Budget Planner

How to use Budget Planner

1. Choose the month and your currency, then add each source of income with how often you receive it.
2. Add your expense categories under Needs, Wants and Savings and type a planned amount for each. Enter actual amounts as the month goes on.
3. Watch the summary and charts on the right: total income, planned, actual, and what is left to spend or overspent.
4. Turn on the 50/30/20 comparison if you like, then print or save a PDF, download a CSV, or make a JSON backup.

How to set up a budget

Start with take-home income, meaning what actually reaches your account. Then list your regular costs. Fixed costs such as rent are easy to plan. For variable costs such as groceries, look at the last few months of statements and use an average.

Aim for planned spending that is a little below your income so there is room for surprises.

Using the 50/30/20 comparison

The comparison shows how much of your income goes to needs, wants and savings against the 50, 30 and 20 percent guideline. It is a rule of thumb that is easy to remember, not financial advice. In high-cost areas needs can be well above 50 percent, and that is not a failure.

• Use it to spot a group that is much larger than you expected.
• Change the groups of your categories to match how you see them.
• Ignore it if it does not suit your situation.

Tracking the month

Enter actual amounts as you spend. Once any actual is entered, the left to spend figure uses actuals instead of the plan. If you spend more than you earn, the tile turns red and shows the overspent amount.

At the start of a new month, use Copy last month's plan to carry over your categories and start the actuals at zero.

Limits

This planner is a planning aid and does not give financial, tax or investment advice. It does not connect to bank accounts, and all amounts are typed by you. Data is saved in this browser only and nothing is uploaded, so use the JSON backup before clearing your browser data. Printing uses your browser's print dialog, where you can choose Save as PDF.

Why use this budget planner tool

• Planned vs actual. Every category has a planned and an actual amount, with a bar chart that turns red where you went over plan.
• Weekly, monthly or yearly. Enter each amount in the way you pay or earn it. It is converted to a monthly figure for the totals.
• A separate budget for each month. Switch months, and copy last month's plan as a starting point with the actual amounts cleared.
• Export and backup. Download a CSV for a spreadsheet, print or save a PDF, or save a JSON backup you can restore later.

Frequently asked questions

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