52 Weeks of Printables: Week 31 - School Supply Shopping List

Oh hi, August! (Where did the summer go?) This month's printable theme is focused on all things Back to School. We'll start off with a school supply shopping list. Keep track of the items you need and if you possibly already have those items at your home, so that when you go school supply shopping, you aren't buying things you already have! Click the image below to grab yours:

52 Weeks of Printables: Week 29 - Home Inventory

Nobody ever wants to be a victim of theft or natural disaster, but unfortunately, those things happen. Be prepared by keeping a home inventory of your belongings. You can be as specific or broad as you want...from home electronics to your mattress. Click the image below to grab a copy:

52 Weeks of Printables: Week 18 - Passwords

The theme for the month of May in our printable series is Miscellaneous Home Management Binder printables. This week, we have a password log to keep track of all those different usernames and passwords. Click the image below to grab:

52 Weeks of Printables: Week 13 - Monthly Budget

As I mentioned in a post earlier this week about budgeting, the final Finance printable for this month is a Monthly Budget Worksheet! Click the image below to grab your blank version:
 

Here are some suggestions for categories:

AUTO & TRANSPORT	FINANCIAL	PERSONAL CARE
Insurance	College	Hair
Loan	Financial Advisor	Laundry
Gas	Life Insurance	Spa & Massage
Public Transportation	Retirement
Service & Parts		PETS
	FOOD & DINING	Pet Food
BILLS & UTILITIES	Alcohol & Bars	Pet Grooming
Cable	Coffee Shops	Veterinary
Electric	Fast Food
Gas	Groceries	SHOPPING
Phone	Restaurants	Books
Internet		Clothing
Mobile Phone	GIFTS & DONATIONS	Electronics & Software
Sewer	Charity	Hobbies
Water	Gift	Sporting Goods
BUSINESS SERVICES	HEALTH & FITNESS	TAXES
Advertising	Dentist	Federal Tax
Legal	Eyecare	Local Tax
Office Supplies	Gym	Property Tax
Printing	Health Insurance	Sales Tax
Shipping	Pharmacy	State Tax
	Sports
EDUCATION		TRAVEL
Books & Supplies	HOME	Air Travel
Student Loans	Furnishings	Hotel
Tuition	Home Improvement	Rental Car & Taxi
	Home Insurance	Vacation
ENTERTAINMENT	Home Services
Amusement	Home Supplies
Movies & DVDs	Lawn & Garden
Music	Mortgage & Rent
Newspapers & Magazines
	KIDS
FEES & CHARGES	Allowance
ATM Fee	Baby Supplies
Bank Fee	Babysitter & Daycare
Late Fee	Child Support
Membership Fee	Kids Activities
Service Fee	Toys

Budgeting

Our March theme in the 52 Weeks of Printables series has been Finances and I thought it would be appropriate to share how we budget in preparation for this Friday's printable...a Monthly Budget Worksheet!

Each month we print out a blank monthly budget worksheet and start filling it out based on what we expect our expenses to be for the month. Some questions we ask ourselves:
- Are we planning to get haircuts this month?
- What season is it...will our gas bill (heat) or electric bill (A/C) cost more or less?
- Are we going to take a month off from going out to eat?
- Are there any annual/semi-annual/quarterly bills due this month?

Next, we add up all of the budgeted amounts in each category (auto, food, bills, etc). We like having categories because it balances out when you spend more in one area of a category and less in another. For example, in our Food & Dining category...groceries and dining out usually correspond with each other. If we buy more groceries, chances are we will go out to eat less and vice versa.

Then we take the sum of the budgeted amounts in each category and subtract it from our expected income. We put this "leftover" money in our Everything Else category. It could probably be called our Emergency Fund (which we were glad to have last summer when our A/C died, or when we had to call a critter catcher to evict the squirrel living in our attic...you know, all the fun life events like that). The main purpose of the Everything Else category for us is to provide some cushion in our budget for unexpected or extra expenses.

As we pay bills, we fill in the amounts for those expenses on our Bill Tracker and Budget Worksheet. Using the bill tracker helps us see trends in our fluctuating monthly bills to help us budget for the future.

After the month has ended, we go back and fill in the blank areas, like gas and food that have multiple transactions, and add up each category's actual amounts. Then we add all the categories together and fill out the actual expenses box at the top. We subtract our expenses from our income and see what our Take Home amount was...hopefully it's a positive number!!

A shortened version of the math:
Beginning of month
Add up budgeted expenses for each category
Add up budgeted expenses from all categories (excluding Everything Else category)
Subtract sum of all budgeted expenses from budgeted income (we'll call this "leftover" money)
Record "leftover" money in Everything Else category under budget

End of month
Add up actual expenses in each category
Add up actual expenses from all categories (including Everything Else category)
Subtract actual expenses from budgeted expenses (and actual income from budgeted income)
Find the difference by subtracting Total Expenses from Total Income
This is how much you "took home" for the month...Positive number is a surplus for the month, Negative means you spent more than you made

Here is a sample filled out Monthly Budget Worksheet:

Check back on Friday for your free blank version of the Monthly Budget Worksheet!

Recycled Organization: Envelopes

Meet my envelope collection.

I have no idea what kinds of envelopes I have on hand! Do you have this problem as well? I decided to whip this shelf in to organized shape using these supplies that I had at home:

- a box (I used a 12 x 7 inch shoebox)
- file folders
- pencil
- ruler
- scissors

First I lined the shoebox up with the file folder. I wanted the tab part to stick up above the top of the box. Then I marked where the bottom of the box met the file folder.

I used a ruler to connect the marks, and cut along the line I had just made. I used the first file folder as a template for the other folders.

I wrote all the categories I wanted on the file folder tabs - pre-stamped, plain, adhesive, security, and miscellaneous.

And finally, I put the envelopes and dividers in the box! They fit perfectly!

 

So simple, yet so needed! I like this better than the boxes the envelopes came in because now I can see if I am running low on a certain type. It looks like I may need some plain envelopes in the near future.

Project Cost: $0!

The Office: Bill Organization

We recently shifted the bill paying responsibility from my husband to me, so I wanted to create a place in our office where I could keep all bill paying related items together - stamps, checkbook, return address labels, etc.

I didn't really want it to be on the desk top, but I needed it to be in plain sight as I reminder if there is a bill to pay. I have a bulletin board hanging above my desk and decided that would be the perfect spot. I took a metal mesh letter holder that I already had on hand and stuck push pins through the holes to attach it to the bulletin board. I used three to give it enough support.

The stamps fit perfectly in the little front compartment. Behind those is our checkbook. Next up is reserved for unpaid bills. And finally, we have our return address labels. I love having everything I need to pay bills in one place!

I don't remember where I bought this letter holder from. I found a black one online at Staples for $9.99. I also found a similar one at Target for $4.43, but it doesn't have the little front compartment. 

Project Cost: $0