Free Downloadable Excel Budget

Sep 4

A red dragon holds an abacus in front of a google sheets template. — Free Downloadable Budget.

A Simple Budget for Complex Times

Finding a budget that works for you can be extremely tricky. Most online apps are either pretty useless or too expensive. I set out to write an article about how to create a budget in Excel, but figured most of you would just be looking for a free download or template that you could make your own. This budget is a simple take on the 50/30/20 rule, which helps you keep your spending in alignment. You can read my article about the 50/30/20 rule here.

This budget is meant to be a check-in. You can use it when you are just starting out to give yourself certain guidelines for spending. It’s a helpful audit to make sure that your spending on needs or wants is in line with your income. This sheet is helpful for setting up your first budget or a cash envelope budgeting method.

Free Budget Template

My Thoughts on Budgeting Apps

There are many budgeting apps out there and some are more useful than others. This free budget template is meant to help you get your feet wet and see if your spending is sustainable. The current app that I use is YNAB or You Need a Budget, it is developed quite nicely. My free tools won’t be as robust as an app with a full team working on them, but I hope to give you something to start with.

I know the image shows a Google Sheets background. That was a template I was toying with, and I will likely share Google Sheets budget as well.

Helpful Articles on Budgeting

I do tend to write about budgeting a lot. Can you tell it’s a passion of mine? It really turned my financial life around for the better. You can click on any of the cards below to read an article on budgeting.