Monthly Budget Planner
Track monthly income and expenses and see your surplus or shortfall
Monthly totals
$3,500
Total Income
$2,150
Expenses (not savings)
$1,050
Left over
Saved $300 · Left over $1,050
50/30/20 view
A common rule of thumb: about 50% of income on needs, 30% on wants and 20% on savings.
Unallocated: $1,050 (30.0% of income).
How this was calculated
1. Needs (including debt payments)
Sum of monthly amounts marked Need or Debt payment
Using needs = $2,100.00; debt payments = $0.00
Result: $2,100.00
2. Wants
Sum of monthly amounts marked Want
Result: $50.00
3. Savings
Sum of monthly amounts marked Savings
Result: $300.00
4. Left over
Income - needs - wants - savings
Using income = $3,500.00; needs = $2,100.00; wants = $50.00; savings = $300.00
Result: $1,050.00
Budget lines
| Type | Name | Category | Entered | Per | Monthly amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Income | Salary | $3,500.00 | month | $3,500.00 | |
| Expense | Rent / Mortgage | Need | $1,200.00 | month | $1,200.00 |
| Expense | Groceries | Need | $400.00 | month | $400.00 |
| Expense | Utilities | Need | $150.00 | month | $150.00 |
| Expense | Transportation | Need | $200.00 | month | $200.00 |
| Expense | Insurance | Need | $150.00 | month | $150.00 |
| Expense | Subscriptions | Want | $50.00 | month | $50.00 |
| Expense | Savings | Savings | $300.00 | month | $300.00 |
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About Monthly Budget Planner
Tracks monthly income against expenses by category, showing what you spend, what you save and what is left over as you adjust numbers, without needing a dedicated budgeting app.
Add your income sources and expense categories with their amounts, and mark each expense as a need, a want, savings or a debt payment (the required minimum counts as a need). For a yearly bill such as car insurance, choose "per year": a twelfth of it is set aside in your monthly totals. Your income, spending, savings and left-over amount calculate automatically, with a 50/30/20 view and each category's share of income. Amounts accept entries like 1,200 or $400.
Revisit and adjust the categories every few months rather than setting them once — spending patterns shift, and a budget category that made sense six months ago sometimes doesn't reflect how money is actually being spent now.
Watch: Monthly Budget Planner in Action
- Should I set my budget categories once and leave them?
- Revisit and adjust the categories every few months rather than setting them once — spending patterns shift, and a category that made sense six months ago sometimes doesn't reflect how money is actually being spent now.
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