Free Template
Free family budget template
A family budget has more moving parts, so structure matters. Group the household's major recurring costs, budget each, and track actuals so the month doesn't surprise you.
Here's a household layout to copy.
Free · No ads · Made in India · Android (iOS coming soon)
Columns to include
A good tracker only needs a few columns. Add these as headers in Excel or Google Sheets:
- Category
- Budgeted (₹)
- Actual (₹)
- Who manages
- Notes
Suggested categories
Use a consistent set of categories so your totals mean something. A practical starting set:
- Rent / home loan
- Groceries
- Utilities & bills
- School / education
- Transport & fuel
- Health & insurance
- EMIs
- Subscriptions
- Savings
- Other
How to use it
Log each spend on its own row as it happens, pick a category from your list, and total each category at month-end with a SUMIF formula. Keep one sheet per month, or add a Month column and filter.
The catch with spreadsheets is discipline — they only work if you remember to open them.
When you outgrow the spreadsheet
One person usually keeps the family budget. Balance lets them run it on their phone with wallets and categories for each cost area, subscription radar for creeping charges, and CSV export for a monthly family review — free. (Real-time multi-user shared access isn't available yet, so a shared-finance app may suit if several members must log in.)
Frequently asked questions
How do I create a family budget?
List your household's recurring categories, budget each, and track actual spending against them. One person typically manages it — Balance handles the tracking, subscription radar and export for free.
Can multiple family members share one Balance account?
Not with real-time multi-user access yet. Most families run a single household tracker managed by one person and review it together.
Keep exploring
Start understanding your money with Balance.
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