Budgeting 101 - Annual Edition

Stop Guessing. Find Out What Your Life Actually Costs.

You know you should have a budget.

Maybe you've even made one before.

But there's a big difference between creating a budget based on what you think you spend and knowing what you actually spend.

Budgeting 101 Annual Edition helps you find that number.

This straightforward Excel budgeting workbook takes you through an entire year of planning and tracking your income and expenses so you can see where your money is really going—and what your lifestyle actually costs each month.

No complicated financial jargon. No fancy system you abandon after three weeks. No judgment over what you spent at Amazon.

Just your numbers.

And once you know your numbers, you can start making better decisions with them.

Start With a Plan. Then Track What Really Happens.

Budgeting 101 Annual helps you compare what you planned to spend with what actually happened throughout the year.

Track expenses across practical everyday categories including:

• Food

• Shelter and household expenses

• Transportation

• Medical, dental and vision

• Personal expenses

• Debt payments

• Meals and entertainment

• Unexpected expenses

Each monthly worksheet gives you space to track up to five weeks of income and expenses, along with your weekly surplus or shortfall.

Because real life doesn't conveniently happen in four-week months.

Your Budget Isn't About Restriction

A budget isn't supposed to punish you for spending money.

It's supposed to help you decide what you want your money to do.

Budgeting 101 Annual Edition helps you identify:

• What's coming in.

• What's going out.

• Where it's going.

• What's left.

• And whether your spending matches the life you're trying to build.

You may discover you're spending more than you thought.

You may discover you're doing better than you thought.

Either way, you'll finally be working with facts instead of guesses.

The Number We're Really Looking For

At the end of this process, there's one number that matters enormously:

Your Monthly Number.

That's approximately how much it costs to live your life each month.

Not somebody else's recommended percentage.

Not an online calculator's estimate.

Yours.

Your Annual Actual Summary brings your year of tracking together so you can start identifying your real average monthly spending.

That number becomes the foundation for bigger financial questions:

• How much cash should I keep available?

• How aggressively can I pay off debt?

• How much income do I really need?

And eventually...

Can I afford to retire?

Before you can answer those questions, you need to know what your life costs.

That's where Budgeting 101 begins.

What's Included

Budgeting 101 Annual Edition Excel Workbook

✓ Planned Income worksheet

✓ Planned Expenses worksheet

✓ Monthly Cash Flow Summary

✓ 12 individual monthly tracking worksheets

✓ Five-week tracking for every month

✓ Weekly income tracking

✓ Weekly expense tracking

✓ Weekly surplus/shortfall calculations

✓ Debt-payment tracking

✓ Unexpected-expense tracking

✓ Annual Actual Summary

✓ Your Monthly Number tracking

✓ Built-in reminders to keep you focused on progress instead of perfection

This Is For You If...

You've never really budgeted before.

You've tried budgeting but never stuck with it.

You're earning decent money but aren't quite sure where all of it goes.

You're preparing for retirement and need a realistic picture of your spending.

You're trying to pay off debt or build cash savings.

Or you're simply tired of guessing.

You don't need to become a budgeting fanatic.

You need to know your numbers.

Start With What Is—Not What "Should" Be.

Don't spend the first month trying to slash everything.

Track honestly.

If you spent it, record it.

If the month went sideways, record it.

If you spent more than you planned, record it.

We're collecting information—not evidence for your financial trial.

Patterns will start appearing.

And once you can see the patterns, you can decide which ones you want to keep and which ones need to change.

Know your numbers. Then make your numbers work for you.

Budgeting 101 Annual Edition

A practical 12-month budgeting and spending workbook designed to help you stop guessing and start understanding what your life actually costs.

Digital Excel spreadsheet. Instant download.