Guide

Build your first simple budget

Put together a working budget in an afternoon, without needing a finance background.

10 min read·5 steps

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List every fixed cost first
Rent, software subscriptions, salaries, anything that recurs at roughly the same amount every month. These are the easiest to predict and the foundation of the budget.
Estimate variable costs realistically
Materials, shipping, ad spend, look at the last few months of actual spending rather than guessing from scratch.
Project income conservatively
Use your typical or lower-end monthly revenue, not your best month. A budget built on an optimistic month falls apart in an average one.
Build in a buffer for the unexpected
Something unplanned comes up most months, a repair, a price increase, a slow invoice. A built-in buffer means it doesn't derail everything else.
Revisit it monthly, not once a year
A budget set once and never checked stops being useful within a quarter. Compare actual spend against the plan every month and adjust.

That’s the whole thing.

List every fixed cost first