Creating a household budget to suit your family

When you are creating a household budget it's important to remember that , just as everybody has their own individual needs and preferences, so too does your family. If you run the home with a set allowance each month, then this downloadable budget will help you stay on track.

It covers only the expenses that are required to manage the home, such as food bills, the family’s clothes and monthly household bills.

If, however, you are looking for a budget for all aspects of family budgeting then try our complete budget spreadsheet, which covers all income and expenditure you would have each month.

Our downloadable budget is a great starting point to help you think about what should be included in your household budget. But there are also many individual items that will be specific to your family that you should also include.

Are there special things that your family does on a regular basis, if so what do they cost?  It helps to brainstorm these ideas because you might discover some things that you have previously ignored or forgotten about.

Here are some things to think about when you set about creating a household budget to suit your family.

• How much does it cost to run the house? Although this is a very general question it will prompt you to focus more on your individual needs so you can brainstorm some ideas. Cast your mind back over the last few months and see what you can come up with.
• What have you spent over the last year on presents? Also, how about birthdays? Are there any special birthdays coming up this year like your mother's 70th example? And don't forget your son's or daughter's friends' parties they always get invited to.
• 
  Sporting events can also be a forgotten item. If your football team makes it to the cup final you could be in for some added expenses. Does your son or daughter need new football training equipment this year?
• What about dance classes? You may have a budding ballerina who needs a new outfit so don't forget to include it.
• How do you get about? Do you drive everywhere or do you occasionally take a bus? Whatever your circumstances make some detailed notes about how much this all costs.
• Some members of the family may have some special needs to. Babies have specific needs that change from year to year, like clothing, milk and nappies. These may only be short term expenses, but you will certainly need to make considerations for these in your budget. Creating a household budget without including these expenses could be catastrophic!
• Do you have any other ideas? Talk it over with your partner or the other members of the family and you're bound to come up with lots of other costs. Children can be a great source of ideas too.

As you can see you can have a lot of fun creating a household budget for your family, it's a great way to involve everyone whilst at the same time coming up with some really useful information to help you tailor your home budget specifically for your family's needs.

Once you have made your budget, the next step is to try and stick to it.  You can find lots of tips and ideas on sticking to a budget in our household budgeting section.