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Do you work shifts that change weekly or monthly?.Whatever you bring home each month after taxes and other paycheck deductions is your monthly take-home pay.įor everyone else, your monthly income might move around a bit:
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If you’re lucky enough to get paid once a month for working one job with a steady paycheck, this step is simple. The first number you need for your personal monthly budget is your monthly take-home pay. How to Get Started with a Simple Personal Budget Step 1. This guide will walk you through 4 great approaches to personal budgeting, all of which are designed to keep your budget flexible-so you can handle anything life throws at you while keeping your personal monthly budget on track.
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You can track your budget in a spreadsheet or use a personal budget app to stay on top of your money.įortunately, there are a few basic approaches to personal budgeting that make it much easier to get started, and they all begin with the same first steps. You can keep things at a high level or you can break your spending down into personal budget categories. Creating a simple personal budget always comes down to one thing: keeping your total monthly expenses below your monthly take-home pay.īut there are about as many ways to do that as there are people on the planet.
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