Introduction

Budgeting is the foundation of financial stability, especially in a world where the cost of living is no joke. Whether you’re saving for a car, a deposit or something else, it’s essential to have a handle over your finances! If you’re anything like us, budgeting needs to be a conscious thought. But fear not as in today’s article, we’ll be dipping into the mystical world of personal finance and shedding light onto your budgeting routine. And guess what? We’ve conjured up a practical tool that not only gets the job done but also adds a delightful touch of ✨aesthetics ✨ into it with our free cute budget template on Google sheets.

The Need for Budgeting

Essentially, budgeting is important as it provides the basis for financial stability, both in the short term and long term. There are so many benefits to budgeting, all of which contribute positively to your overall financial health.

• Financial awareness: Knowing the overall picture of your current finances helps you to understand your income, expenses and general spending habits
• Goal setting/Savings: Budgeting will help you to create a realistic roadmap to meet your financial goals
• Prepare for emergencies: We’ve all likely heard of the phrase saving for a rainy day. This pot acts as an emergency fund for unexpected bills
• Dept management: A strong budget plays a huge part in managing tracking and paying off debt strategically and consistently. Similarly, budgeting will prevent unnecessary debt
• Expense control: Once your finances are in front of you, it may become more obvious to you what areas your expenses can be lowered

On the flip side, there are several challenges people can face if they do not have a budget tracker, such as: overspending, accumulation of debt, increased anxiety, missed bills, and to be honest the list does go on. But that’s not what we’re here for.

Without budgeting, it can be really hard to understand your financial position, as you may not have a full knowledge of the ins and outs of your expenses. This is where the cute budget template on Google Sheets comes into play. Ensuring you are living within your means becomes a much smoother journey when armed with this resource. The ready-to-use template removes the daunting task of tracking expenses, making it easier to stay on top of your financial game.

Introducing Our Budget Template

Our cute budget template via Google Sheets will give you complete visibility over your finances on a monthly basis, accessible at anytime. This brilliantly crafted resource – even if we do say so ourselves – is designed to provide you with comprehensive insights into your monthly spending habits.

Key Features

• Automated Calculations: We have already incorporated the functions in your spreadsheet, so there’s no need for you to worry about this area! Simply input your own numbers and watch the dashboard develop.
• Dashboard: At the top of the sheet, you’ll have a handy visualisation to refer back to. This shows you the amount of money you have left for the month, the cashflow summary and the breakdown of your finances.
• Reflection: You have the ability to duplicate each month, meaning you can track all previous months and reflect on your finances. This means you may be able to highlight trends or patterns in your spending!
• Goal Setting: At the start of the month, various columns enable you to put in ‘Budget’ figures for the various expense inputs. You will then get a comparison to your ‘Actual’ figures once they are also input.

User-Friendly Design

The Google Sheet has been designed with an intuitive layout, meaning it is easier for you to navigate through your entire budget. We have broken up your expenses into easy to follow sections.

Similarly, this template is very easy on the eyes, and I’m not sure about you, but the aesthetics alone make us want to use it! This template isn’t just a pretty face though, she crunches your numbers and presents you with your financial overview! Get ready to say goodbye to financial uncertainty and embrace the power of organising your finances.

Customisation Options

This template has been designed for simplicity, meaning anyone with any level of experience in Google Sheets can use it with ease, and you can completely tailor it to you and your needs. You will have the ability to customise the categories within the sheets, meaning your unique needs will still be accounted for! Likewise, you can remove categories that aren’t relevant in your spending life.

How to Use the Template

To access the template, you will need to enter your details into this Google Form, where you will be emailed the link to the template.

The first step is to make a copy of the template. In the copied version, you are able to customise it to make it your own! This also ensures that your information will remain confidential.

There is a ‘Read Me’ tab within the template, with an easy to follow and detailed page of instructions for how to use it, consisting of 8 steps.

• Step 1: Setting the start and end date
• Step 2: Selecting your currency
• Step 3: Enter ‘rollover’ amount from previous month (optional)
• Step 4: Customising your categories
• Step 5: Enter your budget for each category
• Step 6: Enter the actual amount
• Step 7: Record actual expenses
• Step 8: Setting up a new month

There is also a short FAQ section for any additional answers to more questions you may have.

Conclusion

Ultimately, budgeting is an amazing skill that is beneficial throughout all stages in your life. Whilst some of us may naturally struggle to understand our finances holistically, a cute budget template on Google Sheets is sure to become your new bestie!

This free resource will become a valuable asset if you are able to add it into your schedule. It can sometimes be hard to form new habits, so set some time aside in your routine. It will take a conscious effort to start with, but we promise, your future self (and pennies) will thank you!