Free printable monthly expenses worksheet

The worksheet

How to fill it in

1. Think of a typical month, not the best or the worst one. Rough figures are fine; your statements show the real ones.
2. Group 1, needs: what you have to pay every month — housing, food, transport, insurance. Leave debt payments out; they go in group 3.
3. Group 2, wants: everything else you spend in a month.
4. Group 3, debt payments: the monthly payment you actually make on each debt — credit cards, loans, a mortgage. A payment goes in one group only, so a mortgage or a loan payment is here and not in needs.
5. Yearly and occasional costs: write the year's total, divide it by 12 and add the result to a line in group 1 or 2.
6. Add the three totals. The sum is what you spend in a month.

The lines on the sheet are examples to start from, and the blank ones are yours. Whether a cost is a need or a want is your call; the total comes out the same.

A list of monthly expenses, by group

Amounts are in dollars; in another currency the arithmetic is the same. Fixed expenses cost the same every month and variable ones change, but the worksheet groups by need, want and debt instead: the total does not depend on how you group.

From monthly expenses to months of savings

The last block of the worksheet divides your savings by the sum. Savings means money you could reach within a few days; retirement accounts and investments stay out. The answer is rounded down — to one decimal under ten months, to whole months from ten up — so it never claims a month that is not covered yet.

That is a runway of 0.8 months, which the Pennyjar Cushion colors red: under one month of spending. Three months of this spending would be $11,670 and six months $23,340. Two sources say something about how many months to aim for, and the emergency fund calculator sets them out. To see how long your own savings last, and the month they run out, use how long will my savings last.

Questions

What counts as monthly expenses?

Everything you spend in a typical month, in three groups: needs, wants and the monthly payments on your debts. The groups add up to what you spend in a month.

How do I calculate average monthly expenses?

Add up what you spent over several months and divide by the number of months, or fill the worksheet for a typical month. Costs that come once or twice a year are divided by 12 and added in.

Should debt payments be included?

Yes, as their own group: the monthly payment you actually make. Keep them out of needs so that nothing is counted twice.

Is the worksheet free?

The PDF is free to download and print, with no sign-up.

How many months of expenses should I save?

That depends on your situation. The emergency fund calculator shows what 1, 3 and 6 months of your spending come to.

A calculation from numbers you write down, not financial advice.

More calculators

• Emergency fund calculatorwhat 1, 3 and 6 months of spending come to
• How long will my savings last?months, and the month the money runs out
• Which debt first, or save first?the whole ladder for your numbers
• Printable debt payoff trackera debt list and a payoff log, as PDFs

More free savings tools

• Savings goal calculatorhow much to put aside each week or month — Goals part of Pennyjar
• Sinking fundswhat each fund needs per month or paycheck — Goals part of Pennyjar
• 52-week money challengea printable chart for any starting amount — Challenges part of Pennyjar