- A net worth block at the top: assets, investments and savings minus what you owe, in one figure.
- The whole month underneath it, on the same sheet: net income from every source, fifteen fixed-cost lines, guilt-free spending, investing and savings goals.
- A reference band on each block - 50-60% fixed costs, 20-35% guilt-free, 10% invested, 5-10% to goals - and a percentage column that puts yours next to it, which is the only comparison that travels from one person to another.
- Formulas already written: net worth, the balance left after each block, and a final left over line that should come out near zero, because the sheet is built so that all of a normal month's money has somewhere to be. The miscellaneous line adds 15% by itself for whatever you forgot.
Excel template · Step 1
Monthly personal finances analysis
Before budgeting anything you need to know where you are starting from. This template is your balance sheet: what comes in, what goes out, what you own and what you owe, on a single sheet you fill in once for a normal month and then leave alone until something actually changes.
Download the template
- Format
- XLSX
- Size
- 30 KB
- Sheets
- 1
- Price
- Free
Want the next one? Step 2 is where the spending stops being an estimate.
What's inside
How to use it
- Fill it in for a normal month, not for last month. The figure you want on each line is the one closest to your average: a month with a holiday or a broken boiler in it describes an event, not your finances.
- Put in the income that actually lands in the account, not the gross figure on your payslip, and count every member of the household and every stream.
- Be honest about the fixed costs, and leave the miscellaneous line alone: it adds 15% on top for what you forgot, and you did forget something.
- Record assets, investments, savings and debts at today's value. An approximate figure is fine: a net worth that is 2% out tells you the same thing.
- Then you are done - you do not fill it in again next month. This is not a monthly log, it is the picture of a normal month, and it stays true until it stops being true. You come back to it when something underneath it changes: a pay rise, a new income stream, a new investment, an inheritance, a new fixed cost, a big purchase you have already decided on.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need Excel to use it?
Not necessarily. The file is an .xlsx and works in Excel, but it also opens in Google Sheets, LibreOffice Calc and Numbers. The formulas are sums, subtractions and percentages - nothing that depends on a Microsoft-only function.
Is my data sent anywhere?
No. It is a file you download and it stays on your computer. There is no account, no sync and no server involved: whatever you type into the sheet never leaves your machine.
How often should I fill it in?
Once, and after that only when something changes. It is the picture of a normal month rather than a log of each one: you fill it in with your average and it holds until one of its figures stops being true - a pay rise, a new fixed cost, another income stream, a big purchase you have committed to, an inheritance. If none of that has happened, filling it in again only reproduces the same sheet. Following one particular month as it happens is what the expense management template is for.