Spending categories


 * Housing
 * Rent or mortgage payments $
 * Electricity/gas $
 * Water $
 * Phone/Internet $
 * Garbage removal $
 * Cleaning, maintenance, repair $


 * Food
 * What you spend at the supermarket and/or farmers’ market, etc. $
 * Eating out $


 * Clothing
 * Purchase of new or used clothing $
 * Cleaning, dry cleaning, laundry $


 * Automobile/transportation
 * Car payments $
 * Gas $
 * Repairs $
 * Public transportation ( bus, train, plane ) $


 * Insurance
 * Car $
 * Medical or healthcare $
 * House and personal possessions $
 * Life $
 * Medical expenses Doctors’ visits $
 * Prescriptions $
 * Fitness costs $


 * Support for other family members
 * Child-care costs ( if you have children ) $
 * Child-support ( if you’re paying that ) $
 * Support for your parents ( if you’re helping out ) $


 * Charity
 * giving/tithe ( to help others ) $


 * School/learning
 * Children’s costs ( if you have children in school ) $
 * Your learning costs ( adult education, job-hunting classes, etc. ) $


 * Pet care
 * ( if you have pets ) $


 * Bills and debts ( usual monthly payments )
 * Credit cards $
 * Local stores $
 * Other obligations you pay off monthly $


 * Taxes
 * Federal ( next April’s due, divided by twelve months ) $
 * State ( likewise ) $
 * Local/property ( next amount due, divided by twelve months ) $
 * Tax-help ( if you ever use an accountant, or pay a friend to help you with taxes, etc. ) $


 * Savings


 * Retirement
 * ( Keogh, IRA, SEP, etc. ) $


 * Amusement/discretionary spending
 * Movies, Netflix, etc. $
 * Other kinds of entertainment $
 * Reading, newspapers, magazines, books $
 * Gifts ( birthday, Christmas, etc. ) $
 * Vacations $