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Monthly budget template

Updated on October 28, 2026

A budget does not need a spreadsheet full of formulas. You only need to know how much comes in, how much is already taken by fixed bills and how much is left for everything else, with a limit for each kind of spending. This template fits in one note and takes a few minutes a week.

Budget · November 2026


Income

  • Salary: $4,000
  • Side work: $500
Total income: $4,500

Fixed bills

  • Rent: $1,400
  • Electricity and water: $250
  • Internet and phone: $150
  • Transportation: $300
Total fixed: $2,100

Save first

  • Emergency fund: $400

Variable spending (monthly limit)

  • Groceries: $900 (spent so far: $420)
  • Fun and eating out: $400 (so far: $150)
  • Pharmacy and health: $200
  • Other: $300

Balance at the end of the month

  • Planned: $200
  • Actual:

For next month


How to use it

  1. At the start of the month, create the note with "Use this template" and write how much will come in, from every source.
  2. List your fixed bills and add them up. Tick each one when you pay it.
  3. Before setting variable spending, set aside how much you will save. Saving whatever is left at the end of the month rarely works.
  4. Split the rest into limits by kind of spending and, once a week, update how much you have spent on each.

Tips

  • Use round numbers. A budget is a guide for decisions, not exact bookkeeping.
  • If one limit is blown, take it from another kind of spending in the same month instead of letting the balance go negative.
  • To learn how much really goes into each kind of spending, also use the expense tracker template for a few weeks.
  • At the end of the month, compare planned and actual and write what needs to change under "For next month".

One month per note

Keep your budgets in a folder (money/budget) with one note per month, like 2026-11 and 2026-12. To start the next month, create a new note and copy income and fixed bills, which change little. After three or four months, your limits get more realistic and you start to see the most expensive months of the year, such as tuition, taxes and holidays, well ahead of time. This note helps you organize, but it is not financial advice: for decisions like loans and investments, look for reliable sources or a professional.

Write down amounts and categories, never card numbers, passwords, bank account details or access codes. Anyone with the note’s address can open it.

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