Instructions
1.
Print out 3 copies of the following worksheet
2.
Together, agree on an approximate monthly income you will be working with when you get married.
3.
Separately, each of you fill in the budget.  The only rule is that expenses cannot be more than income.
4.
Compare your budgets.  You'll likely discover areas where you have some disagreement on how money should be spent.  You'll also discover areas where you simply don't know how much stuff costs.
5.
Work together to create a budget that you both can agree to.

You can download a self-calcualting copy of this worksheet in either Excel or Wordperfect.  Enter your amounts, and the worksheet does the math.

$
Approximate Monthly Income
Expenses
Charity
$
Gifts to your Faith Group
$
Other Charity
Savings
$
Savings & emergency (ideally six months of living expenses)
$
Retirement Savings (ideally 10% of income)
$
Other Savings
Home Expenses
$
Home mortgage payment
$
Home insurance (usually included in your mortgage payment)
$
Property Taxes (usually included in your mortgage payment)
$
Gas
$
Electricity
$
Water
$
Home Telephone
$
Cell Phone
$
Home Improvement
$
Home Furnishings
$
Home Repairs
$
Cable Television
$
Other Home Expenses
Taxes
$
Federal Income Tax Savings
$
State Income Tax Savings (if applicable)
$
Self-Employment Taxes (if applicable)
Life and Health Insurance
$
Life insurance
$
Health & accident insurance
Auto Expenses
$
Auto Loan Payment
$
Auto insurance
$
Auto Repair
$
Auto Gas and Oil
$
Auto Registration
Food
$
Groceries                            
$
Dining Out
Personal Expenses
$
Clothing
$
Subscriptions
$
School expenses
$
Cleaning, laundry
$
Allowances
$
Toiletries, cosmetics
$
Gifts: birthdays, weddings, etc.
$
Gifts: Christmas
Medical
$
Medical & dental
$
Medications
$
Hospital
Debt
$
 School Loans
$
Credit Card Debt
$
 Other Debt
Fun
$
Recreation
$
Vacation
$
Movies and Entertainment
Everything Else!
$
$
$
$
$
Total Expenses
$
Income Minus Expenses