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Blank budget template as Excel spreadsheet

11/15/06

Permalink 10:12:27 am, by Jeremy Email , 505 words, 27612 views   English (US)
Categories: Money

Blank budget template as Excel spreadsheet

My wife and I are currently facilitators in Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace class and several people have asked me how I made my nice one page budget form. It is a Microsoft Excel file, and has everything squeezed in a very small space.

Here is a blank version of my Budget Template.
See also the bi-weekly budget form.

Update 11/15: I was asked for instructions on how to use this spreadsheet.

It is very much like the paper budget forms. Column B is the category, and column C is how much you have budgeted for that month. Column D is how much you have spent so far this month, so at the beginning of the month these will be all zero. Now column D is all formulas, since I didn't want to do math every time I wrote a check. So if you look at the second sheet "Actuals" you see a similar chart showing the same first 3 columns. Starting in column D, you can just enter one check per cell. So for example if you have spent $5, $20, and $15 on food, go to the food line and put 5 in column D, 20 in E and 15 in F etc. The total will automatically show up on the "Budget" sheet in column D.

Column E is simply a formula letting you know how much is left in that "envelope" for that category: i.e. Budgeted(C) - Actual(D).

The balances at the bottom are just for checking your math: Balance C should always be zero if your budget is balanced. Balance D should be exactly the same as the balance in your checkbook. Balance E should be the same as Balance D but reversed. If it is not, then there is a broken formula in the spreadsheet somewhere.

The tables on the right side:
The allocated savings register for you to record all of your savings goals, there is a formula for percent there but that is all.

The next table is the debt snowball table. The first column is the name of the debt, then the original amount, which is not really needed except that when you call in to scream "I'm debt free", Dave will ask you how much debt you paid off, and if you didn't write it down you won't know. The next column is how much the current principle balance on that debt is, and then you have a nice little percent.

The Upcoming table is a list of infrequent bills that I always forget about. I don't think that Dave has a form for this, but I needed it so that I remember to save up for big annual bills like car registration or quarterly insurance payments.

The next section in the black box, is what I call the motivating statement. It is what encourages me to keep going, when I can look at the budget taped to the side of the fridge and see in huge letters: "We saved $3,963 and paid off $16,883 in debt" it keeps me focused on the goal.

Comments, Pingbacks:

Comment from: julio [Visitor] Email
THANKS for the template its very usefull for a broke/resoursefull college student
PermalinkPermalink 01/17/07 @ 00:34
Comment from: JC [Visitor] Email
I'm currently following Dave's plan and was looking for something EXACTLY like this.

Thanks and GOD Bless
PermalinkPermalink 01/23/07 @ 18:27
Comment from: Mark [Visitor] Email · http://www.EncryptDesigns.com
Hey I'm finally doing a budget and your spreadsheet is awesome! I finally figured out exactly how to use it and I think this is a great tool. Other places wanted $$$ for their spreadsheets...Hey I'm on a budget man! I can't buy a spreadsheet.

Thanks and you rule!
PermalinkPermalink 05/15/07 @ 20:02
Comment from: stefanie [Visitor] Email
Thanks! I ditto what Mark said! I am having a problem with sheet two though. It is not doing the transfer of Column D, E, and F like it should to page 1.
PermalinkPermalink 06/18/07 @ 17:44
Comment from: Denise Nevils [Visitor] Email · http://www.myspace/denisenevils
Ditto all of the praise and gratitude! Now that I have this useful tool...FOCUS is my money mantra....

God Bless!
PermalinkPermalink 07/11/07 @ 00:54
Comment from: Phung Nguyen [Visitor]
Jeremy, You've done a great deed for creating this. It's helping me and I am sure it's helping all the other people as well. I will credit you for this. Thanks
PermalinkPermalink 10/12/07 @ 19:59
Comment from: stephen dewa [Visitor] Email
thanks. i finaLLY GOT WHAT I WANTED.
PermalinkPermalink 10/18/07 @ 01:43
Comment from: Tam Johnson [Visitor] Email · http://t4mk4t.blogspot.com/
Thank you so much for providing this extremely helpful and well-crafted spreadsheet! For some reason my MS Excel just would not activate so I had no access whatsoever to the templates on microsoft's site (chock that up to one more reason I am going to linux!!!)

thanks again!! you cant imagine the time and frustration this has saved me!!!
PermalinkPermalink 12/12/07 @ 21:50
Comment from: Terry [Visitor] Email
read my lips... thank you for creating this! I am also in Dave Ramseys Financial Peace University. I have not been able to make up a form I can use after the class with all in one. YOU have done it!
Thank you for all the tips also.
PermalinkPermalink 02/22/08 @ 20:44

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