Proper budgeting helps keep your personal finances organized, whether it's for business, school, or other purposes and goals.
Though many people believe that saving money and budgeting is a hassle or is restricting, it’s not as hard as people make it out to be. With the right tools and a selection of an Excel budget template monthly, saving money will become a breeze for you.
Although there are multiple budgeting apps online, nothing can beat the old-fashioned Excel budget template. The great thing about making an Excel budget spreadsheet template in Microsoft is that it’s easy to access and download online. They are also customizable, so you can edit the cells and panels to fit your needs and preferences.
To further simplify your budgeting tasks, we have compiled ten of the best free budget Excel templates below for you to choose which one is the best for you or fits your lifestyle.
Personal Excel Budget Template
1. Savings Goal Tracker
Saving money is a goal that’s so much easier said than done. Temptations are everywhere. Wherever you look, you’re bound to see something that you’ll want to spend your money on. And once again, your savings goal has to take the back seat.
Keep your eyes on the prize with the Savings Goal Tracker from vertex42. Use the template to put your savings in a chart and see how they progress. Tracking your savings and witnessing how they grow will motivate you to achieve your financial milestones faster.
2. Personal Monthly Budget Worksheet
If you’re tired of wondering where your monthly income goes, this is the template to try!
This budget worksheet by vertex242 will help you control your finances better. The Personal Monthly Budget template allows you to compare your expenses against your allocated budget to avoid overspending. There are fields for all the different things you might spend on – from everyday expenditures to monthly payments and discretionary expenses, so all your outgoings are tracked.
3. Family Budget Planner
Managing a personal budget is already tough; just imagine how much tougher it is to budget for a whole family. There are household bills, mortgage, insurance, car payments, and daily expenses to think of – and that’s barely scratching the surface.
The Family Budget Planner is another template from vertex42 to create an annual budget. Use it to protect the family's earnings and expenditures ahead of time. You can also customize the spreadsheet to accommodate variable spending and any changes in the family's income.
Budget Templates for University Students
4. College Budget Template
A comprehensive student budget plan considers the different sources of income and expenses. It should develop a long-term budget – not only for the month but for the entire semester and academic year as well.
Vertex42 has designed the College Budget template to aid students in budgeting for the year ahead. Though the worksheet includes almost every expense category a college student can think of, you can still tweak and edit it according to your unique lifestyle.
With this spreadsheet showing you where your money comes from and goes, you’ll have a better perception of your financial goals and responsibilities and how to meet them one semester at a time.
5. Money Management Template 2.0
After creating a budget plan, the next thing to do is make sure you stick to it! While this is the harder part of the battle, it's not impossible to achieve, especially if you have the Money Management 2.0 template to help you.
This latest version of the Money Management template by vertex42 is packed with functionalities! It’s one of the most efficient and easy-to-use budget management templates available.
If you’re someone who is having trouble sticking to their budget or goal for the month and you want to take allocate your money seriously, this Money Management template is a perfect choice.
6. Household Expense Budget
It’s a lot trickier to split and manage a household budget when you’re sharing a place with other people. Thankfully, Microsoft built the Household Expense Budget template to solve the dilemma.
By using this spreadsheet, you and your roommates can track your household budget and divide the bills and expenses among yourselves with ease. Budgeting for a group is more convenient with the Household Expense Budget template.
Budget Templates for Businesses
7. Business Budget Template
If you’re in the retail or service industry, this template by vertex42 should be on the top of your must-haves list. The Business Budget template comprises two worksheets – one for goods and the other for services.
The services worksheet looks and works like an income statement, allowing you to track your business' income and expenses with very little trouble. The goods worksheet is very suitable for retailers and manufacturers, with its additional fields for sales and inventory.
8. First-year Budget Calculator
The First-year Budget Calculator from Smartsheet is the perfect budgeting tool for those who are just dabbling in the world of startups and small businesses. This calculator-cum-tracker will give you an overview of how much money you'll need for the company to take off the ground.
This template comes in handy when you're trying to gauge costs and project an estimated income for your first year in operation.
9. Small Business Budget Template
Capterra’s Small Business Budget template is a favorite of many smaller-scale companies because it’s very versatile and easy to use.
With a single workbook, you can perform plenty of long-term and short-term budget planning for your company. A sweet bonus is the overview sheet that gives you an insight into how effective your budgeting performance is.
10. Detailed Financial Projections Spreadsheet
Another one from Smartsheet, the Detailed Financial Projections Spreadsheet is a more advanced budgeting tool made for businesses with more complex operations. If you need a highly developed template to track and record your financial transactions or perform expense projections, this is worth a try!
Without a doubt, Excel is one of the best budget management tools out there. Excel has something for everyone and their lifestyle! Whether you're a budgeting officer in a top corporation or a student trying to stretch their allowance, you’re bound to find the right Excel templates for your individual needs.