

The steps to make a budget include determining your income, calculating your monthly expenses, setting realistic goals, tracking your spending, picking a budgeting plan and sticking to your budget.
Making a budget is one of the best ways to understand where your money goes every month and what changes you could make to help you reach your financial goals.
There are several approaches to making a budget, and the right way to do it depends on your priorities, preferences and goals. Here are steps you can take when making a budget to ensure that it fits your lifestyle and financial objectives.
If you get paid monthly or twice a month, this first step is straightforward because you may earn the same amount every month. If you're paid weekly or biweekly, though, you may earn more in some months than in others. In that case, you may choose to adjust your budget each month based on how many paychecks you're expecting.
If you're self-employed or your wages tend to fluctuate, consider calculating your average income for the past three to six months. Focus on your take-home pay instead of your gross (pretax) income because that's the amount that actually winds up in your bank account.
Example: Your gross income from your full-time job is $3,000 every two weeks. After taxes, insurance and 401(k) contributions, you bring home $2,000 every two weeks. That makes your monthly income $4,000 ($2,000 + $2,000).
Once you understand your income, you'll want to similarly run the numbers for your expenses.
Start by taking a look at your bank and credit card statements over the past three to six months to get an idea of what you typically spend each month.
Then break down those expenses into categories such as necessities and discretionary spending:
The more comprehensive your expense categories are, the easier it will be to understand where your money is going and how to manage it better. At the same time, it can also get more complicated and challenging to keep track of each category. Find a good balance you can stick to that will keep you motivated and effective.
Example: Your monthly necessities (housing, food, utilities, gas to get to work and car insurance) total $2,000. You typically spend around $750 per month on discretionary spending, such as eating out, clothing and entertainment. Your monthly expenses, then, total $2,750.
Learn more: Budgeting for Needs vs. Wants
Once you know how you've been spending your money, take some time to set goals for how you want to manage your money going forward.
For example, if you're hoping to pay down your debt faster, set a goal for how much you'll put toward debt payments each month, then set goals to cut spending in certain categories to make sure it happens.
It's crucial to be ambitious yet realistic with your goals. If you set your sights too high, it could be difficult to stay motivated when things don't work the way you want.
Set specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely (SMART) goals that require you to stretch a little, but keep in mind that it can take time to develop the habits you want to have. It's easy to underestimate certain expenses, even if you have information to back up your assumptions. Make adjustments based on the reality of your budget as you get used to the process.
Example: You owe $10,000 on a credit card. Your monthly minimum payments are $100, but you want to pay that down faster. You also want to save for a $5,000 vacation in two years and start an emergency fund. Using the numbers above, you have $1,250 left each month after your income and expenses are accounted for. You decide to allocate an additional $500 per month for paying off your credit card, $250 for the vacation and $500 for your emergency fund.
Learn more: How to Set Financial Goals
Tracking your income and setting goals for how you want to spend your money are important, but they won't do much good if you don't keep track of your spending.
Tracking your spending can be tough, especially if you tend to make several purchases a day. Using a mix of credit cards, a debit card and cash can complicate the process even further.
Consider using budgeting software such as You Need a Budget to aid in the process. Many of the best budgeting apps link to your financial accounts and can import your income and transactions into one place, making it easier to track and categorize each expense.
In addition to the added accountability, tracking your spending can help you test your assumptions and goals and give you an idea of how to adjust them in future months.
Now that you have the basics down, it's time to start thinking about whether you want to use a specific budgeting plan beyond what's already been discussed.
As you read about each way to approach budgeting, think about how it resonates with your money management style and pick the one you think will be most effective for you.
Here are four common budgeting methods to consider.
Learn more: Tips for Low-Effort Budgeting
Creating a budget may be the easiest part of budgeting. Keeping track of and limiting your expenses month after month so you can stick to your budget is usually the hard part. Here are some tips for staying with a budget:
Making a budget can be an important step in the right direction for you. It'll show you where your money is going and where you may have room to spend less,so you can save for a car, a home or whatever your financial goals are.
But budgeting for the sake of budgeting isn't fun. As you work with your budget each month, remind yourself of the reasons why you're doing it. Also, evaluate your progress periodically to make sure you're on track to meet your goals.
As you gain more control over your personal finances, it's also a good idea to keep track of your credit. Create an Experian account to access your Experian credit report and FICO® ScoreΘ based on Experian data for free. A robust credit history and high credit scores can open doors that can make the financial future you dream about a reality.
We’ll negotiate bills for you and cancel unwanted subscriptions.
Get startedBen Luthi has worked in financial planning, banking and auto finance, and writes about all aspects of money. His work has appeared in Time, Success, USA Today, Credit Karma, NerdWallet, Wirecutter and more.
Read more from Ben