Budget Binder Planner and Worksheets (2024)

Our 108 Page Budget Binder Planner will help you get your finances in order this year. Together we are going to muddle through the mess and get to the heart of those tough financial tasks. The other side is brighter and a whole lot more fun once you take the plunge and embrace your household budget.

Gulp, 108 pages? Yep, that is a lot. I’m not going to lie. But I will also tell you that I am setting you on the right path for the next few years, not just the next couple of months. Don’t worry yet, I’ll break it down into baby steps so you will feel successful throughout the process.

This planner is broken down into manageable sections for easy organization. Start in one section and get it down pat before moving on to the next one. The binder is yours forever to use again and again so print the sections you need.

📝 Why Do I Need This?

A study by US Bank shows that only 41% of Americans use a budget. Budgeting is the most effective way to keep track of your finances. You will always know where you stand with your money and your goals if you use one.

If you aren’t currently tracking your finances, you are losing the opportunity to know how much money you are spending vs how much money you COULD be saving. It’s amazing how much money you “lose” by not keeping track of where you spend.

📥 Let Me Email a Mini-Binder To You!

I will email the free mini-budget binder so you can see how it works. Just enter in your email address and I will get it right over to you!

If you like this mini-budget binder, consider getting the full 108 page binder in the shop! These tools will help you take control of your finances and take a step in the right direction to achieve your goals!

📎 How to Use It

Using this binder is easier than you think.

Step One: Grab all the sheets to create your planner. The number of sheets you plan on using will drive the size of the binder you need. It is probably safe to start with a 1 ½ inch size. Grab some divider sheets, a three hole punch and start printing off the sheets you want to use.

Step Two: Once you have printed off the sheets you need, you will need to log into all of your accounts and start inputting the information on the sheets. Why oh why do you have to write it all down?

“You are 42% more likely to achieve your goals if you write them down.”

Inc Magazine

Step Three: Schedule 30 minutes a week to go over your budget to see where you stand, did all of the bills get paid? How is that daily spending doing? Do you have a menu planned out for the next week?

“Writing things down happens on two levels: external storage and encoding. External storage is easy to explain: you’re storing the information contained in your goal in a location (e.g. a piece of paper) that is very easy to access and review at any time. Encoding is the biological process by which when you write it down it has a much greater chance of being remembered.”

Forbes Magazine

📑 What’s Included

This is jam packed with useful worksheets, so stick with me here as I go over most of the ones included in the binder.

Cover Sheets and Spines

There are three different cover sheets for you to use here depending on your preference. Slip these inside the plastic sleeve on your binder. There are several different sizes of spines as well for you to print and insert. It is best to use these to make the binder bright and easily seen. You wouldn’t want to forget to use it, right?

🏔️ Debt Avalanche

There are three pages in this section for those ready to start the Debt Avalanche method of debt reduction. The principle here is that you start paying off your debt with the HIGHEST interest rate debts FIRST and then work down.

1. There is a worksheet for you to write all your debts down along with detailed instructions on how to use it.
2. The second sheet is a payment log to keep track of your payments.
3. The third one is for each individual creditor. Print this last one out for each creditor you have.

❄️ Debt Snowball

There are three pages in this section for those ready to jump in feet first. The Snowball principle is for people like me! Instead of paying off the highest interest rate debts, you start with the LOWEST balances first. Why? You will see success as you watch the easiest debts disappear. This is psychological warfare!

1. There is one worksheet for you to write all the debts down with more detailed instructions on how to use the sheets, in case you aren’t familiar with Debt Snowball.
2. The second sheet is a tracker to make sure you are logging in all your payments.
3. The third one is for each individual creditor for you to watch your progress.

🚨 $1000 Emergency Fund

This gem is set up to help you start your emergency fund. You may think it is impossible to save that much money – but trust me, it is totally possible!

• If you buy take out coffee everyday on the way to work, that is $5 a day x 5 days a week = $25 per week, just in coffee alone.
• Are you eating out for lunch? My husband’s take out lunches were racking up $9-12/day. Ouch! That is $180/month for a $9 lunch everyday.
• How much are you spending at the snack cart/machine? If it’s just once a day that could be an easy $20/month right there.

This printable will help you set the goals and give you the tools necessary to achieve them!

📅 Monthly and Yearly Financial Goals

These two are the shining stars of the binder. You really need to take the time to sit down and decide what your budgeting goals are and write them down. They are the north star that is going to guide you through this entire process.

There is no point in working hard to keep track of your progress if you don’t know what you are aiming for. Do you want to pay off your car? Buy a house? Pay off student loans?

Or, are you simply trying to save an extra $50 this month? These worksheets will give you the place to write down your goals and give you a purpose for making the effort to get control of your personal finances.

💳 Monthly Expense Tracker

Expenses are different than your regular bills (like gas and water). The expense tracker keeps a record of all of those infrequent costs that end up adding up to a lot! So think of eating out at restaurants, car repairs, shopping trips, money paid for a baby shower or purchases made at a home party. Between this one and the Bill Tracker, you should have all of your cash outflow accounted for.

🏦 Monthly Bill Tracker

These are the regular bills you pay each month like your power, water or even your car payment. This tracker has you record each and every bill when they come in. Make sure to include the minimum payment on anything you owe. You really don’t want to have to pay late fees.

💱 Debt Payoff

Keep track of lowering your debt by watching them fall using this payoff log. This can be used for car payments, student loans or a mattress you bought. Use it to complement the Snowball Debt Sheets or the Debt Avalanche Sheets to reduce that debt even faster!

There’s something about watching debt balances drop that is so satisfying.

Not to worry if it goes up, though. Emergencies happen and it is important to track those unplanned debts too.

💸 Daily Spending

This is hands-down one of my top three most requested worksheets in this binder. I challenge you to write down EVERY SINGLE DIME you spend on a daily basis for a month. You may be surprised to see exactly where all those pennies go.

Many of us just don’t know and can’t really figure it out. You might not think that eating out with friends or grabbing a cupcake costs that much, but when the month is over, I bet you’ll be surprised by what you find!

The mystery is quickly solved when you use sheet and it is frightening, scary and eye opening all at the same time. I was embarrassed to see how much I spent out on dinners when I had a busy or stressful day, and didn’t feel like cooking. Yikes!

👛 One Year Penny Challenge

There are four pages to category. The idea behind this technique is to save one extra penny a day. On day one, save $0.01. You can find a penny to add, right? On day two, the goal is to find one more penny. And one more the day after. Believe it or not, by the end of the year, you will have saved $667!

Three pages track the pennies you add to the piggy bank. The last page provides awards for when you meet certain milestones.

This is a phenomenal challenge to get the kids engaged. It really helps to teach them how to save and what is possible with dedication.

💰 52 Week Challenge

If you conquered the penny challenge, then it might be time to give this one a shot. It is the same principle. Each week, you’ll wave one dollar more than the week before. It’s insane that in just one year, you will have saved $1,378!

My whole family participated one year and we saved enough money to pay for a week long trip! It was a blast!

📒 Monthly Budget Tracker

Put all your bills and your income in this one page snapshot to keep your eye on the prize. This sheet partners perfectly with the Monthly Expense Tracker and Bill Tracker from above.

✉️ Cash Envelopes

If you have ever tried the Cash Envelope system made famous by Dave Ramsey, you know how incredibly effective these can be. Divide up your money each pay period into each labeled envelope and ONLY spend from each category’s envelope. When it’s gone, it’s gone. In a lot of ways, it is very old fashioned, yet incredibly useful.

🛑 30 Day No Spend Challenge

You need to be in the right mindset for this challenge, but it is extremely effective. It is pretty self explanatory: Don’t spend money on anything for 30 days!

Think you can’t do it? I bet you can!

• There is a sheet to mark off each day you don’t spend anything at all.
• Another sheet allows you to create RULES for your month. Some people allow basic staples to be bought, some allow school costs, etc. The idea though is to not allow too many exceptions or you are just defeating the purpose of the challenge.
• The third page in the challenge is a Post Challenge Shopping List to log items you noted throughout the month. You can determine if you “needed” versus “wanted” them.

🏥 Medical Expenses

Log all of your medical expenses in one spot for better accuracy. Place it in an envelope to keep track of receipts too. We like to keep our receipts for our HSA to make sure we aren’t double paying anyone. This also guides us for the following year as to how much we need to allocate.

In some cases, your medical expenses may have special tax rules, so it is best to give them to your tax preparer too.

💳 Credit Card Information

This worksheet keeps track of all of your credit cards. So many people open up accounts to earn great discounts, but then forget they have the card. Keep track of all of them on this sheet.

🏦 Bank Account Information

Do you have more than one bank account? Many of us do. I even keep one of these sheets for my mom’s. This is a great way to track them all in one handy spot, so when you need the information it is at your fingertips.

🌴 Retirement Worksheet

Track all of your retirement savings on one sheet to keep up to date each month. Once you get the hang of it, these are quick and easy to fill out. This sheet is inspiring to watch your money grow as you continue to save each month.

🎄 Holiday Budget Planner

Start planning now for the next year. It’s just never too early to get started on budgeting for the holidays. It is so easy to blow through more money than you intended.

🎁 Christmas 12 Week Savings Challenge

Print off this handy sheet to start a concerted effort towards saving for the holidays, so it doesn’t leave you in debt in January. It is insane, but saving just a few bucks a week will shave off a lot of your holiday spending come December.

🧺 Donations Tracker

This is a great one to keep track of your donations for tax purposes. All these small little items do add up, so don’t toss those receipts away when you could be saving more money.

🤑 Savings Tracker

This is a hidden jewel in the pack, and it is great to keep you motivated to keep on saving. It doesn’t always feel fun to save, especially when you are making short term sacrifices. But watch the balances go up when you update this worksheet. Tallying up how much you saved gives instant inspiration to charge ahead.

📅 Yearly Income Tracker

Not everyone needs this page, but it is a great one for those of you who have variable income streams. Do you have two jobs, part time jobs, side-gigs, overtime? You can see what I mean. Your income will fluctuate through the year and it is helpful to track.

If you record it, you’ll be able to plan better going forward. This is also great to track to monitor that overtime pay so you can see the after-tax results.

🔑 Password Log

I am a total disaster when it comes to remembering passwords. Seriously! I keep this handy so I never forget the important ones. I am more worried about someone stealing my information online, than someone breaking into my house, finding my budget binder, locating the password log and stealing the info that way.

Snag this one and start marking off all of your passwords to put in a safe place.

🗞️ Subscription Tracker

If I had to pick a top three of the most important pages in this binder, this is definitely one of them. We quickly forget what we have on auto payment or automatic renewal until the fee hits our credit card and there’s no turning back.

Don’t throw money away like that. Look this one over every month with your statements and log in new ones that you have signed up for and cancel those that don’t pertain to your life anymore.

🧘 Monthly Reflection

These reflection sheets seem a little hokey to some people, but they are so useful if you start using them routinely. Record things like what went well, what didn’t go so well, what do you want to improve on and projects you dealt with during the month.

Keep these and you will watch your life evolve as your behavior does change through time.

🥗 Meal Planner

Monthly meal planners help all of us plan out our family meals and save a ton of money. Whether you have used these in the past, or if this one is new to you, no worries. Just start or revisit why you stopped using them.

Meal plans are a huge key component to saving money in any sized household. I mentioned above that unplanned take-out food was a huge cost for me. I changed the way I cooked and made sure I always had meals ready to go out of the freezer. That saved me a ton of money!

🛍️ Shopping List

After you made your meal plan, put together a shopping list and head to the store. Make sure to always check the pantry, refrigerator and freezer before heading out to see if there is anything on your list that can help you save even more.

12 Month Calendars

I included calendars for monthly bill tracking, budget tracking, expenses, and even your goals. If you have a unique situation, I also provided a blank calendar for you to use as you need.

Get the Mini- Binder for Free

Hey guys, if you drop me your email address in the form, I will email the mini-binder to you right away!

And, if you find that useful, consider getting the whole 108 page Budget Binder so you can have all the tools to help you conquer your finances this year!

There we have, friends. 108 pages packed Budget Planner ready for you to crush your budgeting goals this year. You have to start somewhere and why not here? Why not today?