You want to know at the end of the month where your income went, how much is left, and whether you are on track for your savings goals, without relying on guesses. The free household budget and savings sheet answers these from four things you type: income, expenses, a budget for each category and your savings goals. The template and its page are in Arabic.
The problem it solves
Most households know that rent and bills are fixed, but not how much food, transport and the small outings really took, and they find out the salary is gone only at month end. Saving is harder still: you set a goal such as an emergency fund or school fees, but you do not know how much you need each month to reach it on time, or whether what is left of your income can carry it. The sheet ties these numbers together: what came in, what went out, what is left and what the goals need.
It differs from the business expenses and monthly budget sheet, which is for a business with revenue, expenses and a budget across the months of a year. This one is for a home: the family's income, its expense categories and its savings goals, reviewing one month at a time.
How it works, step by step
- In the "Budget" sheet write your household expense categories, mark each "fixed" or "variable" and give it a monthly budget.
- Log each amount you receive in "Income" with its date and source.
- Log each expense in "Expenses" with date, category, description and amount.
- In "Goals" write each savings goal: name, amount needed, target date and what you have saved so far.
- In "Settings" pick the month you are reviewing, then read "Budget" and "Summary".
What each sheet does
- Settings: today's date (type =TODAY() to keep it current) and the month under review.
- Income: salary, extra work, property rent or anything else you receive.
- Budget: for each category the budget, actual for the month, difference, share spent and status, so you see at once which category went over.
- Expenses: the expense log; each expense's type (fixed or variable) appears by itself.
- Goals: for each goal the amount left, progress, months remaining, the monthly amount needed and a status.
- Summary: what is left of income and the savings rate, fixed against variable, the top three categories, and whether what is left covers the goals.
A walk-through with the sample numbers
These numbers come from the sample data inside the sheet, not from a real household. The month under review is October 2026:
- Income: 28,000 (salary 24,000 and extra work 4,000).
- Spending: 21,430, so 6,570 is left and the savings rate is about 23.5%.
- Budget: category budgets add up to 20,300, so spending is 1,130 above. Two categories went over: food 6,300 against 4,500, and education 2,950 against 2,500.
- Top three categories: food 6,300, then rent 6,000, then education 2,950.
- Fixed and variable: fixed 11,800, equal to its budget; variable 9,630 against a budget of 8,500.
- Goals: five goals, one achieved (replace the washing machine) and one past its date (the laptop) with 1,500 left. The monthly amount for all goals is about 10,296.54 against 6,570 left, so the sheet says "not enough", about 3,726.54 short. That comparison tells you what to change: delay a goal, trim a variable category such as food, or raise income.
Benefits and why they matter
- See where the money went, by category rather than by feeling.
- Fixed and variable: know what you cannot change quickly and what you can cut.
- A monthly amount per goal turns a wish into a figure you can compare with your income.
- Goal status warns you about a goal past its date.
- Many months in the same lists: everything stays logged, and you change the month only to review another.
The online version
You can open the sheet online on the same example, edit the white cells and watch results change, add an expense, income or goal from a form without hunting for the last row, and import or export .xlsx. Your data stays in your browser. If you also keep a daily cash record, try the cash book.
Who it suits
A family that wants to control spending, an employee saving for a specific goal, a newly married couple setting up a home, or anyone who wants income and spending on one page with no app or subscription. You record the expenses yourself; it does not read your bank account or import transactions.