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Free template

Monthly budget template, zero-based.

One page: income at the top, every category below, a Ready to assign line that should end at zero. Printable PDF and a spreadsheet version with the formulas already in (Google Sheets, Excel or Numbers). It is the same layout Budgetfold uses, so if you outgrow paper the numbers move over in a minute.

How to use it. Write your take-home income. List every category you spend on, with rent and bills first. Assign amounts until Ready to assign reads 0. During the month, tick what you spend against each envelope.

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Free. Print it, or keep it on a tablet.

Download the PDF

Download the spreadsheet (.xlsx)

The spreadsheet has the formulas in: a Transactions tab fills Spent, Left turns red when overspent, Ready to assign is computed. Opens in Google Sheets (upload it to Drive), Excel, Numbers or LibreOffice.

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Why zero-based

A percentage budget tells you what you should spend. A zero-based budget tells you what you can spend, because every dollar you have is already assigned somewhere. When a category runs out, the decision is explicit: move money from another envelope or stop. That friction is the whole point, and it is why the method works for people who have tried everything else.

Do it in Budgetfold instead