Free templates
Free budget templates you can edit and download
Four ready-made structures for the most common situations. Type your numbers right here, then download an editable spreadsheet — no sign-up needed.
Classic monthly budget
Best for: Anyone starting their first budget
The standard monthly structure: one income section, fixed bills, flexible spending, and savings. Fill it in at the start of each month and check it weekly.
| Category | What goes here | Your amount |
|---|---|---|
| Take-home pay, side income, benefits | ||
| Rent or mortgage, home insurance | ||
| Electricity, water, internet, phone | ||
| Fuel, transit pass, car payment, parking | ||
| Groceries, dining out, coffee | ||
| Minimum payments, extra payments | ||
| Clothing, haircuts, gym, hobbies | ||
| Emergency fund, goals, retirement |
- Income
- 0
- Spending
- 0
- Left over
- 0
The download opens in Excel, Google Sheets or Numbers, with Planned, Actual and Difference columns that total automatically.
Weekly spending budget
Best for: People paid weekly or who overspend mid-month
Divide your flexible money into weekly allowances. When the week's dining and fun money is gone, you wait — no more end-of-month surprises.
| Category | What goes here | Your amount |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly flexible money ÷ 4.3 | ||
| One weekly shop, planned meals | ||
| Set a hard weekly cap | ||
| Weekly fuel or transit top-up | ||
| Movies, games, small treats | ||
| Unspent weekly money goes to savings |
- Income
- 0
- Spending
- 0
- Left over
- 0
The download opens in Excel, Google Sheets or Numbers, with Planned, Actual and Difference columns that total automatically.
Student budget
Best for: Students living on loans, grants, or part-time work
Built around irregular income and semester costs. The key move is dividing big lump sums (loan payments, grants) into monthly amounts so the money lasts the term.
| Category | What goes here | Your amount |
|---|---|---|
| Part-time work, family support, loan ÷ months | ||
| Dorm or shared rent, utilities share | ||
| Books, supplies, lab fees (save monthly) | ||
| Meal plan top-ups, groceries | ||
| Student transit pass, occasional trips home | ||
| Societies, nights out — a real capped line | ||
| Small emergency cushion, even $10/month |
- Income
- 0
- Spending
- 0
- Left over
- 0
The download opens in Excel, Google Sheets or Numbers, with Planned, Actual and Difference columns that total automatically.
Family budget
Best for: Households managing shared and child-related costs
Adds the categories single-person budgets miss: childcare, school costs, and a household buffer. Review it together monthly so both partners know the plan.
| Category | What goes here | Your amount |
|---|---|---|
| All salaries, benefits, side income combined | ||
| Mortgage or rent, energy, water, internet | ||
| Nursery, after-school care, supplies, activities | ||
| Weekly shop, school lunches, family meals out | ||
| Car(s), fuel, insurance, transit | ||
| Medicine, dental, insurance excess | ||
| Outings, holidays fund, birthdays | ||
| Emergency fund, kids' savings, irregular bills |
- Income
- 0
- Spending
- 0
- Left over
- 0
The download opens in Excel, Google Sheets or Numbers, with Planned, Actual and Difference columns that total automatically.
How to use a template well
- Fill it in with real numbers. Pull last month's statements rather than guessing — the monthly budget guide has a fill-in worksheet that totals everything for you.
- Give every dollar a job. Income minus expenses minus savings should equal zero. Money without a job gets spent by accident.
- Review weekly, not just monthly. Ten minutes a week keeps a template alive; ignoring it for a month makes it fiction.
Prefer a template that fills itself in?
Fine Budget turns these categories into live budgets that update as you log spending — free.
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