How to properly allocate your budget.  Fundamentals of an honest and competent distribution of the family budget.  Save on everything but health

How to properly allocate your budget. Fundamentals of an honest and competent distribution of the family budget. Save on everything but health

Dwight Eisenhower once uttered the wisdom that underlies the financial health of every prosperous family.

Hello, friends. With you Artem Bilenko. I am the author of this blog. Today we will talk about how to distribute family budget for a month. We'll take a look at some of the classic schemes in which I'll show you how to properly distribute threads.

After studying the material, you just need to choose the appropriate option, adjust the numbers and start managing your personal finances competently.

P.S. I recommend to pay attention to the site "". Here they teach financial literacy. How to properly manage personal finances in order to save up for a house, apartment, car. How to properly invest the accumulated money and increase income. Allow yourself an annual vacation and travel around the world.


Preparatory part

The material in this article is designed for users who have already read all the material in the "" section. If you are not yet in the subject, do not rush to calculate your home budget. Check out at least five of the posts listed below. They collect the basic theory that helps to plan, distribute and control cash.

Option number 1. Calculation of the joint family budget

In the joint budget, all the income of the spouses is added up and directed to the needs of the family.

With such an organization of family finances, money management occurs according to the following scheme:

  1. the total income of the family is determined;
  2. spending categories are formed (here they will help you);
  3. on the last day, a balance is drawn up, which sums up the results of the month.

Let's see how this algorithm will look in the table.

April 2017

Family income

Type of earnings

Amount, hryvnia

Husband's salary
wife's salary
Accrued interest on a deposit
Total income

Family expenses

Mandatory spending

Investments
Housing maintenance

Household expenses
(food, household chemicals, etc.)
Amount of mandatory spending

7150 (65%)

Variable spending

Children's expenses
Amount of variable expenses

2750 (25%)

Reserve

Additional expenses
(the unused part should be spent on updating the wardrobe)

Option number 2. Calculation of a separate family budget

In a separate budget, the income of each of the spouses is divided into two proportional parts, allowing to pay general and individual expenses.

Schematically, it looks like this:

  1. spouses determine what part of their personal budget (as a percentage) they will spend on paying for the general needs of the family;
  2. a category of expenses is formed, for which the husband will be responsible monthly;
  3. a category of expenses is formed, for which the wife will be responsible monthly;
  4. the allocated money goes to targeted needs;
  5. each spouse within a month to monitor the implementation of their part of the family budget;
  6. husband and wife dispose of free money at their own discretion;
  7. on the last day of the month, the balance sheet is formed.

Consider an example.

April 2017

Family income

Type of earnings

Amount, hryvnia

Husband's salary

wife's salary

Total income

Part of the personal budget that will be spent by each of the spouses to pay for the general needs of the family

Wife

Total monthly expenses of each spouse

Amount, hryvnia

Amount, hryvnia

Investments

Household expenses

Housing maintenance

Fundraising for annual leave

Children's expenses

Additional expenses

Fundraising for major purchases

Total

Total

Personal monthly expenses of each spouse

Wife

5 000 hryvnia

5 000 hryvnia

Option number 3. Calculation of the shared family budget

In the shared form of financial management, the spouses together worry about the needs of the family, but at the same time do not forget to allocate part of the funds for personal needs.

Schematically, such a budget is formed as follows:

  1. the total family income is summed up;
  2. shares of joint and personal needs are determined;
  3. spending categories are formed;
  4. funds are allocated for targeted needs;
  5. within a month, control over the implementation of the plan is carried out;
  6. on the last day, a balance is drawn up, which sums up the results of the month;
  7. Spouses dispose of the rest of the money at their own discretion.

Let's create a rough budget plan.

April 2017
Family income
Type of earnings Amount, hryvnia
Husband's salary7 500
wife's salary7 500
Total income 15 000
The share of the budget that will be spent by each of the spouses to pay for the general needs of the family
Husband Wife
80% 80%
6000 6000
Joint budget: UAH 12,000
The share of the budget that each spouse will spend on personal needs
20% 20%
1500 1500
Family expenses
Mandatory spending
Investments1200 (10%)
Housing maintenance
(communal payments, cable TV, internet, electricity)
2400 (20%)
Household expenses
(food, household chemicals, etc.)
4200 (35%)
Amount of mandatory spending 7800 (65%)
Variable spending
Children's expenses1800 (15%)
Fundraising for major purchases600 (5%)
Fundraising for annual leave600 (5%)
Amount of variable expenses 3000 (25%)
Reserve
Additional expenses 1200 (10%)

Planning horizons

In most cases, violations of the budget drawn up are associated with unforeseen expenses that the family could not calculate in a timely manner. To reduce the number of such situations to a minimum, you need to plan several months in advance.

Let's see how it works. We will start from the fact that it is now April 2017.

1st horizon: Estimate contingencies 3 months ahead.

MonthPossible costsRequired amount, hryvnia
Maytwo birthdays 2000
Excursion at the daughter's school 3000
JuneFriend's wedding 3000
July - -
Analysis
In the next three months, the burden on the budget may increase by 8,000 hryvnia. Without a loan, the family will not be able to pay such expenses. Maximum limit 3000 hryvnia. This money will be used to pay for the excursion, since the child is more important than an optional wedding and two birthdays.

The second (6 months) and third (12 months) planning horizons will be drawn up in a similar way. They allow you to see holes in the budget in advance, take measures to eliminate them and prepare in a timely manner for difficult financial months.

Conclusion

Friends, now you know how to plan your salary for the next month. Do not neglect the knowledge gained, make a table and take control of your financial life. After that, tell your friends about and share this article with them.

In anticipation of a salary, we already know where most of it will go - to pay utilities, debts, food, purchase of necessary things. At the same time, in the depths of our souls, we vaguely guess that it will be spent in the same way as all the previous ones: spontaneously, thoughtlessly and very quickly.

And so, only a week passes after the long-awaited payday, and only tears remain from it. Fun fact: no matter how much we get, everything is spent cleanly. There will always be something "necessary" that you need to urgently buy. And again the day of the salary is approaching, and again we lament our unfulfilled plans for savings without a penny in our wallet.

The secret is that we are capable of spending any amount of money on all sorts of stupid things if we do not learn to be conscious about spending. To properly plan spending and save money, there is an excellent way to distribute money - the jug method or, as it is also called, the envelope method. It consists in the distribution of the funds received among six different "jugs". Imagine that you have six jars, in each of which you must definitely put the amount due to it. It is strictly forbidden to take from one jug to cover the shortage in the second.

How to allocate a personal budget for a month

  1. Necessary expenses (55% of income). This includes things that you really cannot do without - food, travel, household chemicals, necessary clothes, payment for various services (hairdresser, shoe repair). You can say: living on half a salary is impossible! Even the money that I receive is not enough for the essentials! But this is only an illusion - not everything that seems necessary is such. Somehow people live on half the salary than yours.
  2. Expensive purchases (10%). With this money, you can buy a new phone or an expensive piece of clothing, jewelry and other fashion accessories. If you specifically save for expensive things, then you can buy them much more often than trying to squeeze funds for them from the general budget, and even more so through loans.
  3. Savings (10%). This is the money that will become the basis for your comfortable life in the future. Put them in your bank account, send them to a deposit. Under no circumstances should they be spent - the only thing that can be spent is the interest received. If you strictly adhere to this strategy, in a few years you will be able to save up a decent amount, and then become a full-fledged investor or open your own business - in general, put it into circulation.
  4. Spending (10%). Spending is always a pleasure, and you can do it with benefit if you know the measure. You can spend this part of the money on whatever you want - go on a short trip, go to a concert, go to a restaurant, go skydiving or buy expensive alcohol. A person who spends part of the funds on his little whims and does not feel remorse after this is happier. This means that he has more energy, inspiration and, as a result, a desire to develop and reach new heights. Treat yourself to a little silly stuff sometimes, but remember to stay within the ten percent limit. How to make these expenses is up to you. You can spend money every month on small amenities, or you can collect six months, then to come off to the fullest.
  5. Training (10%). And it does not matter that you have long graduated from the university with honors - you need to study constantly. Now information is updated very quickly, and if you do not replenish your knowledge for several years, you can easily find yourself on the sidelines of professional life. Trainings, online courses, reference books and literature, communication with non-resident and foreign colleagues - all this requires not only time, but also money. May you have them. In addition, no one has canceled personal development - there are all sorts of programs for managing finances, working with fears, complexes, laziness and other barriers that prevent success.
  6. Gifts and charity (5%). It's always good to have a little extra cash in case you're unexpectedly invited to a birthday or wedding. And you don’t have to, blushing, give out chaotic excuses - they say, you can’t go because your favorite parrot is sick. But in fact, there is only one reason - it is a shame to go without a gift, but there is no money for it. On the planned holidays, you can take money from the same jug. By systematically putting aside part of your income into it, you can bring pretty decent presents that the recipients will like. If the funds become more than you are going to spend, the surplus can be given to the treatment of homeless animals or to help those in need.

Of course, it is not so easy to resist the temptation and spend the saved money on unplanned purchases. But try to pull yourself together and follow the plan, and you will see how your budget turns from uncontrollable senseless chaos into a coherent and understandable system.

Greetings! From my own experience I know that you can spend up to a penny any amount. But every month it is necessary to set aside money for large purchases, to form reserve fund and invest in your future retirement.

Therefore, today I will share with you a couple of tips on how to distribute the family budget. At one time, I tried dozens of strategies and life hacks. And empirically chose the simplest and most effective for family well-being.

Unfortunately, there is no single recipe. Families differ from each other:

  • income level;
  • priorities in spending (for example, during the decree, most of the money goes to the child, while childless couples have no “children's” expenses at all);
  • long-term goals;
  • preferences and living standards. Someone eats for 100 rubles a day, but buys only branded clothes. Others can distribute the money like this: they dress in second-hand clothes, but at the same time they spend half their salary on travel.

But there are moments that are mandatory for any family budget!

After you managed to distribute the amounts, the family should have money left for:

But after all, someday children will need money to study at a decent university in Russia or abroad. Sooner or later you will want to move to Vacation home Or buy a bigger apartment. Finally, retirement is also not as far away as it seems from a distance of 30 or 40 years. And all this money should be distributed in advance.

By the way, do not think that high earnings guarantee a family life. financial independence. My old friend invests about 300,000 rubles a month in the budget. Since he does not like to save and keep records, he cannot properly distribute money, Ivan today owes half of the city and three banks. On credit, he has an apartment and a car, all household appliances. He buys a new washing machine, laptop or iPhone, paying with a "gold" credit card.

Find out who spends how much

In almost every family, the cause of conflicts over money comes down to the phrase: "I'm trying to save money, and you are spending too much of the family budget." Everyone has different ways of saving - the result is the same: it is difficult to distribute finances without offense.

Let's say our conditional family consists of three people: father Igor, mother Marina and their son, 5-year-old Roma. The earnings of both adult family members are added up in one envelope. And already from there the money is taken both for general family expenses and for personal ones.

To dot all i's, we divide the monthly budget into three parts: general expenses(food, housing and communal services, etc.), Marina's personal expenses (visiting a beauty salon, for example) and Igor's personal expenses (weekly meeting with friends in a pub).

Ideally, such a division of expenses will allow you to find out which family members spend family money on what. Which of the two saves on himself, and who does not deny himself anything?

We allocate money correctly

Here, too, everything is elementary. Immediately after receiving your salary, put it aside (in a separate envelope, on Bank deposit or in a safe) money from the family budget:

  • for large purchases
  • to the reserve fund;
  • for long-term savings.

How to calculate the amount? You can choose any percentage of income - at least 10%, at least 1%. Your task is to learn how to distribute the family budget in such a way as to save money “in advance”. The second task: to postpone and ... forget about this money. And believe me, for many Russian families The second task is much more difficult than the first.

The easiest way to distribute the family budget is with the help of banal envelopes. This is a great option for those who are just starting to plan their family budget. Of course, it also has a lot of shortcomings. For example, it is inconvenient to use envelopes if the income goes to a bank card. Or it comes irregularly and in different amounts.

But these are trifles. The main thing is that the “envelope” method allows you to quickly move from theory, how to distribute the family budget, to practice. And understand what you can save on in order to find money for something you need. The best part is that higher mathematics in the "envelopes" is definitely not needed.

Dozens of variations of the method were invented. I will list two of the simplest and most popular to allocate amounts for everything you need.

"Classical"

An old, kind and proven by more than one generation way how to distribute the family budget.

  1. "Food".
  2. "Children".
  3. "Entertainment".
  4. "Education".

On each write the name and amount. It is more convenient to distribute money by envelopes once a month.

The first month will be a test for the family budget. You need to estimate how much and what is spent. To control daily expenses, use Excel spreadsheets or special applications. Then, when empirically establish your "norm" for each category, try to distribute the money so that you always invest in it.

Have you spent more than you need on food? Allocation of the remaining money differently: take a "credit" from the "Entertainment" envelope and this month have less or cheaper entertainment.

"Method 60-10-10-10-10"

The method of how to distribute the family budget was proposed by MSN Money consultant Richard Jenkinson. Since 2007, it has been actively used in the Microsoft Money program. Another name for the method is "60% Solution" (and now you will understand why).

Whole total income families should be divided into five parts as a percentage. So from the budget:

  1. 60% will be spent on current family expenses (food, utilities, cosmetics, cars, clothes).
  2. We set aside 10% for pension savings (for example, we invest them in foreign investment insurance programs).
  3. 10% of the budget goes to long-term payments and purchases (allocated to the purchase of a car, repairs, mortgages, loan payments).
  4. 10% - rare or unforeseen family expenses (gifts for anniversaries, treatment).
  5. 10% - recreation and entertainment.

The 60-10-10-10-10 method for the family budget does not provide for detailing expenses. The main thing is that your current expenses do not exceed 60% of income. Since the method came to us from the USA, it can be slightly adjusted to suit Russian reality and allocate funds differently. For example, 10% pension savings moved to the category "loans and mortgages".

How will you allocate the family budget?

Recently, there have been rare situations when spouses combine all their incomes. Usually everything happens differently: the husband and wife keep their savings on separate bank cards, and the expenses are divided as needed. At the same time, one of the spouses gets the feeling that he is investing much more money in the family, while it may seem to the other that the partner simply feels sorry for the money. ... As a result, misunderstandings and quarrels arise, which subsequently lead to discord in the family. Is it possible to avoid conflict situations and how to make a family budget so that everyone is satisfied?

From this article you will learn:

  • How do spouses distribute the family budget
  • What are the most common mistakes they make?
  • How to correctly distribute the family budget for a month in the table
  • How to save with unstable income

What does a family budget mean and why keep it

A family can be compared to a small state: there is a leader, an adviser and people who need help, as well as points of expenditure and income. The main tasks in this case are competent planning and distribution of the family budget. How to save money? How to properly distribute money in the family budget, but not give up everything you need? It is necessary to draw up a table that will take into account the money coming into your budget and expenses. Such a visual form will allow you to see the whole picture and, if necessary, make changes to the spending structure.

Money is quite a powerful tool in human life. With their help, you can make your existence more comfortable, buy everything you need. However, if handled incorrectly, money can be wasted without bringing any benefit to the owner.

Famous American entertainer Will Rogers once said, "Too many people spend money on things they don't need in order to impress people they don't like."

Have you found that your spending has become more income? Then chances are you are surrounded by unpaid loans, debts and late monthly payments! If your expenses are constantly increasing, then it's time to change the situation and distribute them.


“Money is just a tool. They will take you where you want to go, but they will not replace you as a driver,” a phrase by a Russian writer who moved to the United States. Ayn Rand was personally convinced of the need for a proper family budget.

  1. With the distribution of the family budget, you can set specific goals for yourself and begin to achieve them. In the absence of tasks, money is often wasted, it is not possible to save on unnecessary things, in connection with this, the purchase of a new car or a long-awaited trip to the sea is postponed every time.
  2. A table that helps distribute the family budget,save you from impulse purchases and instill the necessary habits for the buyer. Do you really need several pairs of similar shoes? Making a budget plan will help you prioritize and get you closer to achieving your long-term goals.
  3. A financial crisis can come as a result of being fired from a job, a divorce, or a serious illness. Difficult situations can happen at the most unexpected moment. Therefore, everyone needs a savings fund. In the structure of the family budget, the “savings” item is mandatory - this will be your support, thanks to which you can provide for yourself for several months.


The most controversial topic is the issue of distribution of funds in the family. This problem arises every time when a person owns a certain amount of money and there are people in the environment who want to dispose of them.

Resources are temporary and material. Everyone, probably, paid attention to the fact that a person's environment constantly claims for his resources, whether it be time or money.

In order to respect the interests of all family members, it is necessary to adhere to certain rules for the distribution of finances.

Now let's talk about money. Consider three ways of distributing money in the family, which arose from personal experience and observations. It can also be considered a practical application of the knowledge that was obtained at the institute: the communist way, socialist and market.

1. Communist: from each according to his ability to each according to his needs.


"From each according to his ability - to each according to his needs" - this rule of the communists was known even under Karl Marx. Now we need to understand how this principle income and expense planning can be applied in the family budget, and we will also analyze the pros and cons of this scheme.

First view

Suppose there is only one person in the family who earns money, usually the husband. He brings income, works, and the wife spends all the money.

In 1989, Pyotr Todorovsky's film "Intergirl" (the film was shot based on the work of Vladimir Kunin) was very popular at the box office. The film shows the story of a fairly wealthy foreigner with a stable income and a good standard of living. This went on until the wife arrived. The legal spouse, once abroad, began to live according to the rule "to each according to his needs." What came of it?

  • The foreign spouse was dissatisfied with this situation, the relationship was getting worse.
  • There were large expenses: after the calculations, it turned out that the high earnings by the standards of the Soviet Union were not as big as it seemed.
  • The harmony within the family began to crumble due to the fact that the spouse mismanaged finances.

Second view


Both the husband and the wife earn, bring income corresponding to their abilities. Each of them has their own needs, which sometimes require certain funds: someone has a desire to buy a new car, buy a TV or other household appliances in installments, attend various events once a week.

In this situation, the other partner bears all the responsibilities for providing for the family, all the money earned has to be spent on current needs.

This happens very often during a divorce: a wife leaves her husband with one bag: without dishes, household appliances and other common property. And the husband at that time had already purchased a new car and other modern equipment, which was bought on credit, it will, of course, remain in his apartment.

2. Socialist: from each according to his ability to each according to his work.


“From each according to his ability, to each according to his work” is one of the rules of socialism. How this principle works in families at the present time: both spouses are employed, the work brings a stable income, all the money is put in one place and spent on the needs of the whole family or to meet personal needs within the framework of what is earned. It does not matter here who and how much money contributed to the family budget - "from each according to his ability." But abilities are different.

Suppose the wife is in business and the husband works in budget institution. How to distribute the family budget if a woman earns more? The high income of one family member compensates for the salary of another. At the same time, all savings are common jointly acquired property, as a result of which various situations occur.

The disadvantages of the socialist and communist system of family budget planning include:

  • Income: one of the partners often does not like the fact that the other does not earn enough. In this situation, the less-earning spouse often says, "I bring as much as I can." You can not strain too much, it is also not necessary to work more, because the partner receives a good salary. As they say, "from each according to his ability"! In this case, one of the spouses is forced to take full responsibility for providing for the family. Over time, resentment begins to accumulate in him, a reasonable question arises: “Why am I carrying everything on myself? Why did you have to start a family?
  • spending: it seems to one of the partners that the spouse is unreasonably spending money from the family budget. Not common solution in matters of money management. All the money earned quickly leaves, while the results in the form of large investments are not visible. This is because everyone has different needs that have been discussed with other family members.
  • General budget: one of the partners does not like that the spouse gives only a small part of the salary to the joint budget (from each according to his ability), while spending most of the money on meeting his own needs (to each according to his needs). In some families, they are limited to small things: part-time employment, no heavy workloads, lack of responsibility, low wages (to each according to work).

3. Market: from each by agreement - to each in accordance with the budget.


This scheme implies a separate distribution of funds: this means that each of the spouses manages his own budget, distributes income and expenses, while part of the money goes to the joint family budget. How it works is described with an example and shown in the diagram.

Example: a family consists of four people (spouses and two children), husband and wife earn money, both lead own budget, and a certain share of the salary is directed to family needs.

The total expenses of the family can be divided into seven items: "Food", "Utility payments", "Medicines", "Spending on the older child", "Spending on the youngest child", "Leisure, holidays, entertainment", "Other".

The expenses of the wife consist of the following items: the seven above, as well as “Reserve. Assets”, “Shoes and clothes”, “Cosmetic procedures”, “Gasoline”, “Education and development”.

The husband's personal budget includes: the seven family spending items listed above, as well as the “Reserve. Assets”, “Shoes and clothes”, “Gasoline”, “Hobbies”, “Leisure and vacation”.

At the family meeting, a person responsible for finances (wife) was chosen, and it was also agreed that the income component of the family wallet would be as follows: 60% for family expenses is given by the spouse, 40% is the contribution of the spouse. General family expenses, in accordance with seven points, they make personally, while constantly reporting, providing checks, the family financier keeps track of expenses by points. At the end of each month, you need to sum up the results.

According to the same scheme, they decided to create assets: 60/40. This means that in order to acquire common assets, they need to contribute funds in accordance with the percentage. If real estate is being purchased, then in the “Assets” column, the husband will indicate the cost of housing according to his share - 60%, and the wife according to hers - 40%. Distribution family money can be represented as a diagram.

It is not necessary to create assets in this way, you can individually or in any proportion convenient for you. The main condition in the preparation of the family budget is the ability to negotiate.

Typical mistakes in the distribution of the family budget

How do most people distribute money in the family budget? Let's take a standard case, which you probably see, if not in the example of your family, then in the example of relatives, friends and acquaintances.

Finally, it's time for the paycheck. This day is usually “celebrated”, at least by buying all kinds of goodies for the family table, and as a maximum, they arrange festivities with friends and trips to entertainment venues. They also buy gifts for children and make surprises so that there is a feeling that the parents received a salary.



How to allocate the family budget with loans? Will family members in such a situation be able to get out of poverty and collect reserve savings that will help to receive additional income? Is it possible to save money to buy a car, renovate an apartment or travel for a summer vacation? Hardly. Therefore, when planning your family's budget, try to avoid the described mistakes.

Ways to properly distribute the family budget

1. The 50/30/20 principle.

The writers behind All Your Worth: The Ultimate Lifetime Money Plan share an easy and rewarding way to distribute finances.

They believe that household expenses should be divided into three main categories (instead of 20 different components):

  • 50% of income should be directed to the main expenses, that is, utility bills, food for the family and the payment of taxes;
  • 30% - desired expenses: vacation, going to a restaurant and cinema, etc.;
  • 20% go to repay debts, pay off a loan and are set aside as a reserve capital.


The Pareto rule (80 by 20) is one of the options for using the previous scheme. 20% of family income must be used to pay off debts and create savings for the future, 80% go to other needs.

3. Principle 3-6 months.

You should have set aside an amount of money that is enough to support the family for 3-6 months. If you have to quit your job, an accident occurs, or an illness suddenly overtakes, a financial pillow will save you from making hasty decisions, help you understand the problem and find ways out of the crisis.

4. Principle of 6 jugs.

This scheme of 6 jugs is very simple, but at the same time it is extremely effective and gives positive results. No wonder they say that ingenious is simple.

All that is required of you is, upon receipt of wages, to distribute the family budget into 6 caskets (jugs or envelopes) as a percentage. Each box is designed for a specified expense item. It is allowed to use funds from it only for these needs. This is the 6 jar method.


A spender lives in all women and even men, and this effective method will help you consider and understand how to properly allocate the family budget in order to save up. Using the principle of “7 envelopes” (or “6 jugs”, the number in this case is unprincipled, you choose the categories yourself), you will be able to analyze what money is spent on in your family and implement your goals!

You should start with envelopes: you can buy them at the store or make your own from paper. Sign each envelope and fill them with the appropriate amounts of money.

  1. Envelope "products". To understand how much money should be in this envelope, you should analyze within 2-3 months how much money is spent on food in your family. Usually it is 20-40% of the sum of all family incomes. Try to take food only from this envelope, and if suddenly there was not enough money and they came to an end ahead of time, then it's time to think about how to properly allocate the family budget and save.
  2. Envelope "expenses for the apartment." There will be money to pay utility bills, use mobile communications and the Internet, pay off loans and other obligatory payments. All families know how much money goes into this, there will be no difficulty in calculating the amount for this envelope.
  3. Envelope "necessary things." This includes funds for the purchase of shoes, clothing, household appliances and furniture. The amount should be set independently in accordance with the level of earnings in the family. Here you can make a list of things that you need, and buy them one by one, based on the degree of need.
  4. Envelope "expenses for children." Educational games, children's shoes and clothes, books, health, education and leisure. You can't skimp on these items. Try to increase the amount in this envelope over time.
  5. Envelope "entertainment, hobbies, travel." The funds from this envelope are used to purchase vacation tickets, purchase gifts for the holidays, trips to cafes and cinemas. The amount of money here directly depends on your income, at first you can save small amounts and spend them with pleasure on recreation and hobbies. Every couple, of course, sometimes needs to have fun, change the situation. In addition to a certain amount of money, put in this envelope all unplanned profits, if any, in your life.
  6. Envelope "savings" Put at least 10% of your household income into this envelope. These will be your savings, that is, an untouchable amount. Over time, with this money it will be possible to purchase large purchases: a TV, jewelry, etc. They can be invested in repairing your property, in buying a car. But do not rush to spend all the money, leave 10-20% for unforeseen circumstances. These savings can be kept in a bank account, while you will be charged monthly interest.
  7. Gift envelope. This amount can be considered "extra" money that will remain in your envelopes after a month. You can spend them on a gift for yourself, because you deserve it! You can also make surprises for your family and friends. The basic rule of "7 envelopes" - never use funds from other envelopes. Money in the first category should be spent on food, not on new clothes. Do you like to go to the cinema often? Then you will have to sacrifice a vacation at the resort, etc. If there are turning points and you urgently need funds from another envelope, then by all means indicate on it the amount taken and the date of repayment of the debt. Try to always adjust the amounts taking into account your salary and the needs of the family, study errors. But don't skimp on all your needs. Full economy speaks of the stupidity of a person, because "the miser pays twice."


Planning a family budget is not as difficult as it might seem at first glance. There is available programs and special applications to help you plan your income and expenses.

  • Notebook and pen- the first thing they usually remember when they want to distribute the family budget.
  • Download the table for the distribution of money in the family in excel you can in Microsoft templates and adapt according to your own needs.
  • Applications for mobile phones - you can quickly enter all expenses into the program, you just need to choose the application that is convenient for you. " Drebedengi ", Coinkeeper- well suited for the distribution and planning of the family budget.

We offer a step-by-step guide on how to allocate a family budget based on an Excel spreadsheet, which you can download below and customize for yourself.

Step 1. Define tasks

Saving for the sake of saving? Don't confuse stinginess with spending sharing. Strive to achieve the goal and get used to saving on the unimportant.

  • The goal for the near future may be modern electronic equipment or debt repayment.
  • The medium-term goal is to purchase a new car, travel to the sea or to the mountains.
  • Long-term goals are usually based on questions about the future, for example, how to distribute the family budget, taking into account the mortgage, how to help children and grandchildren.

Create real plans, correctly count your income and expenses. You can distribute family finances using an Excel spreadsheet.

Step 2. Recalculate all the income and expenses of the family wallet


Now you need to study the structure of your budget. To get started, write a list of all sources of income: salary, scholarship, pension, bank interest and other income options in your family.

Spending consists of all the things that your money is spent on.

Divide all costs into fixed and recurring payments. Fill in all the spending columns in the table for family budget planning, be guided by your experience.

When distributing the family budget, do not forget to pay attention to the living conditions and the needs of all family members. The table provides a short list of categories. Analyze the items of expenditure that you will need for a better distribution of finances.

Profit points often include:

  • income of the head of the family (let's say this is the husband);
  • salary of chief adviser (wife);
  • bank interest;
  • scholarship;
  • social payments;
  • additional income (for example, tutoring).

Spending is divided into fixed: fixed tax payments; insurance; payment for communication services. There will also be 10% left for unforeseen circumstances in reserve.

Column of non-permanent expenses:

  • food;
  • health;
  • petrol;
  • clothes, shoes;
  • communal payments;
  • personal needs of family members (distributed separately);
  • holiday gifts;
  • tuition payment;
  • leisure;
  • spending on children.

If you want, the table can be supplemented or reduced by adjusting the items of income and expenses.

Step 3. Keep track of expenses throughout the month


It will not work right away to draw up a family budget distribution table, first you should find out where and how much money you spend. This will take a couple of months. In the Excel spreadsheet that you download, gradually enter your expenses and adapt it to suit you.

The task at this stage is to get a concrete idea of ​​the distribution of your family's budget, see the totality of expenses and adjust them in the future.

Step 4. Sharing Needs and Wants

When families start spreading out their expenses, they see large sums of money being spent on useless things. Reckless, unplanned purchases greatly affect the family's wallet if wage not so high, while several thousand rubles go unnoticed.

Postpone the purchase of an item if you are not sure that you really need it. Wait a while. If you realize that you still need this item, then this is really a necessary waste of money.

Little tip: do not use credit and debit bank cards. Pay in cash so you can start saving faster. Psychologists have found that it is easier for a person to give virtual money, rather than cash.

3 tips on how to manage a family budget with irregular income


Not everyone has permanent place work with stable wages. This does not mean at all that you will not be able to distribute the family budget; you just have to pay more attention to it.

  1. The first method is to calculate the average income for several years, then you should rely on the figure obtained.
  2. The second option is to allocate yourself a fixed salary from total amount income - you need to live on it, and put the rest in a bank account. In difficult times, write off the missing money from the account. But your income will remain the same.
  3. The third way to distribute funds is to keep two tables at the same time: for profitable and not very months. It's a little more difficult, but possible. Here you can fall into the trap and collect loans in anticipation of profits and good times. But if the bad period drags on a little, all your present and future finances will suffer.

We have described the most useful ways to distribute the family budget, find the most suitable one for yourself. Take it as a basis, use it and look for compromises!

Big and warm hello to all! Sometimes money acts as a real bone of contention between a man and a woman. I would like to spend huge sums for my own pleasure and not think about the fact that these finances could be useful for something more worthwhile. Family budget planning is an important function of every established cell of society. Not all people are rich, not everyone can afford to buy something expensive. That is why it is better to write down and discuss everything with your soul mate, and then come to a general conclusion: is it worth spending a fabulous amount on what was planned or not. Maybe there is a step-by-step analysis of the correct distribution of the family budget, which will definitely help in the future?

Why be able to distribute the family budget?

Having a greedy attitude towards money, it is very difficult to agree, and indeed to come to a common denominator. When a person sees large sums in front of him or imagines them, the first thing he thinks about is spending them as soon as possible. According to statistics, 75% of people in the first minutes do not think at all about their halves, parents and even children when they hold "big" money in their hands. That is why family budget planning is an integral part of two people. Having entered into marriage, earnings became common, and it does not matter who gets how much. Accordingly, the spending of amounts is one. To avoid quarrels, omissions and conflicts, it is best to start planning finances. Everyone has a different idea of ​​what a budget is. But the general conclusion, whatever one may say, should still be. A family is one big team that should always be together, even in such subtle things as finances. Firstly, this is a real trusting relationship between the halves. Secondly, it is a mutual decision and agreement. Thirdly, it is the combination of two salaries into one, which helps to increase income several times.

Proper distribution of the family budget

Psychologists divide men and women into two groups, in which the weaker sex is responsible for food, utility bills and clothing, and the strong one is responsible for transport, unforeseen expenses, savings and equipment. By the way, this method of planning has already entered the way of many families.

  1. Fixing. Men do not do this, but women - just right. There is nothing easier than having a notebook where you need to enter all the waste, even if this is not the most significant purchase. Thus, by counting the expenses for a week or a month, you can understand how much money you need to set aside for food, clothes and much more. Fixing names and prices is the best planning that our grandparents used.
  2. Money for a rainy day. It does not matter whether there are savings or not, whether there are strong expenses or not. In any case, each family should have a “stash”, which is periodically replenished. Only in an emergency is it allowed to take funds from there if the situation is critical. Money, for a rainy day, is like a lifesaver. Many believe that this is the main purpose of budgeting.
  3. Spending analysis. Good way to distribute the family budget is to analyze the importance and necessity of the thing that you want to take. Of course, chewing gum or a carton of milk is already too much. But such a purchase as a car, a good vacuum cleaner or a trip abroad requires a conversation with your soul mate in front of you. In order to be sure that this waste is vital, it is worth weighing the pros and cons, thinking about whether it is really so important right now. Only in this case the planning of the budget will be correct.
  4. Priorities. Sometimes it is worth sacrificing your desires in favor of something truly important. For example, do not go to the cinema once again, but pay for the Internet. Let it be a trifle, but necessary. The family budget consists of the fact that sometimes you need to give up something in favor of something more important and necessary. And do not be upset about this, because later the thing that you want to buy or the place where you always had a dream to go will definitely come true.
  5. Practicality. Sometimes, in order to save money and distribute funds in the family, you need to build on options that are more practical. For example, do not spend money on an expensive restaurant, but buy the necessary products and cook dishes no worse than at home. Or, for example, wait a couple of weeks until a promotion for the equipment you need appears. Such budget planning is smart enough, and most importantly, practical.
  6. I want to spend. At the same time, planning does not mean that now it is only necessary to consult and spend finances after their approval. If it is important for a woman to buy cosmetics, go to a beauty salon or take a snack, she will definitely go and do it. The same applies to a man, because such expenses as changing tires for summer and winter or buying work equipment are an independent decision for everyone. There is no need to control each other in spending, everyone should still have a little pocket money.

Benefits of family planning

  • control of own expenses
  • right and informed choice
  • listening to your significant other
  • lack, and maybe loans
  • lack of constant conflicts related to finances
  • trust and relationship strength
  • discipline

Cons of planning a family budget

  • constant savings, limitation (but this only happens if you have to infringe on yourself every time).

Separate family budget

It's good that we live in Russia, here it is customary to unite and have something in common. AT European countries for example, the opposite is true. The husband earns and keeps all the money for himself, the wife does the same. As a rule, successful people have this model of behavior, for whom there is no need to maintain a family budget, they have no problems, they can afford absolutely everything. Foreigners spend money as they see fit, without consulting their soul mates. Approximately 50% of the population of Europe lives by such principles - and this is considered normal. In any case, if we draw a parallel with Russia, here rich and successful people still try to have something in common, because it brings them together and strengthens the marriage. Someone finds only one advantage for himself, and a separate budget becomes an ideal form of relationship. Others, on the contrary, believe that a family is not created on the basis of this. Everyone has their own opinion on this.

Mixed type of family budgeting

Basically, this is how those who save half the amount in general and take the other part for themselves plan their expenses and incomes. About 25% of people belong to this behavior pattern. As a rule, the joint cash register replenishes quickly, since no one takes money from it for their own needs. Those who live in a civil marriage very often belong to the mixed type. Why is this family budget planning very convenient?

  1. This is honesty. For example, if one in a pair earns less than the other. People have the opportunity to keep pocket money for themselves, without delving into how much exactly this balance is. Personal funds are always important, as unexpected expenses can crop up unexpectedly.
  2. This is trust, because when investing in the general budget and planning it, people do not have any secrets from each other. 70% in a single piggy bank, the remaining 30% are important personal expenses.

golden rule for families

John Smith, a famous family psychologist in America, wrote in his book that every family should adhere to only one golden rule. Its precision and brevity fit very well into any planning. Smith's words are as follows: having something in common, consulting and coming to a common denominator, spending finances together and using something together, people become not just a family, but a single whole. John Smith argues that money does not always become a stumbling block between a man and a woman, it can help love and trust become even stronger and stronger.

Planning a family budget is not easy, but interesting. Now, you can be aware of the exact amount of waste for the week and the whole month. And also, you can immediately understand what should be spent on, and what should be excluded from regular purchases. Proper distribution of the family budget brings people together and makes relationships strong, isn't this the most important thing in life?

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