Monthly Budget Resource Guide - Monthly budget tool steps for better financial health

Sep 12, 2026

Monthly Budget Resource Guide provides a practical monthly budgeting workflow using a Monthly Budget List and an accompanying Monthly Budget Calendar. It guides users to enter paycheck and expense dates and amounts, estimate variable bills with averages, and allocate expenses to the paycheck periods that typically cover them. The guide then calculates surplus or deficit per paycheck, recommends reassigning bills when a paycheck runs short, and includes adjustments for weekly, quarterly, semi-annual, and annual income or expenses.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryForms

FormatPDF

Pages6

Reading Time2 min

AccessFree to download

Monthly Budget Resource Guide

Monthly Budget List

Monthly Budget Calendar

Budget calculations and frequency adjustments

Monthly Budget Resource Guide A monthly budget tool to help improve your financial health. 1 Fill out the Monthly Budget List. Gather your bills and expenses, and fill in the dates and amounts of your paychecks and expenses on the Monthly Budget List. For expenses that vary month to month (such as utilities), use your average spending based on past bills. 2 Transfer to the Monthly Budget Calendar. On the accompanying Monthly Budget Calendar, transfer the dates of your paychecks and due dates of your expenses — choose from the specific month calendar or a blank calendar. 3 Color code expenses for each paycheck. Return to the Monthly Budget List , and color code which expenses fall within each paycheck. If the expense tends to happen sporadically throughout the month (i.e. gas, groceries, clothing), do your best to estimate when those expenses usually fall, or total them up for the month and divide by your number of paychecks. 4 Calculate surplus or deficit. Calculate total expenses for each paycheck in the Summary box. If your income is greater than your expenses, this is a budget surplus — use this money to save for goals and add to your savings account! If your expenses are greater than your income, this indicates a budget deficit. (Tip: If any paychecks have a deficit, adjust bills to pay from an earlier paycheck with a surplus.) Weekly paychecks Bi-weekly paychecks Monthly paychecks What if my income or expense isn’t monthly? If you have income or expenses that occur at a different frequency, make appropriate adjustments. | FREQUENCY | ADJUSTMENT | EXAMPLE | | --- | --- | --- | | Weekly | x by 4 | $100 a week on groceries: $100 x 4 = $400/mo | | Quarterly | ÷ by 3 | $90 water bill every 3 months: $90 ÷ 3 = $30/mo | | Semi-annually | ÷ by 6 | $720 auto insurance every 6 months: $720 ÷ 6 = $120/mo | | Annually | ÷ by 12 | $1,500 vacation once a year: $1,500 ÷ 12 = $125/mo | Monthly Budget List | INCOME | DATE | AMOUNT | | --- | --- | --- | | Paycheck \#1 | | | | Paycheck \#2 | | | | Paycheck \#3 | | | | Paycheck \#4 | | | | Paycheck \#5 | | | | Other income | | | | TOTAL MONTHLY INCOME: | | 0 | | HOUSING | DUE DATE | AMOUNT DUE | | --- | --- | --- | | Rent or mortgage | | | | Electric | | | | Gas & water | | | | Internet services | | | | Cable | | | | Cell phone | | | | Maintenance | | | | Property taxes | | | | Insurance | | | | Other: | | | | TOTAL EXPENSES: | | 0 | | HEALTH | DUE DATE | AMOUNT DUE | | --- | --- | --- | | Prescriptions & medications | | | | Health insurance | | | | Other (doctor’s appts. , glasses, contacts) | | | | TOTAL EXPENSES: | | 0 | | FOOD | DATE | AMOUNT | | --- | --- | --- | | Groceries & supplies | | | | Meals out | | | | Other (meal subscriptions) | | | | TOTAL EXPENSES: | | 0 | | PERSONAL & FAMILY | DATE | AMOUNT | | --- | --- | --- | | Child care | | | | Money given or sent to family (gifts, child support) | | | | Clothing & shoes | | | | Entertainment (movies, concerts) | | | | Subscriptions (Netflix, music, apps) | | | | Pet care (food, vet, boarding) | | | | Other (personal care) | | | | TOTAL EXPENSES: | | 0 | Month: | TRANSPORT | DATE | AMOUNT | | --- | --- | --- | | Gasoline | | | | Car maintenance | | | | Car payments (loans, lease) | | | | Car insurance | | | | Other (public transit, parking, tolls) | | | | TOTAL EXPENSES: | | 0 | | SAVINGS | DATE | AMOUNT | | --- | --- | --- | | Paycheck \#1 savings | | | | Paycheck \#2 savings | | | | Paycheck \#3 savings | | | | Paycheck \#4 savings | | | | Paycheck \#5 savings | | | | TOTAL EXPENSES: | | 0 | | OTHER EXPENSES | DATE | AMOUNT | | --- | --- | --- | | Fees for bank, credit card, cashier’s checks or money transfers | | | | School costs (supplies, loans) | | | | Other payments (credit cards) | | | | Other: | | | | TOTAL EXPENSES: | | 0 | | SUMMARY
1 Paycheck \#1 amount
Paycheck \#1 exp

FAQs

How do you fill out the Monthly Budget List?

Enter the dates and amounts for each paycheck and for all bills and expenses. For variable expenses, estimate using averages from past months.

What is the purpose of transferring information to the Monthly Budget Calendar?

Move paycheck dates and the due dates of expenses onto the calendar for the selected month, using the detailed month view or a blank calendar.

How is surplus or deficit calculated, and what should you do if there is a deficit?

Total each paycheck’s expenses in the Summary box to compare against income. If expenses exceed income, it indicates a budget deficit; adjust bills to be paid from an earlier paycheck that has a surplus.

Sep 12, 2026

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