Is it time to get started on your family budget? It can seem complicated at first – how do you categorise everything? What about expenses that fluctuate or don’t come in monthly? The best thing to do is take a step back and look at some practical steps toward formulating your family budget. Here are some tipsto get you started:
Estimates and actual figures
Remember that your budget is a tool, not a dream machine. Goals are important, but a family budget should first focus on the numbers you’re dealing with. That’s the basic first step. Once you have a grasp on that, you can begin to dream a little, such as planning holidays and other desirables!
Start with your net income
First, figure out your net income for each month. This means your income minus taxes, national insurance, pension contributions and so forth. If you are self-employed, subtract estimated taxes, insurance costs, retirement account savings, etc. At this point, you just need numbers.
Now, your expenses
Next, work out your monthly expenses. If they vary, figure out an average by looking at the last three to six months’ worth of expenses. Alternatively, you could take the highest monthly amount and go with that.
It’s a good idea to keep your categories as general as possible while still preserving clarity. Otherwise, you might get confused or overwhelmed by all the “hair splitting.” For example, instead of having “food, paper products, drug items, etc.” as categories, you can lump all those expenses under “groceries.” Items like “pet supplies” can be their own category, but you might want to include vet bills in that category. Here are some suggestions for categories:
- Paying off debt
- Home (mortgage, rent, property tax, insurance, repairs, etc.)
- Vehicles
- Utilities
- Health Care
- Birthday and Christmas gifts
- Cushion (this is money set aside to offset surprises, mistakes, or unexpected expenditures)
- Personal (eating out, hair appointments, etc.)
Stop and Look
At this point, stop and take a look at what you’ve got so far. Are your expenses greater than your income? It’s time to cut back significantly, or find another source of income (or both).
Actual Expenses
So far, you have two columns – income and estimated expenses. Now you need to add another column: actual expenses. Keep track of the real numbers each week over the next month and see how much/if they differ.
Now you’re well on your way to a workable budget!