Again, the “DIFFERENCE” column will automatically populate. Go through each category and fill out the “ESTIMATED” and “ACTUAL” sections. This tab is just to the right of the “Income Input” tab, and clicking it should bring up a list of expense categories including bills, transportation, entertainment, child-raising expenses, and more. Next, you’ll need to click on the “Expense Input” tab at the bottom of the sheet. Filling these columns out will automatically complete the “DIFFERENCE” column and show you your total income. You’ll need to fill out both the “ESTIMATED” and “ACTUAL” columns. This includes various income sources such as your regular paycheck, earnings from investments, bonuses, and more. Here you’ll see the full list of income categories. Start by clicking on the “Income Input” tab at the bottom of the spreadsheet. To start, you’ll need to click the “Download” button to download our simple monthly budget template, then open it with Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets. Our simple budget template uses categories for your income and expenses, which you can use to track how much money is coming in and going out each month.

Get Started Today Budgeting Using a Simple Budget Template

The Mint Mobile app: Learn how to automate the budget set up process you’d complete with the templates in the app instead.

A Detailed Budget Template: Learn how to use this template that uses the same categories as the Mint app, plus all the details.

A Simple Budget Template: Learn how to use this template that uses the same categories as the Mint app without going into detail.

There are three core budgeting methods we’ll review in the post: The categories used within the budgeting templates match those you’ll find in the Mint app, so it’s easy to transition over if and when you’re ready to automate your budget.

If you’re a fan of automation, you can also set up the exact same budget and automatically track your finances over time using the Mint app. In this post, we’ll walk you through how to utilize both the simple and detailed budgeting templates. Looking for a budgeting template to take control of your finances?

Example of personal budget chart