Monthly budget template
A monthly budget template is a one-page plan for a single calendar month. You list your income, then decide up front how much each category is allowed to spend. Through the month you log what actually happened next to the plan, so you can see the gap while there's still time to react.
Income
$4,500- ✓ 100%
- 91%
- 95%
- ✓ 100%
- ✓ 100%
- ✓ 100%
- ✓ 120%
- 84%
- ✓ 127%
- 79%
- 60%
- ✓ 100%
- 71%
- 56%
- ✓ 100%
- ✓ 100%
- ✓ 100%
- ✓ 100%
- ✓ 100%
- ✓ 100%
- ✓ 100%
- ✓ 100%
Saved in your browser. Nothing leaves your device.
The template above already contains the categories most households use — rent, utilities, groceries, transport, savings, debt — so you can edit numbers instead of starting from a blank sheet. Every row is editable, every row is deletable, and you can add a completely new section for anything specific to your situation.
How to use it
- Enter your take-home income for the month in the top block.
- Adjust the Planned column so it reflects what you actually intend to spend, not last month's leftovers.
- Aim for Left to Budget to be zero — every dollar has a job.
- Through the month, log the Actual column as you pay bills and top up spending.
- At month end, hit Duplicate to next month. Planned copies over. Actuals reset.
Why planned vs actual matters
A plan without a comparison is a wish list. Tracking Actual alongside Planned turns the budget into a feedback loop: you learn which categories are systematically wrong, and next month's Planned gets more honest. Progress bars on every row show the two numbers as a single glance.
The Excel file is a real spreadsheet
When you export, section totals are live =SUM() formulas and Progress cells are live =IF(planned=0,"",actual/planned) formulas formatted as percent. Change a number in Excel, everything downstream recalculates.
- Excel budget template— Same template, framed around the .xlsx export
- Weekly budget template— If a month is too long a horizon for you
- Zero-based budgeting— The method behind Left to Budget = 0
Common questions
›Is this monthly budget template really free?
Yes. No account, no email, no upsell. The template runs entirely in your browser and everything you enter is saved on your device.
›Can I add or remove categories?
Every row is editable and deletable. You can also add rows or add a whole new section for anything the four defaults don't cover.
›How do I get a spreadsheet copy?
Click Download as Excel. You'll get an .xlsx file with your categories, planned and actual columns, per-section totals, and live SUM formulas so it keeps working when you edit it in Excel.
Take it with you.
Download as Excel