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