In other words, you feed your family, keep the lights on, pay the rent or mortgage, put gas in the car, and keep the car running. Cover your Four Walls.įocus on covering your Four Walls after that: food, utilities, shelter and transportation. And if you don’t have an emergency fund yet, make savings one of your priorities. It’s time to list your expenses.īefore you jump into the bills and other expenses, set aside money for giving. Now that you’ve planned for the money coming in, you’re ready for step two-planning for the money going out. Repeat that process with every paycheck you (and your spouse, if you’re married) will earn in a month.(If you have an irregular income, put the lowest estimate of what you normally make in this spot.) Click the Planned amount and add in how much that check will be.Label the check as Paycheck 1, Paycheck 2, or with your employer’s name-whatever works for you!.Here’s how you enter your income in EveryDollar: Income is any money you plan to get during that month-that means your normal paychecks and any extra money coming your way through a side hustle, garage sale, freelance work and the like. The first step to create your monthly budget is simple: Enter your income. You can create your budget in a spreadsheet, on a piece of paper, or the best way-with EveryDollar. When you create a monthly budget, you tell your money where to go so you’re never again left wondering where it went. Your monthly budget is just a plan for your money. What Is a Monthly Budget?įirst, let’s start with a solid definition of budgeting. Ready to start? Let’s break down the steps and learn how to create a budget with EveryDollar.

(You.)Īnd with EveryDollar, it’s way easier. It gives you permission to spend the right way-to show your money who’s in charge. But listen: The budget life is so worth it.īudgeting doesn’t tell you not to spend. People think budgets are hard, time-consuming and restricting.

So you need a budget