Construct a budget sheet that assists you in analyzing your financial status, set goals, make changes, whatever the case may be. This project will have more meaning to you the more it reflects your real life. You can use this to create a budget for your future life based on your plans of a future job, future housing, expenses, etc. I assure you that, should you choose to include personal values, I will be assessing your work only on if it was accurately represented and interpreted. Please work to be realistic so you can gain from the experience. There will never be any judgement made on my part nor any information shared out.
Your sheet should address both regular and unexpected monthly expenses, necessities and luxuries, and any debts/savings plans. Your first sheet should create a baseline budget of your expenses (list what you spend/think you will spend each month for each category without regard to if you balance) and then create monthly and yearly budget as well as totals by category. You should have a minimum of 10 to 15 categories with amounts for each month as well as monthly and yearly totals. Your second sheet should a tracking sheet for each category that tracks your expenses for each month of one year. In sheet two enter your data for three months and leave space for entering data for the rest of the year (these can be left blank). You should have space to enter the da each expense under the category and month. You should have totals by category (both month and year) as well as monthly total. a year to date total. Totals will currently only reflect your three months you entered but should update automatically if you add da for the remaining months. These totals should then be compared to your planned budget in sheet one by category and month. Sheet three will be your reflection as described below.
