(This post is loaded with images and one video. For best results view in your web browser. Also, if you hear a lot of background noise on the video, please turn down your speaker volume. Until I purchase a quality microphone the background noise will be there at a very low level. And another thing, I did not plan on having a video, I stumbled upon the ability to do this, so I was not prepared with a program that would boost the quality…for best results, expand the player by clicking the button on the very bottom right of the player. THANKS!)
If you have taken time to explore what we have to offer you here, you may have stumbled on to our “downloads” page. If you have not, wait until the end of the post to do so. We have made available to you the spreadsheets that we use here at home to keep track of and manage our personal finances (not including our checkbook register :)). The single download I recommend for everyone is the “Spending Plan” spreadsheet. This is your budget made easy. It does all of the math for you. All you have to do is enter the numbers. I’ve included a video tutorial and hope that it is helpful for you!
Notes: Budget is on the left hand side of screen, the right hand side is where you actually track your spending.
Step #1: Enter Income
Step #2: Enter each category and sub categories (bills, groceries, Starbucks, medical prescriptions, etc…)
Note: the top of each category has two “high view” items: “Budgeted” and “% of”. The “budgted” shows you the total for each category and the “% of” shows you the percent of your income each individual category consumes.
Step #3: Enter how much you are going to budget for each sub category.
Note: Remaining – Grabs budgeted amount for each category.
Step #4: Enter payments for each sub category in the “payments” category of the spreadsheet. Note: “Actual” shows how much you actually spent that much, and the “remaining” shows you how much you have remaining in that category as you make payments.
Note: Up top, the “Money Out” cell tells you how much money you have going out from your budget, the “% of spendable” is the percentage your are spending, and the “(-) if short” will show you how much you are short, if the dollar amount is preceded with a “negative” sign.
If you feel that this spreadsheet would help you get a hold of your finances, head over to our downloads page and download the spreadsheet (Excel format).
Aaron | 
October 3, 2008| 
October 4th, 2008 at 11:08 am
Aaron and Lindsay, I just watched your video tutorial and was very impressed with the clarity and ease of following what was being said and shown.
Very well done — you 2 should really consider/pray about doing finance counseling:)
October 11th, 2008 at 8:47 pm
Aaron & Lindsay,
Very professionally and well done! I’m really proud of you and how you are so willing to “share the wealth” of knowledge with others on how to become debt free. Always remember “the borrower is the lender’s slave.”