With all the buzz I created last week, you must have noticed my excitement to bring to you my 2016 Budget Binder! I initially targeted to release this at an earlier date but I had to held off till I finished the last pages I added so I could bring to you a more comprehensive budget binder. As usual, the pages come in simple fonts and pretty colors (because budgeting is more fun when you’re working on pretty sheets, isn’t it?)!
This binder has several tweaks from our 2015 edition. Since this is a family budget binder (which we are also going to use), my husband and I sat together when coming up with the contents so we are sure to include the pages we needed to successfully manage our finances. We also searched online for some templates that could work for us. After deciding what to include in the binder, the prettifying part was on me, of course!
My husband and I made a commitment to regularly use this binder to get our finances in order. I am handing it to you because I know it will help you successfully manage your budget, too! Print the pages, and you’re on your way to a more blissful budgeting.
Ready for the unveil of this pretty thing?
The 2016 Family Budget Binder by Shining Mom
I seriously intended to make this budget binder pretty to make budgeting fun somehow. I intentionally created it to be in light and pretty colors because I wanted to list down numbers on pretty pages because let’s admit it, budgeting is not the easiest thing to do, hence we need a pretty planner (like this one, well at least for me!).
If you’ll have the time to check out our free printable 2016 planner any time soon, then you’ll find this free budget binder its perfect match. They’re both of modern layout and most of their design elements are complementary. (Tip: You can print both and pile them together in one binder as they could work hand in hand!)
So what then are the budgeting essentials that we’ve included in our free printable 2016 family budget binder?
- Cover Page
- Financial Goals Sheets
- Monthly Check-in Sheets
- Monthly Budget Log
- Recurring Expenses Log
- Meal Planning Sheet
- List of Groceries
- Spending Log
- Savings Log & More!
There are over 20 pages of budgeting-essentials to love that are all included in the binder! So what are you waiting for? Browse through and I’ll give you a preview of some of the pages!
Pick Your Budget Cover
Let’s start off with the cover. There are four cover designs for you to choose from. The first one is my personal favorite, actually. I think it looks sleek and pretty. The other three designs, however, are more feminine as they all come in girlish hues. Would you like to view the your binder cover in PDF? Get them here!
Set Your Financial Goals
Planning to go debt-free next year with more savings? You can list or sketch your financial goals with these next two pages of your free printable 2016 budget binder. Set your goal and start planning how you can reach that target! (You must have noticed how fond I am with goal-setting pages because in all planners/organizers I create, I usually start with these pages, yes? But why, I just so think that there’s nothing like knowing where you want to go before starting the journey!)
Evaluate Your Financial Situation, Monthly
Are you on track with your current financial status? Since my husband and I are no professional financial advisors, all we can do is share the system that works for us. Currently, doing monthly check-ins keeps us on track with our finances and we’re sharing these sheets with you! We actually adapted the layout from the ones we found on the web and again, tweaked it a bit to match our needs!
Set Your Family’s Budget
Setting a fixed amount for particular needs and wants really works great for us! For example, we set aside funds for food, gas, house rental etc. and little by little save an amount for trips and other leisure. So when we’re just about to splurge on something, I’d ask, “What’s the allotted budget for that again?” That way, we never go beyond what we can afford!
To use this, write the category (food, car loan etc.) then on the next column, write down the budgeted amount for that particular category. By the end of the month, write down the actual amount spent to check how well you did! Don’t forget to write personal reminders if there are in the last column!
List Your Groceries!
Honestly, this is the least used sheet in my previous budget binders. Because I’ve been doing food shopping in my entire mommy life, I already know what to get when I hit the stores. The only think I do is to make sure that I get just the amount budgeted for the week (I do my food shopping every Wednesday) and get a little extra (still budgeted) for some treats for my children! But should you need this page, here goes! (By the way, I’ve also included a pretty sheet for your meal planning in the binder!)
Know Where Your Money Went
You’ve probably seen this last week as I’ve released it as a teaser for this free printable 2016 family budget binder. And as I’ve mentioned there, this is the page you’ll need should you like to track all your spending! Yup, if you sometimes feel that you can’t control your spending and that you don’t know where your money goes, this simple log will remind you! And, isn’t it that logging your expenditures is also a great way to see where you spend your extra money on? Later, you can begin to create and follow a budget if you haven’t started yet!
Log Your Savings
This, of course, is my favorite part of the budget binder: The Savings Log! This kind of sheet gives me a sense of accomplishment each time I write something on it, no matter how little the amount is. Seriously, if you’ll use this family budget seriously (play of words there!), you’ll find yourself logging more in this sheet. (Don’t forget to invest your savings as well, Okay? As my dad puts it, make your money work for you!)
So there. Our humble 2016 family budget binder which can be yours for free! (You can actually already use it for this year!) If you think this planner could also work in keeping your finances stay organized, then go ahead, print it off! Your copy is here! I hope you could use it, really! =)
Remember, this family budget binder is designed to be printed onto a letter-sized paper (That’s 8.5×11, friends!). Be sure to set your printer to ‘High Resolution’ to get the right color and to set your margins to ‘Borderless’. Happy budgeting!
P.S. I wish you could help me spread this little freebie by hanging any of my images again onto your Pinterest Board. PIN ME. Please? And oh, I have already released my free pretty calendars for 2016! Have you seen them yet?
May you have a great day ahead!
Warmly,
Shining Mom
Terms of Use
Freebies by Shining Mom are free for personal use! Would you like to share and feature them on your site? I’m honored! As you do, please an image or two and link me back directly to this post. Republishing the PDF file is strictly not allowed!