Create your Free Budget Plan, Personal Budget Planning
Family Budget Worksheet Included

This Free Budget Plan teaches you how to make a budget with its easy step by step process, free Family Budget Worksheet included. Take control of your budget.

Credit Card Debt	$ Select One 0 1 - 2,499 2,500 - 4,999 5,000 - 7,499 7,500 - 9,999 10,000 - 12,499 12,500 - 14,999 15,000 - 19,999 20,000 - 29,999 30,000 - 39,999 40,000 - 49,999 50000+
Other Unsecured Debt	$ Select One 0 1 - 2,499 2,500 - 4,999 5,000 - 7,499 7,500 - 9,999 10,000 - 12,499 12,500 - 14,999 15,000 - 19,999 20,000 - 29,999 30,000 - 39,999 40,000 - 49,999 50000+
Number of Creditors	Select One 2 3 4+
Status of Bill Payments	Select One Up to Date About to Fall Behind 1 Month Behind 2 or More Months Behind
I want to	Select One Eliminate My Debt Consolidate My Debt Seek Advice
Own a Home?	Yes  No

Items you will need for your Free Budget:

- Free Budget Plan Worksheet Please Print this out before you begin.(Note: This worksheet opens with Adobe, it is a PDF. file. You can download Adobe Here Free.

- Blue or Black ink pen

- Red Ink Pen

- Calculator

- All Your Bills

- Your Very Truthful Brain

Who brings income in?

Who spends and on what?

So for our example family I would like to introduce you to the Shmoe's.

Meet Joe Shmoe the Daddy, Jane Shmoe the Mommy, Cindy Shmoe the daughter, William Alexander Joe Shmoe III the son (we will call him Billy for short), and Booger their pedigree mix-breed puppy.

Ok using your Free Budget Plan worksheet follow along; because when we are done you are going to do this for real.

Joe's works at Sammy's House of Grills where he installs handles on all the new model gas grills. He brings home after taxes $1900.00 a month.

His stay at home working her rear end off cleaning, cooking, taking care of kids, wife also brings an income of $800.00 a month into the home from her Runs of Steel panty hose mending business that she runs out of the garage.

Cindy and Billy are full time students with no income.

Joe receives $200.00 a month extra for renting his pop-up camper to his mother-n-law out back.

So under Money Take-Home Income you will put:

-Salary/wages $1900.00
-Salary/wages (Spouse) $800.00
-Real Estate (Rent) $200.00
-$0.00 for the rest

Add that together

Total Household Budget Income $ 2900.00

-Jane spends $100.00 a week on groceries.

-Joe spends $3.00 a day at work for a soda and crackers.

-Cindy and Billy each spends $1.50 for lunch and $0.50 for a snack per day.

-last but not least Booger eats his weight in dog food so $6.00 a week for his puppy chow.

Let's add this up.

$100.00 a week times five, for groceries (I always use five weeks in a month because it's better to budget over than under!) So groceries cost $500.00a month.

$3.00 a day times Thirty one for Joe's snack (Again use thirty one days for a month so you don’t under budget.)So Joe Snack cost $93.00 a month.

$1.50 times two a day for the kids lunch and $0.50 times two a day for their snack, so lunch and snack for the kids cost $124.00 a month.

$6.00 a week times five, for Booger's puppy food, so puppy food costs $30.00 a month.

So all together the Shmoe's spend $747.00 a month for food.

Joe never thought to add up his snack money or the kid's lunch money, it was just a few dollars a day to him.

It adds up fast when your writing it down in your household budget, doesn't it Joe? ........ Joe, he has passed out cold someone, call an ambulance!

Ok let's get back to the Free Budget Plan.

Household items are things like dish washing liquid, washing powders, and toilet tissue.

I personally add these into my grocery/food budget, but if you didn't you will need to add them up and enter them here.

Joe just told me he did the same. I'm not sure I believe him but with a $747.00 food bill I think I will let it slide.

Clothing, he-he-he... (Most people forget about this when they're doing a household budget.)

Look at Cindy and Billy’s leather reversible, color replaceable, tongue sneakers. Of which you have to replace the tongue every thirty days in order to keep up with the latest fashion trend. Those sneaker tongues cost $60.00 a month.

Jane also likes to buy the latest style in sunglasses, she wears them all over - $10.00 a month.

$70.00 a month is the total household budget clothing cost.

Laundry/Dry Cleaning; come on Jane's a pro, she can shout anything out - $0.00 a month here.

The Shmoes home telephone costs $70.00 a month. Cell phones, Hello Family plan because they all got a cell phone, cost $150.00 a month - grand total $220.00 dollars a month.

The Internet Service costs $99.00 a month, buts hey its super duper high speed satellite.

Electric bill $150.00 a month (You know your average power bill so try to guesstimate ten to twenty dollars higher do the same for Gas, and Water.)

Gas/Oil (This is for your home, we will get to gas for the car in a minute) $0.00 a month. Joe and Jane went with all Electric heating and appliances when they built their home.

Water/in home service $35.00 a month.

Cable TV/Satellite $80.00 Bucks a month. Jane just loves recording her soaps on the DVR.

Trash service $45.00 every three months, so you have to divide forty five by three in order to get the monthly total which is $15.00 a month.

Auto Gas/maintenance "ha" This one is always fun. Joe fills his car up once a week it costs him $50.00 (Its better to over estimate a little here - gas isn't cheep people) for a total of $250.00 a month. (This one is another that most people fail to add into their household budget.)

Oops we forgot about Jane, she does buy the groceries and take the kids to practice. Let's add another $100.00 for her car. Total $350.00 a month.

Auto Insurance $110.00 a month

Their Health & Dental Insurance Well, Joe's Health insurance comes straight out of his pay check, and if you remember we entered his salary as $1900.00 bring home pay, so that was already deducted; However, if you pay for your health and dental insurance separately be sure to add it here.



Life & Disability Insurance $40.00 a month

Now let us look at Homeowners / Renters Insurance. Jane made sure they escrow that into their house payment, but again if you pay separate insurance for your home or apartment, please make sure you add it here.

Analyzing the Shmoe's Education, Tuition, and Supplies we will see that Joe and Jane deposit $30.00 a week into their children’s college funds and have done so since they were born.

Good job Mr. & Mrs. Shmoe;

You treat your children’s college fund as if it's a bill. Why would you do this? Because paying for college is a bill! You're going to have to pay it sooner or later so you might as well plan ahead. Put it in your household budget.

Jane also has to buy a pack of erasers every month because Billy will not stop eating them - it costs $2.00. Cindy requires a new notepad, because she keeps passing notes during study hall - $1.00. Final amount $153.00 a month

Personal care (Hair, Nails); Jane saves some money here buy coloring her own hair, but she spends $25.00 a week on her nails which Joe is ok with because she scratches his back when he gets home from work.

Don't leave out the cost of that hair dye or the hair spray, hair gel, perfume, deodorant, body wash, lotion, make-up, and much more. The total for nails, plus personal care is $150.00 a month.

Free budget plan Medical Care (prescriptions); Billy has A.D.D. and Jane battles over production of cellulite disease. That’s how she came up with the idea for her business. $40.00 co-pay a month.

Child Care (Nanny, Day Care); Jane stays at home so put a big fat $0.00 here. (Super MOM)

Children Activities (Sports, etc.); Cindy's a cheerleader and Billy plays every sport the school offers. They also attend every program and book fair the school has. $60.00 a month

Alimony / Child Support $0.00

Gardener/Pool/Alarm Service $15.00 a month for You Catchem and We'll Shootem Brickhouse Security System. Nothing can beat the feeling of knowing your family is safe, Isn't that Right Joe?

Entertainment; This one is a little tricky, but extremely important to get right when you are making a family household budget.

For those of you who do not realize Dinning Out is entertainment do not confuse this with the Food category.

Joe and Jane have a weekly Date night at Kermit’s House of Frog Legs - $15.00 a plate, and they take the kids to Tiny Burgers (double priced and over cooked) every Monday night - $40.00. That comes to $350.00 a month.

Then they go to the movies on Thursdays, $8.00 a ticket. Saturdays they all load up and go play mini-golf $10.00 a person. Entertainment totaled $710.00 a month.

Oh no!!!

Joe just stabbed himself in the head with a plastic spoon. Call the ambulance again!! (I hope he knows all the ER visits is going to end up under the medical category of the household budget)

Homeowners Dues $0.00

Subscription; $15.00 a month for the newspaper

Health Club Membership $0.00 Joe took two of his old deer hunting bows, nailed them to a tree, attached and shaped handles from some of the scrap panty hose Jane just happened to have in the garage, and he calls it the family bow-flex.

Contributions / Donations / Gifts; $3.00 a week to the offering plate at church. (Oh Joe that’s not even right) $20.00 a month to support Jane’s beanie-baby collection. (whatever ever makes Momma happy) For a total of $35.00 a month.

Other Expenses (Misc.) $10.00 a month to have his mother-n-laws teeth cleaned and $8.00 a week at the Down-n-dirty Car Wash. Total $50.00 a month

Total Household Budget Monthly Living Expenses $3144.00 a month

Are we starting to see a problem yet Joe? ....... Yes Joe, I understand you're a little upset, but don't lose hope. First we evaluate the problem, then we figure out a solution.

I will help you.

If you are feeling like Joe over here, please don't get frustrated and stop, finish this Free Budget Plan worksheet with me then we can discuss solutions.

Joe and Jane own their home, so they don’t pay rent, but they do have a mortgage of $650.00 a month. Their taxes and insurance are escrowed into that payment.

They do not have a 2nd mortgage or Trailer park space rent or students loans.

They do have an auto loan. Joe drives his old 1977 Chevy truck everywhere it's paid for and runs fairly well. Jane having to cart children required a mini-van, so they have a $350.00 a month car payment.

They're in pretty good shape for this category having no other secured debts, so zero's on the rest. If you're, on the other hand, having other secured debts, please enter them.

Total Monthly Secured Debts $1000.00

Free Budget Plan Monthly Unsecured Debts

This is another tricky one, Jane, please hide all the plastic spoons before we start. Joe doesn't need to make another trip to the hospital.

Let's begin.

Joe and Jane have several credit cards. They have a Venus card (no other card is more accepted in this world or the next). They have a Blaster card, and they have a Disolvery card.

All of their cards have a large limit and high interest. These cards are how Jane has been keeping them afloat. She has been purchasing most of the monthly living expenses and made a few car payments with them.

It has worked so far but their cards are dangerously close to maxing out, and they are worried.

This is why they have enlisted my help, and help, they will get, but first we need to finish their worksheet.

- Their Venus card's minimum payment is $15.00 a month

- Blaster Card minimum payment is $45.00 a month

- Disolvery Card minimum payment is $35.00 a month

John also toke out a personal loan last Christmas to buy gifts and fix his truck - $75.00 a month.

Medical and Dental bills; Jane sends $50.00 a month to pay off Joe's many hospital bills.

Total for Monthly Unsecured Debts $220.00 a month

Use your blue/black ink pen and fill in the Total Take-Home Income, For the Shmoe's. It's $2900.00.

Now fill the Total living Expenses, Total Secured Debts, and Total Unsecured Debts with the red ink pen. Add these three expenses together and subtract them from the Total Take-Home Income.

If Your Disposable Income is - Positive use the black/blue pen if its deficit or - Negative use the red ink pen like I have for the Shmoes.

Please feel free to do the same, even if your household budget looks awesome and totally in the black, you can still learn some wonderful ways to save even more money.

NOTE: I am in no way associated with American Consumer Credit Counseling. I only use their Free Budget Plan worksheet to help others and myself.

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Hope you enjoyed the shmoes!