More household budget categories
If you are working up a household budget for the first time, it might be helpful to have a detailed list of categories as a starting point.
After all, you’d be surprised as to how different the percentages spent on this or that can vary based on what your family considers to be “groceries” vs. what another family considers to be considers “groceries.”
This compilation list, based on the items I’ve seen listed on sample budgets and budget worksheets, is presented in alphabetical order so you don’t get too attached to what line item “should” go where.
Regardless of which budget system you follow, there will be a basic outline (such as housing vs. food, or fixed expenses vs. variable expenses). What you need to do to complete that picture is to include all the income and expenses that are relevant to your family’s circumstances in that outline.
Here is a list of potential household budget categories to get you started (and I have since put together a list of cost-saving steps based on this list):
- Alcohol
- Alimony paid in or out
- Allowances (his, hers, kids …)
- Appliances
- Baby formula or breastfeeding supplies
- Batteries
- Birthday gifts
- Bus fares
- Cable or satellite TV
- Car insurance
- Car payment and / or car purchase fund
- Car repair and maintenance
- Cash assistance
- Child support paid in or out
- Christmas gifts
- Cleaning services
- Cleaning supplies
- Clothing
- Coffee shop
- College fund
- Computer and office supplies
- Condo or neighborhood association fees
- Coupons and rebates
- Credit card payments
- Day care and babysitter fees
- Dental insurance
- Diapers
- Dinners out
- Donations to church, non-profit or charity
- Dry cleaning
- Electric bill
- Emergency fund
- Fast food
- Fitness center or gym membership
- Fuel for the car
- Furniture
- Garden supplies
- Gifts given
- Gifts received
- Greeting cards
- Groceries
- Grocery assistance
- Haircuts
- Health insurance
- Hobbies
- Home maintenance and repair
- Income taxes
- Income tax preparation fees
- Internet service
- Investments
- Landline phone
- Lawn care
- Legal expenses
- Life insurance
- Medical co-pay and deductible expenses
- Mortgage
- Movies
- Natural gas or heating oil bill
- Newspapers, books and magazines
- Over-the-counter medications
- Parking passes and parking fees
- Payroll – regular
- Payroll – overtime
- Payroll – bonus or holiday pay
- Payroll – severance pay
- Personal care products
- Pet expenses
- Photos
- Postage
- Prescription medication
- Property taxes
- Property insurance
- Rent
- Retirement fund
- School lunches
- Shoes
- Snacks
- Sports, club and activity fees and equipment
- Sports events attended
- Student loan payments
- Textbooks
- Tobacco
- Trash and recycling bill
- Tuition and class fees
- Turnpike and bridge tolls
- Union dues
- Unemployment benefits
- Unreimbursed business expenses
- Vacations
- Vision insurance
- Water bill
- Wireless phone
- Wedding plans
- Work lunches
Originally posted June 30, 2009.
