In this spreadsheet, the calculations are set up so that negative numbers are bad. The cells in the 'Difference' column use conditional formatting to make negative numbers red. At the end of the month, you record in the 'Actual' column how much you really spent during the month. This represents your goal - you're trying to keep from spending more than this amount. You record your desired budget for each category in the 'Budget' column. The purpose of this worksheet is to help you compare your monthly budget with your actual income and expenses. You may also want to read the article ' How to Budget'.
Our article ' How to Make a Budget' explains how to use these spreadsheets to create your budget. You'll want to replace the values in the Home Expenses category with your own.
To use this template, fill in the cells highlighted with a light-blue background (the 'Budget' and 'Actual' columns). 42 Effective Ways to Save Money Budgeting Tips for the New Year Using the Household Budget Worksheet
