Is your New Year’s Resolution to better manage your finances?

Money matters seem to confound a lot of people. Although the math of saving is simple (more money in than out equals success), adopting any new habit can be difficult. Getting yourself organized is a critical component to managing your money well. Without a plan, you won’t get too far. That’s why we’ve designed this free printable Monthly Spending Form. It’s the easiest way we know of to keep track of where every dollar goes each month. Not too much detail, but enough to give you a clearer sense of where your dollars are going each month.

Track all of your expenses and start salting away those dollars!

Every dollar you save by spending smarter month-to-month represents ‘found money’ that can be used to buy something shiny and new today or to help you through some unknown event in the future—maybe six months from now, maybe thirty years from now. Happy saving!

Make copies of this form to use every month.

Download here.
Also, see below on ways to save.

Ways to save

If you spent more money than you earned this month, take a look at where actual spending differed significantly from your expectations. If you can figure out where the problem areas are (and why), it’s much easier to determine how to keep them from derailing you again.