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The 2018 Budget Binder

Friends, it’s a big day here at Just a Girl and Her Blog– the 2018 Budget Binder is here! I’ve been getting dozens of emails requesting the 2018 version, and today is the day! I share a budget binder each year in hopes that by tracking income and expenses, people can spend less money, save more, pay off those debts and end 2018 in a much better financial position than where they started.

Finance- Free Printable Budget Binder, personal finance, save money, budgeting, saving money, spend less money and save more

Free Printable Budget Binder

With the holiday bills about to start piling up, now is the perfect time to start getting our finances in check, amiright?!

2018 Budget Binder Button

Want to see what’s included in this year’s binder? Let’s check it out:

A Pretty Cover

Finance- Free Printable Budget Binder, personal finance, save money, budgeting, saving money, spend less money and save more

Of course it had to have a pretty cover page! 🙂 This year’s cover is cheery and simple, with space to write your name on the provided line.

Goal Setting Sheet

Finance- Free Printable Budget Binder, personal finance, save money, budgeting, saving money, spend less money and save more, financial goals

Goal setting is oh-so-important to me, especially when it comes to finances. When Donnie and I take the time to sit down together and write out our financial goals, it puts us on the same page, and we are much more likely to achieve what we set out to do!

Let’s say we’ve set a goal to pay off our student loans in the next year. We’ll write it down on this page, give ourselves a timeframe in which to complete it (by the end of December 2018), and then we’ll list the action steps that we are going to take in order to reach that goal.

Maybe we’ll plan to make a double payment each month. Maybe we can get an extra little side job to make some additional money to put toward the debt. Maybe we can cut down on our budget in other areas like clothing or eating out to come up with the extra cash. However we decide to do it, it’s not enough to just set the goal. We need to have a plan to get there.

These goals and action steps are in the front of the binder for a reason– they’re there as a constant reminder of what we’re working toward. If we’re looking at them each day or week when we’re tracking expenses in the binder, we renew our commitment and drive to reach them. Then, for example, if we’re really tempted to go out to eat instead of just grabbing something from home, we think of our goal. Paying off those student loans will feel better than an extra meal out ever could!

Tracking Recurring Expenses

Finance- Free Printable Budget Binder, personal finance, save money, budgeting, saving money, spend less money and save more, financial goals, recurring expenses

The next thing I wanted to have in our binder was a list of recurring expenses. This includes anything we pay on a yearly, quarterly, or monthly basis. Some examples might be:

  • Loan payments
  • Insurance payments
  • Utility bills
  • Subscription services
  • Tuition or lesson fees
  • Gym memberships
  • Regular charitable giving
  • Recurring contributions to savings

If you don’t already have a list of your recurring payments, look back over your last few months of bank statements (most banks provide them online these days!) and write down each bill that you pay on a recurring basis.

You can also also use your bank statements to fill in the amount of each recurring bill (if it varies slightly each month, I usually write down what it is when the bill is on the higher end) and the day of the month it comes out of the account. The small boxes on the right half of the page have the initials of each month at the top; when a bill is paid, I can just check the box to keep track and I know I’m good for another month.

Monthly Expenses

Finance- Free Printable Budget Binder, personal finance, save money, budgeting, saving money, spend less money and save more, financial goals, tracking expenses

After the recurring expenses were taken care of, I needed a way to keep track of any purchases we make throughout the month. We break down our purchases into categories and budget a certain amount of money for each category. This can be as simple or as detailed as you want, but everything you buy during the month needs to fit into one of your categories. Some of our categories include:

  • Groceries
  • Eating out
  • Household expenses
  • Gas
  • Entertainment
  • Clothing
  • Gifts
  • Car maintenance
  • Fun money (You may want to give each member of your household a little bit of guilt-free fun money each month so they don’t get burnt out with being so strict about the budget– everyone needs a little splurge every once in a while!)

I created a tracking sheet (kind of like a checkbook register) and printed one out for each category. At the top I can list the category and amount of money we’ve budgeted for it. Then I use the chart to record our purchases and keep a running balance of what we’ve spent so that I always know how much we have left in our budget for the month.

(If you’re new to budgeting or haven’t done it in a while, just leave the budget amount blank for the first month and simply track your expenses. This will give you a good ballpark figure for your budget amounts for month #2.)

Note: You will print out a new set of tracking sheets each month.

Monthly Check-In

Finance- Free Printable Budget Binder, personal finance, save money, budgeting, saving money, spend less money and save more, financial goals, tracking expenses, checking in with your goals

And finally, at the end of each month, I have included a monthly check-in page where we evaluate how things went. We jot down things that went well and things we can improve the following month so that we know where our strengths and weaknesses lie. There is also room to break down some of our bigger goals into specific goals for the month.

Going back to our “paying off our student loans” example, maybe this month we want to be able to put an extra $100 toward our payment. We can commit to that in this space and write down the specific steps we’re going to take to get there.

Revisiting our goals each month and seeing how far we’ve come can be really motivating and give us that extra push we need to keep pressing toward our financial goals!

Ready to snag your copy of the 2018 budget binder? Click the button below and get it delivered directly to your inbox! You will also gain access to my full library of free printables that are exclusively for my newsletter subscribers!

2018 Budget Binder Button

Simplify: 35+ Printables to Help You Organize Your Life

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We recently released an eBook called Simplify that is packed full of pretty printables to help you organize every area of your life– from your time and money to your home and kids– and you just saw a sneak peek!

Simplify is full of helpful organizational printables, all with the same design and color scheme as the budget binder printables above! There is also a matching printable planner called The Intentional Life Planner, so you can now coordinate your planner and planning printables! (Am I the only type-A person who gets so excited about this?! ? )

You can learn more about Simplify and The Intentional Life Planner here.

Thank you so much for checking out the new 2018 Budget Binder, and be sure to snag yours by clicking the button below!

2018 Budget Binder Button

Do you have any tips for getting finances organized? I’d love to hear them in the comments!

Small Signoff

*I am not a financial professional. I am simply sharing strategies that have worked for my family in the past to help save more money, and I hope they will be helpful for you as well! Thanks for reading!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  3. Thanks so much for the downloads! I can’t wait to start using them. Every year I think I start off trying to budget, and then give up after a while, but this year I’m going to really try and stick with a budget, and this defintiely will help. Thanks again!

    Reply

  4. Sticking to our budgets and saving more $$$ is one of my goals this year so this is very helpful!
    I think I too need to ditch our computer budget and go for good ol’ paper and pen method!
    Thanks for sharing, Abby!
    Have a fabulous weekend 🙂

    Reply

  6. Oooh so pretty Abby! I am so impressed with how organized you are!! My receipts always end up in a pile at the bottom of my purse:) But I am sure that knowing you are going to write everything down means you think twice before you buy!

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  8. Hey! Your monthly expense sheet looks extremely similar to the one I made! Good job! I love mine. 🙂 I grabbed your printables and hope to use them in my routine!

    Thanks Abby!

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  10. I’m getting so many great organizational tips this morning! And you money saving binder is so cute and practical. Pinning to remember! Thanks.

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  11. It is always surprising when you track your expenses. Good for you. I started with something smaller – the linen closet. When organizing for thenNew year, I have to do the one step at the time method or I get overwhelmed.

    Reply

  17. Thank you for this awesome printable. I found it on pinterest and it is exactly what my husband and i needed to track our spending. Thank you!!!

    Reply

  19. Thanks so much. With all my current medical expenses we will definitely be more disciplined to be more budget minded. And these forms are just what I needed. Thanks Abs!

    Reply

  20. This is great – thanks so much for the tips. We have been tackling this as well for about a year now through online systems, but I think you are right – pen and paper is more reliable, and for some reason, the money seems more “real” when you write it down. I appreciate it!
    I linked to a post where we shared a new organizing method we are using to attack the toys in our house (that is first up…clean up, clear out, sell and donate!)

    Reply

    • I agree– there is something about good old pen and paper that makes it feel more real! Love your method for clearing out toys– I need to get on that myself! Have a wonderful week!

      ~Abby =)

      Reply

  21. I just found this today & fell in love! I’ve been looking for nice budgeting printables all morning & this was the first one I found that had a nice simple design to it. Thank you so much!

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  22. Love the expense sheets. I’ve been wanting to move to something like this. Quick question: when you’re at Walmart or Target and buying stuff from different categories do pay separately or all together and figure the math at home? This has been the reason I’ve never gone to the expense sheets. Any thoughts you can throw my way I’ll be grateful.

    Reply

    • Thanks, Christina! I pay for everything together and then separate it out at home. Sometimes if I’m in a hurry, I just round it out to the closest dollar when I split it up. A few cents really won’t throw my budget off! Thanks so much for stopping by! Hope you’re having a wonderful week!

      ~Abby =)

      Reply

  23. Thank you for these. I love the recurring bills tracker – especially because it separates them yearly, quarterly, monthly. The one I have doesn’t so I might just be switching to your version 🙂

    Reply

  24. hi! I just subscribed to your email newsletter but haven’t received an email with the link to the PDF to print the budget binder. can you send that to me or is there somewhere else on the website where I can download it?

    Reply

  25. Abby,

    This is so helpful! I’m about to graduate from college, and I didn’t know where to start as far as planning and organizing my expenses and personal documents. These printables & the printables from your home binder page are so incredibly helpful.

    So thrilled to have found your site. Thank you!
    -Hannah

    Reply

    • Thank you so much, Hannah! Your sweet comment totally made my day! Congrats on your upcoming graduation– so exciting! Hope you had a wonderful weekend!

      ~Abby =)

      Reply

    • Hi, Rosalyn! The links to the binder pages are at the bottom of this post; you don’t have to subscribe to get them! When you subscribe to my newsletter list, you’ll get a PDF that teaches you how to make your own organizing printables. If you don’t see it within an hour of subscribing, check your spam folder. Sometimes they make their way there, unfortunately. If you still don’t see the PDF, let me know, and I’ll email you a copy. Thanks so much for visiting my blog!

      ~Abby =)

      Reply

  28. Love, love, love your budget binder! Thank you so much for sharing. It has saved me so much time and is exactly what I was looking for. Plus it’s adorable. Thanks again!

    Reply

  29. Love this organized way of keeping track! I also prefer pen and paper, I find I am more likely to keep looking at it that way, however I have recently started to scan all of my recipts for big purchases as well as keep the origonal when I noted the recipt started to wear over time.

    Reply

    • Thanks so much, Heather! Yes, I am totally a pen and paper girl! My hubby, on the other hand, is obsessed with being paperless, so he does a ton of the scanning that you mentioned. I guess opposites attract, right?! 😉 Hope you have a wonderful week!

      ~Abby =)

      Reply

  30. Instead of using a binder, I use envelopes to write down my expenses and contain receipts. However, in the future I might have to start using a binder. That’s a great idea! I’m a decently new college graduate (’13) who has been out on her own for about 9 months now. My first month on my own I wrote a budget and have been sticking to it ever since. I find that budgeting my money gives me piece of mind and allows me to live richer than I would if I just spent my money willy-nilly.

    Reply

    • Congrats on sticking to your budget! So many people struggle with that, and it’s great that you’re doing it right out of college! Your future self will thank you! 🙂 Have a wonderful weekend, Holly!

      ~Abby =)

      Reply

  31. Hi, just like to say that my wife Sylvia thinks these are “Awesome”, She is very methodical and keeps receipts and writes expenses etc in a little note book. Now she has your printables, things are looking for the better on keeping tabs with expenditures. Especially living in Cyprus, you have to retain receipts and watch the money flow. Thank you.

    Reply

  33. Just wondering, but are all your recurring bills the same amount every month? Mine aren’t, so I’m trying to figure out how you would keep track of that. I would have to change the amount every month. Can you help me??
    Love this idea, though!

    Reply

    • Hi, Wendy! Some of our bills (like utilities) vary from month to month, so on my budget sheet, I have listed a higher end average of what we expect them to be. Then I’ll often note the actual amount in the little box for each month. I hope this helps!

      ~Abby =)

      Reply

    • I just use a budget sheet as well, but sometimes this type of budget sheet confuses me. My bills (i.e water, power, gas, etc) aren’t always the same AMOUNT every month. I don’t understand how you keep track of that. I have tried to make my own where I have a space every month to write the amount and the due date and if it’s paid. Could you please help me understand??
      Love your ideas, though!!

      Reply

  35. I have been searching the Internet for templates to use to make our “tax season process” more manageable. My husband and I adopted a child almost eight months ago who is currently undergoing cancer treatment for Acute Lymphatic Leukemia at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, TN. Your documents have helped me SO MUCH better manage out expenses and at home and at our other “home-away-from-home.” Thank you for your kindness in sharing these resources.

    Reply

  38. I love this idea and have already printed everything up. I also kept a “master” copy of each sheet and placed it into a clear sleeve and put it into the back of my binder. This will make it quick and easy to make copies and not have to hunt for them on my computer. Can’t wait to get started.

    Reply

  41. Abby, Thanks so much for sharing your printables! I loved using your pretty 2016 monthly calendar sheets to write out a visual look at when my bills are coming due. Do you have any similar calendar pages for 2017?

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  43. I would love to receive your printables link but neither of my email addresses are receiving the link. Not sure what is going on. Would you be so kind to send me a link, please? It would be greatly appreciated.

    Reply

    • Hi, Teresa! Did you receive the email with the budget binder printables? You should be able to open it and print with any program that works with PDF’s. If you didn’t receive the email, send us an email at hello {at} justagirlandherblog {dot} com and we’ll get it to you. Thanks!

      ~Abby =)

      Reply

  46. Hi Abby
    I love your ideas i get daily emails from you
    When will the 2018 binder be available?
    I do want to start using one
    Thank you for sharing with us !!
    Jackie

    Reply

    • Hi, Jackie! I usually release the new one sometime in November, but none of the printables are dated so the 2017 version would work now as well! 🙂 Have a great evening!

      ~Abby =)

      Reply

  49. Hey there, I just happen on to your blog. I was doing research for a post on my blog and I really appreciate what you are doing here. I look forward to your next posts

    Reply

  51. I feel like I’ve been living under a rock. I’ve searched Pinterest for something like this blog and finally I’ve come across exactly what I’ve always wanted, but never knew how to do myself. Your budget binder and organized lists are so beautiful. I appreciate you for sharing these with others without charging a crazy fee. I love this blog and I love how easy the entire site is to navigate. Thank you so much. I am beyond thankful for your family.

    Reply

  52. Dear Abby,

    I am trying to finally get my finances back on track and in a much better place. It does take time and patience for sure. I was just thinking I need a budge sheet and was so happy in finding your blog it’s the budget planner is so well put together and love the colors seem relaxing when we’re all so stressed from bills we have each month.

    I will share this with my daughter who loves this stuff and being very organized like you & I see will be getting married in the next few years, saving for a new home so this should help her out a lot. So, I wanted to say Thank you for all your time in reaching out and making our life easier with this great Budget Planner you created.

    Wishing you all a wonderful New Year of great financial income and less debt for 2018!

    Reply

  53. I love your budget binder printables!! My favorite design so far has been the 2016 design. And because they are undated I have used them year after year! One thing I also do in my budget binder is print your calendar sheets, then I write in paychecks and the bills. I separate them out between bills that come out automatically and ones paid by check in the mail. This helps me see when our larger bills come out in comparison to our paydays, and helps me budget how much to set aside each paycheck for those larger expenses. I also have a folder in my binder, one side I have the bills I have paid, the other side has the bills that need to be paid. This way I can compare charges from month to month and verify that they received my last payment. Thank you so much for all your hard work!! I love all of your printables!!

    Reply

  54. Is there a way to get an older version of the Recurring Monthly Expenses worksheet. The spacing on the older versions worked much better for us, and I’m down to my last copy and can’t seem to find the download on my computer anywhere.

    Thank you!

    Reply

    • Hi, Esther! There have been a few older versions. I would be happy to send it to you if I can figure out which one you’re looking for. Could you possibly email me a screenshot of the one you’d like at [email protected]? Then I can get you what you need! Thanks!

      ~Abby =)

      Reply

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