Assessing my monthly bills was an eye-opening experience. I began by creating a simple spreadsheet to track my expenses, listing each bill with its due date and amount. This process not only ...

gather key information Before you get started with our free budget spreadsheet below, you’ll need some key financial information, including: Your take-home pay, or your monthly income after taxes.

You'd start by subtracting that $1,000 from your monthly take-home pay (for example, $4,000 - $1,000), and then use that number ($3,000) for your monthly bills and expenses. This strategy's big ...

On a sheet of paper or spreadsheet, list each of your monthly and periodic expenses, as well as any bills you know are upcoming. Add them up and subtract the total from your income and savings.