The Budget Kit
by Judy Lawrence
Preface
Prologue
An inspirational story and suggestions for making major life changes.
Introduction: How to Use The Budget Kit
An overview of the variety of worksheets available for getting the maximum benefit from this workbook. Also provides insight for handling savings, electronic budgeting, and family management of the budget.
Living in a Cashless Society
Explore how the expanding world of cashless transactions impacts your life. Learn how online and electronic money management programs fit with your current system. Find resources and updates on credit reports and identity theft.
Online Information Record
A place to record online bill payment schedules, URLs, user IDs, Passwords, password hints, and related information.
PART ONE
New Worth Statement
A picture of your total financial worth. A valuable aid for loan and insurance purposes.
Setting Financial Goals
A place to write your goals and a method to help you stay on target for reaching those goals.
Identified Goals Worksheet
Goals Savings Record
Needs/Wants List
A reminder of items or services that each family member needs and/or wants when extra money is available.
PART TWO
Yearly Budget Worksheet (Non-Monthly Anticipated Expenses)
A consolidation method for organizing and preparing for all the known and anticipated major periodical expenses that come up during the year.
Suggestion List — Additional Non-Monthly Expenses
Use this expanded resource to help you include all possible expenses.
Gift Giving Worksheet
A worksheet to help you remember, plan, and budget for all the events when you give gifts and for all the people in in your life to whom you gift gifts.
Christmas/Holiday Expense Worksheet
A planner to help outline all the extra miscellaneous expenses associated with the holidays to be better prepared for the added cost.
Monthly Budget Worksheet
A guideline for paying the bills every month as well as for planning and organizing household and personal expenses.
Variable Income Worksheet
A guideline for outlining a spending plan when monthly income is not predictable, such as with commission sales or freelance work. Also provides a way to record and anticipate all irregular lump sums of money (e.g., bonuses, investment income, refunds, and inheritance).
Windfall Planner
A planner to help you prioritize and best utilize lump sums of money, such as tax refunds, inheritance, and insurance settlements.
Multiple Sales Monthly Planner
A place to track all projected, pending, and closing sales for each month to aid in determining the monthly income amount for the Variable Income Worksheet or the Monthly Budget Worksheet.
Debt Payoff Record
A schedule for recording the cost and status of revolving charge accounts and other loans.
Debt Repayment Worksheet
A system for working out a fair share repayment plan for all your creditors when your limited financial situation prevents you from paying the minimum amounts due.
Credit Card Purchase Record
A place to record all the expenses charged to your credit cards. Helps you keep you spending under control and be better prepared when the bills arrive.
Monthly Expense Record
A record of all money earned and spent each month. A valuable tool for finding out exactly where you money is going. Very helpful when establishing a personal budget and deciding which expenses to reduce.
Summary-for-the-Year Record/End-of-the-Year Tax Information
A summary of each month’s total income and expenses. Excellent for measuring your financial progress and making future plans.
PART THREE
Medical Expense Record
A record of mileage, dates, total bills, and reimbursements from insurance for visits to the doctor, hospital, drugstore, etc. Invaluable for tax time and personal records.
Flexible Spending Record
A record of all your reimbursable expenses.
Tax-Deductible Expense Record
A convenient record of your various tax-deductible expenses, whether donations, professional dues, or taxes – all in one place for tax time.
Miscellaneous Expense Record
Place to keep additional records needed for taxes or personal use, such as automobile, child care, and education expenses, and casualty and theft losses.
Investment/Savings Record
A record of certificates of deposit (CDs), Money market accounts, stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and other simple investments or savings.
Savings Activity Record
A record of your monthly savings for your emergency, reserve, and goal funds. Also shows withdrawals and interest earned.
Retirement Savings Record
A record of your regular contributions to various retirement programs.
Child Support Records
A place to record necessary information related to child support, such as check number, amount, date, and arrival date.
Child Support Payment Record
Child Support Enforcement Record
A record of all necessary information if you ever need help from the Child Support Enforcement Agency.
Child Visitation Record
Subscription Record
A record of all subscriptions (trade journals, magazines, newsletters, etc.) so you know when you paid and can plan when to renew.
Online and Mail Order Purchase Record
A method for keeping track of various purchases (catalogs, TV Infomercials, and online stores) that may be so easily forgotten 30 to 60 days later.
Acknowledgments
Recommended Reading
Online Resources
Index