Ultimate Budget Binder: Best Budgeting Financial Templates (2024)

I am excited to share with you the ultimate printable budget binder! If you’re like most Americans, you may be living paycheck to paycheck.

By the end of the month, you aren’t sure where all your money went and feel like you have nothing to show for it.

That’s where the Money Tamer Budget Binder comes in. It’s a set of financial worksheets and templates in a PDF that you can print over and over again every month.

Reusable Printable Budgeting Worksheets That Work!

Below I’ll go over how exactly a budget binder can help you as well as everything included in this amazing budget binder printable.

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Ultimate Budget Binder: Best Budgeting Financial Templates (1)

Grab The Printable Budget Binder Here >>

What Is A Budget Binder?

A budget binder is a PDF of financial worksheets and budgeting templates that you can print off at home. It helps you organize your finances and track your spending.

Budgeting Binder Benefits

Financial worksheets are great ways to keep track of your monthly budget. You can easily add your paychecks and subtract your expenses in easy-to-follow templates.

No matter whether your goals are to pay off debt or save money, knowing where your money goes every month is essential for success.

Since all of the budgeting trackers and forms are digital, this makes it easy to print off only the pages that you need.

If you run out of space, there’s no need to buy a new planner like with traditional bound notebooks. Simply print off another worksheet and add it to your binder.

What’s Included?

The Money Tamer Budget Binder includes over 55 pages in an easily downloadable PDF format.

  • Binder Cover
  • Binder Spine Labels for 1 in, 1.5 in, and 2 in binders.
  • Planner Stickers in turquoise, yellow, and light purple.
  • Monthly Budget Template
  • Financial Goals Worksheet
  • Bank Account Tracker
  • Credit Card Tracker
  • Debt Tracker
  • Savings Goal Tracker
  • Expense Tracker
  • Income Tracker
  • Bill Pay Checklist
  • Checkbook Register
  • Notes Page
  • Annual Budget Summary
  • Yearly Budget Overview
  • Budget Review Worksheet
  • Detailed Monthly Budget Templates
  • Blank Monthly Calendar Sheets

Additional Features

  • Standard US letter size printing
  • Undated so you can reuse year after year
  • Unique planner design
  • Includes a 3rd party print release so you can have the document printed professionally for personal use.

Budgeting Planner Page Descriptions

After you’ve downloaded the planner PDF file, be sure to look over all of the various templates and worksheets. The descriptions below will give you a better idea on how to use each page.

1. Binder Cover

Once printed, this goes in the front pocket of your binder.

2. Binder Spine Labels

The page has spine labels for a 1 inch, 1.5 inch, and 2 inch binder. Cut out the size you need and slide it into the binder spine area.

3. Budgeting Stickers

Sticker sheets that come in turquoise, yellow, and light purple. Print them off onto sticker paper and then cut them out.

These are perfect for highlighting parts of your budget, including when bills are due, when you paid bills, and savings.

4. Monthly Budget Template

An easy-to-use quick glance overview of your monthly budget. A good way to look at your big picture spending.

5. Financial Goals Worksheet

List and track your financial goals. Includes space for short-term, medium, and long-term goals, completion checkbox, and space for you to breakdown how to get there.

6. Bank Account Tracker

A place to write down checking and savings information for ease of use.

7. Credit Card Tracker

Keep track of your credit cards, minimum payments, credit card points, and more on this reference sheet.

8. Debt Tracker

Keep track of your remaining debts by printing off a page for each debt. You can track how much of an additional payment you’re making and the remaining balance.

9. Savings Goal Tracker

A chart to track your savings goals. Print off one page per savings goal to keep your goals organized.

10. Expense Tracker

This expense tracker sheet pairs well with the monthly budget overview. There are plenty of lines to write your everyday expenses.

11. Income Tracker

This also goes with the budget overview. You can include all sources of income, including side income.

12. Bill Pay Checklist

Track your bills and payments for the entire year. Each month has a box you can check once you’ve paid it. This makes it easy to never forget to pay a bill again.

13. Checkbook Register

Use this chart just like you would a regular checkbook register. Perfect if you’re still using checks to pay certain bills.

14. Notes Page

A lined notes page for you to write any additional information you want to include near one of the other forms.

15. Annual Budget Summary

This worksheet has you analyze the entire year’s spending and gives you an overview of how you did. There’s space at the bottom for setting next year’s financial goals.

16. Yearly Budget Overview

A closer look at how you budgeted for the entire year, month-by-month. It breaks down spending into each main category so you can see where you did well or spent too much.

17. Budget Review Worksheet

A budget review worksheet to complete after each month’s budget. Analyze what you did well, what worked and what didn’t, as well as the next month’s goals.

18. Detailed Monthly Budget Templates

Each month has 3 pages of detailed monthly budget worksheets. The sections are broken down into categories so you can keep track of spending on a more detailed level.

19. Blank Monthly Calendar Sheets

Twelve months of blank monthly calendars you can fill out however works best for you. Use your planner stickers to note paydays, when bills are due, and more.

How To Build A Budget Binder: Recommended Supplies

There aren’t many supplies needed for this budgeting planner after you print it off. A one-inch binder works well for holding all of the worksheets and keeping them organized.

Below I’ll go over some additional items that you may want to include for an all-in-one financial tracker you can grab and go.

1. Binder

The size binder you choose depends on how you plan to use the worksheets. Will you have all of your financial templates in a separate binder or will it merely be one small section in a larger household binder?

If it’s the former, I recommend using a 1-inch binder. You can upgrade to a larger size later if need be but this will keep it small and manageable.

Ultimate Budget Binder: Best Budgeting Financial Templates (2)

1-inch 3 Ring Binder with 2 Interior Pockets, 1” Basic Binders Holds US Letter Size 8.5” x 11” Paper – Durable, Versatile Binders for Office, Home, and School Use, 6 Pack (White)

  • Get organized with ease: SUIN 3-ring binders come in a convenient 6-pack bundle, perfect for keeping your documents and papers in order.
  • Large capacity: Each binder holds up to 200 sheets of 8-1/2-by-11-inch paper or 3-hole folders, with 2 interior pockets for extra storage.

$28.99

Buy on Amazon

2. Cash Envelopes

This is a completely optional suggestion but I’ve had the most success budgeting when also using cash envelopes. Using cash with your budget categories changes your money behavior since you feel the cash leaving instead of paying with a debit or credit card.

Check out the cash envelopes available here or learn how to use them properly with this ultimate guide.

3. Multi-Colored Pens

Use different colored pens to assign a color for income and another for expenses.

Sale

Ultimate Budget Binder: Best Budgeting Financial Templates (3)

Paper Mate InkJoy Pens, Gel Pens, Medium Point (0.7 mm), Assorted, 14 Count

  • SHARPIE MARKERS WITH PERMANENT INK: These Sharpie permanent markers offer effective marking on surfaces like paper, plastic, and metal
  • VIBRANT SHARPIE MARKERS FOR THE OFFICE: These Sharpie markers for the office ensure vibrant, eye-catching impressions with their intensely brilliant colors
  • FAST-DRYING SHARPIE MARKERS FINE POINT: Sharpie markers fine point come with a quick-drying feature that resists fading and water, AP-certified
  • VERSATILE BLACK SHARPIE: The endlessly versatile fine tip of the black Sharpie allows creating highly impressive, bold, and detailed marks
  • FINE TIP MARKERS: This pack includes 12 Sharpie permanent markers that are fine tip markers for easy and convenient use in bulk

$15.99

Buy on Amazon

Having a color-coded budget makes it easier to read at a glance and find transactions.

4. Pencil Pouch

Not only used for school supplies, pencil pouches can be used to house your stamps, checks, address labels, and everything else you need for budgeting.

Make sure you pick one that can clip into a 3-ring binder so it all stays together.

5. Binder Dividers

If you like separating your budget pages into different topic clusters then binder dividers are a good choice.

6. Binder Pockets

These are optional but helpful if you get a lot of paper bills. Binder pockets are large and perfect for putting bills you still need to pay inside.

If you’d rather a two-in-one solution, you can get binder dividers that have pockets built in.

7. Envelope Pockets

Binder envelope pockets are a great option if you have a LOT of paper. As the name suggests, it’s a large envelope you can stuff entire sheets of paper into.

This is a smart choice if you have policy documents you’d like to keep with your binder in an organized way.

8. Sticker Paper

The budget binder comes with three colorful sheets of sticker templates. In order to use them, you’ll need to print them onto sticker paper first.

I recommend using clear sticker paper so you don’t have to worry about cutting so close to the lines and white showing.

9. Paper Guillotine

A time-saver for cutting out your planner stickers! You can use regular scissors but a paper guillotine will cut the entire sheet of stickers much faster.

10. 3-Hole Punch

Last but not least, you’ll need a 3-hole punch to punch holes in all of your worksheets.

How To Use A Budget Binder: Setup Instructions

To set up the basic budgeting binder, you only need a 3-ring notebook of any depth. I recommend a 1-inch notebook if you only plan on using the printed worksheets.

If you want to use the folder pockets and other supplies I listed above, then go with a 1 1/2 or even 2 inch binder to account for the added bulk.

1. Download The PDF File

Head over to download the budget binder file. Save it to a place on your desktop or a folder so you know where the file is located.

2. Print Your Pages

Once you have the PDF, open it and look through all of the pages. Decide which pages you want to use. Some people use every template where others will choose a few and print multiple copies of those pages.

It’s trial and error for whatever works best for you.

A quick note about printing: Some home printers aren’t able to print a borderless page so if you’d prefer not to have a slight margin on your pages, especially the binder cover, then I suggest getting those pages professionally printed at a place like FedEx Office.

Test it out on your home printer first but just know that I included a third-party print release in the file so that you won’t run into any problems asking for them to print the document for your use.

3. Put The Binder Together

The last step is to use a hole punch and assemble the pages in your binder. Super simple and now you’re ready to tackle your budget!

Where Can I Get A Copy Of The Budget Binder Worksheets & Templates?

Hop over to my budgeting printables shop to pick up your copy. Before you check out, browse the other planners, budgeting stickers, and cash envelopes that will you with your money management.

Best Printable Financial Templates For Your Budget Planner – Overview

A binder or planner that helps you track your budget is an extremely useful tool for money organization. You can increase your financial literacy and better meet your financial goals when you know where all of your money is going.

If you picked up a copy of the budget binder, I’d love to hear what you thought about it.

Related Posts:

  • Ultimate Budgeting For Beginners Guide
  • The Best Bound Budget Notebooks Reviewed
Ultimate Budget Binder: Best Budgeting Financial Templates (4)

Ultimate Budget Binder: Best Budgeting Financial Templates (2024)

FAQs

How to make a financial binder? ›

Creating a Finance Binder: 3 Easy Steps
  1. Get your stuff together. Literally, compile any financial papers you can find and start sorting them by category. ...
  2. Make your game plan. It's up to you how you want to organize your binder. ...
  3. Adjust as needed. Each situation is unique, so as you go, you'll figure out what works best.

What is the best budgeting allocation? ›

Allow up to 50% of your income for needs, including debt minimums. Leave 30% of your income for wants. Commit 20% of your income to savings and debt repayment beyond minimums. Track and manage your budget through regular check-ins.

What is the best budget for finances? ›

In the 50/20/30 budget, 50% of your net income should go to your needs, 20% should go to savings, and 30% should go to your wants. If you've read the Essentials of Budgeting, you're already familiar with the idea of wants and needs. This budget recommends a specific balance for your spending on wants and needs.

How do I make a personal finance budget spreadsheet? ›

How to create a budget spreadsheet
  1. Choose a spreadsheet program or template.
  2. Create categories for income and expense items.
  3. Set your budget period (weekly, monthly, etc.).
  4. Enter your numbers and use simple formulas to streamline calculations.
  5. Consider visual aids and other features.

How to make a budget binder from scratch? ›

Consider a file box or cabinet
  1. Cash envelopes.
  2. Income and expense tracking, including receipts.
  3. Savings goals.
  4. Debt payoff goals.
  5. Loan documents.
  6. Insurance policy documents.
  7. Retirement plan statements.
  8. Brokerage account statements.

How to make a cheap budget binder? ›

Grab a three-ring binder to get started. Next, add dividers to separate each section of your binder. Colorful pens or markers can make it easier to separate your sections. And just like that, your budget binder's ready.

What is the 70% rule for budgeting? ›

The 70-20-10 budget formula divides your after-tax income into three buckets: 70% for living expenses, 20% for savings and debt, and 10% for additional savings and donations. By allocating your available income into these three distinct categories, you can better manage your money on a daily basis.

What is the #1 rule of budgeting? ›

Those will become part of your budget. The 50-30-20 rule recommends putting 50% of your money toward needs, 30% toward wants, and 20% toward savings. The savings category also includes money you will need to realize your future goals. Let's take a closer look at each category.

Why is Mint shutting down? ›

In less than two weeks, the budgeting app Mint — which once had 3.6 million active users, including me — will shut down forever. According to its parent company, Intuit, Mint wasn't making enough money, so Intuit began the app's closure in January.

What does a good budget spreadsheet look like? ›

Set up the spreadsheet

You can generally make it as simple or detailed as you want. At a minimum, you might want to create one category for your total income and another for your total expenses. Then underneath those categories, you could create subcategories to list your types of income and expenses in detail.

What are the 3 largest budget items? ›

CBO: U.S. Federal spending and revenue components for fiscal year 2023. Major expenditure categories are healthcare, Social Security, and defense; income and payroll taxes are the primary revenue sources.

What budget does Dave Ramsey recommend? ›

Dave Ramsey Budget Percentages. Giving (10%), Saving (10%), Food (10% - 15%), Utilities (5% - 10%), Housing (25%), Transportation (10%)... PENNY PINCHER!

What is the best free budgeting app? ›

Best Budgeting Apps Of May 2024
  • YNAB (You Need A Budget): Best for Setting Goals.
  • Empower Personal Dashboard™: Best for Tracking Net Worth.
  • Goodbudget: Best for Envelope Budgeting.
  • Oportun (formerly Digit): Best for Passive Saving.
  • Monarch Money: Best for Replacing Mint.
  • PocketGuard: Best for Tracking Spending.
May 1, 2024

Is there a free budget template? ›

Google Sheets budget templates

The Sheets app for Drive includes pre-made templates, such as an annual budget and monthly budget. Google Sheets also provides annual business budget templates for entrepreneurs who want to track their expenses.

Does Excel have a personal budget template? ›

DIY with the Personal budget template

This Excel template can help you track your monthly budget by income and expenses. Input your costs and income, and any difference is calculated automatically so you can avoid shortfalls or make plans for any projected surpluses.

How to create your own budget book? ›

The Build-a-Budget Book
  1. Set Goals (Needs and Wishes) Decide what your family's biggest money needs are right now. ...
  2. List Income. Now look at how much money your family has to work with this month. ...
  3. Select Must-Spend Items. ...
  4. List Flexible Expenses. ...
  5. Check Plan. ...
  6. Keep Records.
Feb 8, 2022

Are budget binders worth it? ›

A budget binder is a tangible way to monitor your finances, track where your money is going, and see where you can cut back to build your wealth. With a budget binder, you can consolidate your finances, set goals for your savings, and monitor the spending habits of your family in one place.

How do I organize my small business binder? ›

Here is how you can start your own binder!
  1. Get a binder. It can be an old one you have laying around – it doesn't need to be fancy! ...
  2. Get dividers.
  3. Decide what's going IN your binder. ...
  4. Make categories based on what you're already finding you do for your business. ( ...
  5. Start to insert things and add as you go!
  6. Voila!

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