How to Create a Budgeting Tool
Once you have your list of categories, we can start to create your budgeting tool.
You want a category to have its own row.
There will be three columns next to each category. The first column is reserved for the budget. We will write down what we want to budget for that category at the beginning of the month.
Throughout the month, we will also keep track of how much we’ve spent in each category, which will make up our second column.
A third column will tell us how much is left in the metaphorical envelope. That way, the next time you are ready to make a purchase, you can quickly reference your budgeting tool to see if you have enough money set aside for your purchase.
Here is an example of what your budget should look like. Feel free to download this and make it your own!
Credit card payments should not be budgeted for.
Even though you are paying for your credit card (which you should be paying down in FULL every month), it’s really just another account.
Therefore, treat credit cards as additional accounts, rather than categories in a budget. Think of paying down credit cards as transferring money from one account to another.
Bottom line: Don’t have a category for credit cards.
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