Quick-Start Budget

Your irst budget! Its also the simplest, so you can relax now.

Its time to get your feet wet with budgeting.

This form is only one page, but it will show you how much money you need every month to cover necessities. While your mortgage or rent is listed here, we wont get into the details of your credit card bills, student loans, car payments and any other debt yet. The Quick-Start Budget is just your starting point.

step 1
Write down what youre spending for the month in each of the categories listed (A). If you dont know exactly, just make your best guess. Were keeping it simple for now.

Food

Transportation

Charity

Personal

Insurance

Debt

Envelope

Housing

Medical

Recreation

Savings

Clothing

Utilities

Envelope

UTILITIES
Electricity Gas

Reality Check

Budgeted

step 2
Write the total for each category in the Total box (B) and move on to the next category. See? Easy!
b
Internet Cable

TOTAL

step 3
Add up all eight of your total boxes and enter that number at the bottom in the Category Totals box (C). This shows you how much youre spending in a month for your basic necessities, not including any kind of debt. Well get to all that later.
c

CATEGORY TOTALS

Quick-Start Budget
Taking control of your money starts here!

Food

Transportation

Charity

Personal

CHARITY
Insurance Debt

Envelope

Housing

Medical

Recreation

Savings

Tithes
Clothing

Add up budgeted column & enter here

Budgeted

Food

These icons represent good opt

Transportation

FOOD
Charity Recreation

Personal

Insurance

Debt

Envelope

ions for cash envelopes

Budgeted

Utilities

Envelope

Housing

Medical

Groceries
Savings

Clothing

Utilities

Envelope

Reality Check

TOTAL
Charity Personal Insurance Debt Envelope Food Transportation Charity Personal Recreation Savings

Reality Check

TOTAL
Debt Envelope

ood

Transportation

Insurance

using

Medical

SAVING
Clothing Utilities Envelope

Budgeted
Housing Reality Check

CLOTHING
Medical Recreation Savings Clothing Utilities Envelope

Budgeted

y Check

Emergency Fund Other _________________

Adults Children

TOTAL
Food Transportation Charity Personal Insurance Debt Envelope

TOTAL TRANSPORTATION
Food Transportation Charity Personal Insurance Debt Envelope Housing Medical Recreation

HOUSING
Housing Medical Recreation Savings Clothing Utilities Envelope Reality Check

Budgeted

Budgeted

First Mortgage/Rent Second Mortgage Real Estate Taxes Repairs/Maint. Homeowner/Renter Ins.

Car Payment
Savings Clothing Utilities

Envelope

Reality Check

Car Payment Gas & Oil Repairs & Tires Auto Insurance

TOTAL
Personal Insurance Debt Envelope

TOTAL PERSONAL
Food Transportation Charity Personal Insurance Debt Envelope Medical Recreation Savings

UTILITIES
Savings Clothing Utilities Envelope

on

Budgeted

Budgeted

Electricity Gas Water Trash Phone/Mobile Internet Cable

Housing

Life Insurance
Clothing Utilities Envelope

Reality Check

Health Insurance Disability Insurance Child Care/Sitter Entertainment Other _________________ Other _________________

TOTAL
Add up totals from all categories

TOTAL
CATEGORY TOTALS

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Monthly Cash Flow Plan

Cash lows in and out each month. Make sure you tell it where to go!

Yes, this budget form has a lot of lines and blanks.

But thats okay. We do that so we can list practically every expense imaginable on this form to prevent you from forgetting something. Dont expect to put something on every line. Just use the ones that are relevant to your specic situation.

step 1
Enter your monthly take-home pay in the box at the top right (A). This is the amount you have for the month to budget. So far so good, huh?
A
Monthly Take-Home Pay

step 2
Within each main category, such as Food, there are subcategories, like Groceries. Start at the top and work your way down, filling out the Budgeted column (B) first. Add up each subcategory and put that number in the Total box (C). Also, pay attention to Daves recommended percentages (D). This will help you keep from budgeting too much for a category.

Food

Transportation

food
Charity Recreation

Personal

Insurance

Debt

Envelope

Spent

Budgeted

b
Housing

Medical

Groceries
Savings

Clothing

Utilities

Envelope

c d

Reality Check

Restaurants

step 3
Finally, enter your take-home pay in the top box at the end of the page (E), then add up all categories and place that total in the Category Totals box (F). Then subtract your Category Totals amount from your Take-Home Pay. You should have a zero balance (G). Doesnt that feel great?
e f G

TAKE-HOME PAY = CATEGORY TOTALS ZERO BALANCE

step 4
When the month ends, put what you actually spent in the Spent column (H). That will help you make any necessary adjustments to the next months budget.
Food

Transportation

food
Charity Recreation

Personal

Insurance

Debt

Envelope

Spent

Budgeted

h
Housing Reality Check

Medical

Groceries
Savings

Clothing

Utilities

Envelope

Restaurants

Monthly Cash Flow Plan

Cash lows in and out each month. Make sure you tell it where to go!

Monthly Take-Home Pay

Add up budgeted column & enter here
Spent Budgeted

Food

Transportation

Charity

Personal

CHARITY
Insurance Debt Envelope

Housing

Medical

Recreation

Savings

Tithes
Clothing

These icons represent good options for cash envel

Food Transportation

FOOD
Charity Recreation

Personal

Insurance

Debt

Envelope

Spent

Budgeted

opes

Utilities

Envelope

Housing

Medical

Groceries
Savings

Clothing

Utilities

Envelope

Reality Check

Charity & Oerings

*1015%

Reality Check

Restaurants
*515%

TOTAL
Food Transportation Charity Personal Insurance Debt Envelope

TOTAL
Budgeted

Transportation

Charity

Personal

Insurance

Debt

Envelope

SAVING
Medical Recreation Savings Clothing Utilities Envelope

ng

Spent

Budgeted
Housing Reality Check

CLOTHING
Medical Recreation Savings Clothing Utilities Envelope

Spent

Check

Emergency Fund Retirement Fund College Fund

*1015%
Food Transportation Charity Personal Insurance Debt Envelope

Adults Children Cleaning/Laundry

TOTAL
Budgeted
Food Transportation

*27%

TOTAL
Budgeted

HOUSING
Housing Medical Recreation Savings Clothing Utilities Envelope Reality Check

Spent

TRANSPORTATION
Charity Personal Insurance Debt Envelope Recreation

Spent

First Mortgage/Rent Second Mortgage Real Estate Taxes Repairs/Maint. Association Dues
*2535%

Housing

Medical

Gas & Oil

Savings

Clothing

Utilities

Envelope

Reality Check

Repairs & Tires License & Taxes Car Replacement Other _________________

TOTAL
Food Transportation Charity Personal Insurance Debt Envelope

*1015%

TOTAL
Budgeted

ty

Personal

Insurance

Debt

Envelope

UTILITIES
Savings Clothing Utilities Envelope

ion

Spent

Budgeted

MEDICAL/HEALTH
Housing Medical Recreation Savings Clothing Utilities Envelope Reality Check

Spent

Electricity Gas Water Trash Phone/Mobile Internet Cable

*510%

Medications Doctor Bills Dentist Optometrist Vitamins Other _________________ Other _________________

TOTAL

*510%

TOTAL

*Daves Recommended Percentages

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Food

Transportation

Charity

Personal

Insurance

Debt

Envelope

Food

Transportation

Charity

Personal

Insurance

INSURANCE
Debt Envelope Utilities

Spent

Budgeted

RECREATION
Housing Medical Recreation Savings Clothing Utilities Envelope Reality Check

Spent

Budgeted

Housing

Medical

Recreation

Savings

Clothing

Life Insurance
Envelope

Entertainment Vacation
*510%

ality Check

Health Insurance Homeowner/Renter Auto Insurance Disability Insurance Identity Theft Long-Term Care
*1025%
Food Transportation Charity Personal

TOTAL
Budgeted

DEBTS
Car Payment 1
Insurance Debt Envelope

Spent

Car Payment 2
Housing

TOTAL
Medical

Recreation

Savings

Clothing

Credit Card 1 _______

Utilities Envelope

Food

Transportation

Charity

Personal

Insurance

PERSONAL
Debt Envelope

Credit Card 2 _______

Spent
Reality Check

Budgeted

Credit Card 3 _______ Credit Card 4 _______ Credit Card 5 _______ Student Loan 1 Student Loan 2 Student Loan 3 Student Loan 4 Other _________________ Other _________________ Other _________________ Other _________________ Other _________________

Housing

Medical

Recreation

Savings

Clothing

Child Care/Sitter
Utilities Envelope

Reality Check

Toiletries Cosmetics/Hair Care Education/Tuition Books/Supplies Child Support Alimony Subscriptions Organization Dues Gifts (inc. Christmas) Replace Furniture Pocket Money (His) Pocket Money (Hers) Baby Supplies Pet Supplies Music/Technology Miscellaneous Other _________________ Other _________________
*510%

Once you have completed illing out each category, subtract all category totals from your take-home pay.

Your goal is O%

*510%

TOTAL

TOTAL

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Remember The goal of a zero- based budget is to get this number to zero

Use the income sources form if necessary

TAKE-HOME PAY = CATEGORY TOTALS ZERO BALANCE

Add up totals from each category

Irregular Income Planning

If you have an irregular income, this form just became your best friend!

Some peoples paychecks all look the same, and some peoples dont.
If youre self-employed or in sales, you really understand this! But youre not free from lling out budgets. As a matter of fact, this form is vital for just that reason! It can be easy for debts and expenses to overtake what youre bringing in. Stay on top of your money here.

step 1
Fill in the Monthly Cash Flow Plan form based on what you reasonably expect to bring home for the month. If you arent sure, use last years lowest income month as your starting point.

step 2
List anything that didnt make it in your Monthly Cash Flow Plan in the Items column (a). These are the things that you couldnt budget for but need to be funded.
A

Hospital Bill - Snowball Home Depot - Snowball Extra Entertainment

step 3
Rewrite your expenses in priority order and keep a running total. Setting good priorities is crucial here. For instance, a beach trip is not more important than putting food on the table!

460 1,000 50

460 1,460 1,510

step 4
When you get paid, write any additional income in the box (b). Additional means anything above and beyond what you budgeted on the Monthly Cash Flow Plan form.

1,500
b

step 5
Spend your money right down the list until its all gone. You most likely wont make it all the way down the list. Thats okay! Thats why its important to prioritize.

460 1,000 50 40

460 1,460 1,510 1,500

Irregular Income Planning

If you have an irregular income, this form just became your best friend!

List, in priority order, anything that didnt make it in your monthly cash flow plan

Additional Irregular Income

ITEMS

BUDGETED

Work back & forth, adding each budgeted item to the running
= +

Any additional irregular income goes here

RUNNING TOTAL

total

Sign in to FPU Central at daveramsey.com to download this form and explore our other online budgeting tools!