Budgeting Categories

(Modified from this list.)

Income

  • Paycheck
  • Predictable bonus
  • Expense reimbursements
  • Investment
    • Rental income
    • Interest earned (on accounts, loans to others)
    • Dividends and capital gains
  • Misc.
    • Lottery / gambling winnings
    • Federal / state / local tax refund
    • Purchase refund

Expenses

  • Automobile
    • Gasoline
    • Maintenance
    • Registration fees
    • Auto loan payment
  • Bank Charges
    • Check orders
    • Service fees
    • Insufficient funds fee
    • Minimum balance fee
    • ATM fees
  • Charity
  • Childcare
    • Babysitting
    • Child support
  • Clothing
  • Credit Card Fees
    • Annual fee
    • Finance charge
    • Over the limit fee
    • Minimum usage fee
    • Cash advance fee
    • Late fee
    • Rewards programs
    • Monthly payment
  • Education
    • Tuition
    • Books
    • School supplies
    • Field trips
    • Misc. fees
    • Student loan payment
  • Events
    • Wedding
    • Moving
  • Food
    • Groceries
    • Dining out
    • Vending machines
    • Coffee house
  • Gifts
    • Birthday
    • Wedding / Wedding shower
    • Baby shower
    • Holiday
    • Anniversary
    • Just because
  • Healthcare
    • Dental
    • Vision
    • Physician
    • Hospital
    • Prescriptions
    • Over the counter medication
    • Vitamins
  • Household
    • Rent / Mortgage payment
    • Homeowner’s association dues
    • Furniture
    • Supplies
    • Decorating
    • Tools
    • Home maintenance and repair
    • Home improvement
  • Insurance
    • Automobile
    • Health
    • Life
    • Disability
    • Long term care
    • Roadside assistance
  • Job expenses
    • Reimbursed
    • Clothing
    • Professional dues
  • Leisure (daily / non-vacation)
    • Books
    • Magazines
    • Movie theater
    • Video rental / Pay per view
    • Sporting events
    • Sporting goods
  • Hobbies
    • Cultural events (e.g. parades, carnivals, etc.)
    • CD’s
    • Video games
    • Toys
    • Tourist attractions (e.g. amusement parks, museums, zoos, etc.)
  • Loans
    • Loan Payment
    • Finance charge / Interest
    • Late fee
  • Pet Care
    • Food
    • Supplies
    • Veterinarian
  • Savings
    • Retirement
    • Investments
    • Emergency fund
    • Reserve funds (to set aside for planned expenses)
  • Taxes
    • Federal
    • State
    • Local
  • Utilities
    • Water
    • Sewer
    • Electricity
    • Gas
    • Television (e.g. cable, satellite, etc.)
    • Telephone / Cell phone
    • Internet service
    • Garbage and recycling
  • Vacation
    • Day trips
    • Transportation
    • Lodging
    • Entertainment

{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }

image Brian D December 24, 2012 at 9:04 pm

Great list.. The one I use is similar but I’ve been interested in reducing the complexity of my list. I’m thinking of merging several categories in order to make my life easier, but I noticed that you have actually kept several sub-categories that I was planning on merging. It’s easy to merge but very hard to undo and given 10 years of data, I’m hesitant to do it. Take Healthcare, for example. I’m using a similar model: Dental, Vision, Medical, OTC Medicine, Supplements, and Prescriptions. I’m wondering what the value is in tracking Dental, Vision, and Medical as separate categories… On the off chance I might want to know the difference in spending? I guess what I’m asking is what drives your choices in categories.

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image Kathy Mahoney May 24, 2013 at 8:08 am

Thank you!

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image David January 31, 2014 at 9:36 pm

Possible forms of income for some people are Gifts (which can be further divided if desired) and Tips (that aren’t reported to the IRS). I keep track of both.

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image Gin March 28, 2014 at 8:06 am

This is a really great breakdown, just what I was looking for!!! Thank you

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image Marco Silva January 29, 2015 at 1:16 am

Thank you very much. This was very handy to complete the one that i previously had.
Although i have a question….
– Where would you recommend me to insert Hairdresser category?

Thank you in advance

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image cassandra February 28, 2016 at 8:29 am

This is a handy list, thank you, it helped me see other ways to put a lot of smaller expenses into larger ‘umbrella’ categories.
My question is where do you track personal care needs, such as toiletries, grooming supplies, personal hygiene needs, and as one person already noted, trips to hairdresser/barber or something like a massage, and tips for such services. It seems to me this would be it’s own umbrella category, particularly for a family in which the needs of these services and items for each family member would account for a significant portion of daily expenses.

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image Scott Pulsifer August 3, 2016 at 12:44 pm

Good list. I think you forgot about ‘Beauty’. Haircuts, nails, makeup, etc

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image Hazel Smith October 31, 2016 at 9:57 pm

Good category breakdowns. I suggest adding ‘Personal Care’ as a major heading with Hair Care, Salon Services
Gym Memberships, and Cosmetics as sub-headings. Also a major heading of ‘Transportation’ with sub headings of Fuel, Tires, Maintenance, Car Payment, Repairs, Parking Fees, DMV Fees, and Vehicle Replacement Fund.

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