Because I Said So, Baby

Practical Solutions for Everyday Momlife

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Home
  • About Marla
    • Contact Marla
    • Disclosures & Legal
    • Digital Product Shipping Policy
    • Privacy Policy
    • Instagram Links
    • Sponsored
  • Mamahood
    • Pregnancy
    • Baby Mama
    • Breastfeeding
    • How-To
    • Favorite Products
  • Toddlerhood
    • 1 Year Olds
    • 2 Year Olds
    • 3 Year Olds
    • 4 Year Olds
    • Daily Routines
    • Toddler Parenting
    • Preschool Activities
    • How-To
  • Home & DIY
    • Home Management
    • Crafts & DIY
    • Cloth Diapering
    • Holidays & Seasons
  • Meal Ideas
    • Baby-Led Weaning
    • Toddler Meals
    • Toddler Snacks
    • Lunchbox Ideas
    • Holidays & Seasons
  • Shop
    • Store
      • My Account
      • My Cart
      • Checkout
    • My Amazon Store
    • Summer Survival Shopping Guide
    • Favorite Toddler Mealtime Products: Feeding Toddlers Shopping Guide

August 2, 2022 by: Marla

How I Do Our Family’s Monthly Budget (with free excel template)

Email
Pin
Share

Inside: Learn how I do our family’s monthly budget! Keeping track of household expenses is essential. Get my free printable excel budget template to help keep you on track. 


Today I’m going to share my simple budget strategy with you. 

I’ll walk you step by step through how I created my monthly excel spreadsheet in Google Sheets, to how I maintain our family’s budget once a month. 

This strategy will change your life when it comes to budgeting. 

But first, you should know I am not a financial planner, expert, or anything of the sort! Just a mom like you who has to wear a million hats while managing a family. 

family's monthly budget | how to create a monthly budget for families

As a stay-at-home mom, I am responsible for various aspects of our daily lives:

  • Meal planning
  • Kids’ appointments / activities
  • Paying bills / doing the budget
  • Laundry / dishes 

And my husband is responsible for a different set of duties:

  • Yardwork / maintenance 
  • Car maintenance 
  • Fixing / repairing things 
  • Laundry / dishes 

Your family’s division of responsibilities may look different, but at the end of the day, establishing a monthly budget and sticking to it, is essential for any family. 

Marla | Because I Said So, Baby monthly budget template

P.S. – Hi! I’m Marla, full-time SAHM to 3 little girls. If you’re all about step-by-step help, I teach a course called the Ultimate Stay at Home Mom Course that will help you take your stay at home mom life from chaos to control. There’s an entire module dedicated to Home Management Systems (AKA running your home on autopilot). As a student in the course, you’ll be invited to join our private SAHM Facebook group!

Would love to see you inside the course. Learn more or enroll, here.

How do I make a monthly family budget?

Let’s start here. 

The most important factor here is to start with monthly income and then work backwards from there. 

If your family’s income fluctuates each month, err on the side of caution and pick a baseline number to work with.

For example: Let’s say on a good month, your monthly income is $4,000. But on a bad month it’s $2000. Try working with a budget of $3000 or $2500, that way you leave yourself a little wiggle room. 

household monthly budget template

Components of a Family Budget

After considering monthly income, the next step is to plan out your categories, or as I like to call them “line items” on your budget spreadsheet. 

These are your bills and expenses. 

Most bills are predictable like your mortgage or rent payment (static bills), while others will be more flexible like gas, groceries and entertainment. While you can set a maximum allowance for those categories, the number will typically change month to month. 

Examples of budget categories: 

  • Mortgage / rent
  • Car payment / insurance
  • Groceries
  • Gas
  • Water bill / utilities 
  • Entertainment 
  • Pet expenses

Now that we’ve considered these two factors, we’re ready to plan out our monthly budget.

family budget planning | how to do a monthly budget

To review:

  1. Start with monthly income
  2. Write down categories of bills and expenses

Related: How to Afford to be a SAHM on One Income

This post may contain affiliate links. You can read our full disclosure policy, here. 

How I Do Our Family’s Monthly Budget (with free excel template)

Now that we have our monthly income in mind and the components of a family budget (bills/expenses), we can create a plan. 

Before we get started: download your free printable budget template (no need to subscribe or anything).

  • After downloading the template, you’ll want to open up Google Sheets or Microsoft Excel (or whatever program you have where you can create spreadsheets).
  • You also can use this as a printable, but personally I find that it’s more efficient to use the computer.
  • Once in your program of choice, type out your own monthly template based on the sample I provided.

Keep the spreadsheet open in another tab as we work step by step to get your family’s monthly budget set up. If you are unable to open a PDF, you can draw out a template (based on the instructions below) and fill it in for now, until you are able to create a digital one. 

Ready to get started?

creating a monthly budget for a family of 5

How do I make a family budget spreadsheet?

Step 1: In Column A you’ll see sample categories listed. Edit the categories to reflect your family’s needs. 

  • Be sure to list ALL of your family’s expenses including everything from monthly bills to dance classes to overall categories like pets or vacation savings. 
  • Some categories can act as an umbrella covering things like going out to eat, movies, entertainment, etc. I usually like to call this one Miscellaneous. 

Step 2: In Column B list the amount of each bill, or the amount of money you’d like to budget for that category. 

  • After all amounts are listed, you’ll be able to see if you have a deficit or an overage in any particular category. 
how I do our family's monthly budget (free excel template)

Step 3: At the end of Column B, you’ll need to plug in the formula, =sum(B2:B19) in order for the spreadsheet to tally up your expenses. You’ll also need to adjust the formula depending on how many line items (categories) you have. 

For example, if you have 30 lines of expenses, your formula would read: =sum(B2:B30). Just as a note, if you have a heading at the top of each column, then your formula will start at B2, not B1. 

  • This will tell you exactly how much money you’re projected to spend for that month. 
  • Just below that number, write your total monthly income so you can compare the two numbers.
  • For example: let’s say your total monthly income is $5,000. And your monthly expenses add up to $4,500. Now you know you have $500 worth of wiggle room that month. 
sample budget template | excel spreadsheet

Step 4: In Column C, when managing your budget monthly, you’ll list when you’ve paid the bill, by writing “paid” or you can list how much you’ve spent to give you an idea of how much is left in each category. 

  • Use the formula =sum(1+2) and your excel spreadsheet will add it up for you. Instead of 1+2, you’ll need to enter in whatever numbers you’re trying to add up like (150+75+25+200). 
  • Seeing the total number next to your budgeted amount will give you a better idea of what’s left for that month in that particular category. 
  • For example: let’s say you’ve budgeted $1000 for groceries, but when you add up each grocery trip, it totals $1200 for the month, now you know that in the future you need to adjust your allowance for each category, or if there’s no wiggle room, you’ll need to reduce spending in that category. 

Read: Simple Home Management Systems Every Mom Needs

creating a monthly budget spreadsheet

When should you write out your budget?

My best advice is to revisit your budget at the very beginning of the month, or whenever the paychecks come in. 

  • My husband gets paid on the last day of each month (either the 30th or 31st).
  • Since I am self-employed, I also choose to “pay myself” on this day as well to keep everything organized.
  • On the 1st of each month, I sit down with my spreadsheet open and first get all the bills paid, then see how much is available for each flexible category that month.
  • Once you have done this for a few months, you’ll find that all of your categories are fairly predictable (especially if you have a predictable income), and not as much maintenance is necessary. 

I shared in my stories on IG how I do this budgeting method. I saved everything to a highlight called Budget, which you can find on my profile, here. 

This printable Home Management Planner (below) is one of the printables in my Ultimate Stay at Home Mom course where I teach moms how to get their systems and routines in order. Naturally, budgeting & bill pay is one of those systems! 

I use this planner to help keep track of daily/weekly and monthly tasks. 

What to Read Next:

  • My Stay at Home Mom Daily Schedule
  • Ultimate Stay at Home Mom Course
  • Back-to-School Organization Tips for Moms
  • 7 Ways to Make Being a Stay at Home Mom Easier

Follow Marla on Instagram for more practical solutions for everyday #momlife 

  • ultimate stay at home mom course
    Ultimate Stay at Home Mom Course
    $75.00
  • ultimate meal planning printable bundle
    Ultimate Meal Planning Printables Bundle
    $10.00
  • printable meal planning cheat sheet
    Printable Meal Planning Cheat Sheet
    $4.00
How I Do Our Family’s Monthly Budget (with free excel template)
Easy Lunchbox Ideas for 1 Year Olds (Preschool, Daycare, or At Home)
Healthy Grab-and-Go After School Snacks

Meet Marla

because I said so baby
the ultimate guide to all things play dough

The Ultimate Guide to Play Dough (Recipes, Storage & Activities)

Feeling Overwhelmed?

Daily Routines

my daily winter break routine with 3 kids

My Daily Winter Break Routine with 3 Kids 

Inside: Ready for the kids to be home for 2 weeks? Instead of wondering “how do I keep my kids busy over Winter Break?” I’ll show you how to create a predictable (but festive!) daily winter break … [Read More...]

Toddler Meals

kid-friendly meal ideas

What I Fed My Family This Week (Kid-Friendly Meal Ideas)

Inside: easy, healthy, kid-friendly meal ideas from my family of 5 AKA what I fed my kids this week. If you’re in need of ideas for quick breakfasts, healthy snacks to lunches & weeknight dinners … [Read More...]

HEY THERE!

Welcome to Because I Said So, Baby, where we're sharing practical solutions for everyday momlife. Where you can find everything from simple baby-led weaning recipes to practical toddler parenting tips. So put those kids down for a nap, grab some coffee, and stay awhile!
Read More…

Enroll in the Ultimate SAHM Course

stay at home mom

  • Contact Marla
  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclosures & Legal
  • Shop

Copyright © 2025 · Because I Said So, Baby LLC | As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases