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How to Track Monthly Expenses in 6 Steps

Tracking your spending on a regular basis can give you an accurate picture of where your money is going — and where you’d like it to go instead.

Then, by using a budget, you can accurately account for all the bills you need to pay going forward. But before you start plugging numbers into a spreadsheet or app, take a minute to list out each of your monthly expenses.

Here’s how to get started tracking your monthly expenses.

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1. Check your account statements

Pinpoint your money habits by taking inventory of all of your accounts, including your checking account and all credit cards you have. Looking at your accounts will help you identify your spending patterns.

Your spending will consist of both fixed expenses and variable expenses. Fixed expenses are less likely to change from month to month. They include mortgage or rent, utilities, insurance and debt payments. You’ll have more room to adjust variable expenses like food, clothing and travel.

2. Categorize your expenses

Begin by grouping your expenses into different categories. Categorizing your expenses will help you not only track how much you’re spending, but also see where your money is going.

Some personal finance websites and credit cards automatically tag your purchases in categories like “department store” or “automotive” to help you identify themes. You might find that those impulse buys at Target are costing you a lot. Or maybe you’ll realize you’re paying for recurring subscription services that you could do without.

Another way to categorize your expenses is by breaking them down into needs, wants and savings/debts. This way of categorizing and tracking your expenses is known as the 50/30/20 budget, which you’ll learn more about in the next step.

3. Build your budget

After categorizing your expenses, the next step to consider is creating a budget. A budget can help you take actionable steps to reduce your spending where necessary. At NerdWallet, we recommend using the 50/30/20 budget. Divide your net income into three categories: 50% for needs, 30% for wants and 20% for savings.

Sorting your expenses into needs and wants can help you organize your budget and prioritize spending, especially if you need to trim costs to make room for savings or debt repayment. Here is a breakdown of each category in the 50/30/20 budget. We also have a calculator below to help you run the numbers.

Needs

These are the expenses you cannot avoid like monthly bills. If you use the 50/30/20 budget, these should account for 50% of your spending. Necessities often include the following:

Housing: Mortgage or rent; homeowners or renters insurance; property tax (if not already in the mortgage payment).

Transportation: Car payment, gas, maintenance and auto insurance; public transportation.

Health care: Health insurance; out-of-pocket medical costs.

Utilities: Electricity and natural gas; water; sanitation/garbage; internet; cell phone and/or landline.

Groceries, toiletries and haircuts, and other essentials.

Student loan payments; other minimum loan payments; child support or alimony payments.

🤓Nerdy Tip

If you find your budget is way out of whack, look closely at those items you’ve classified as needs and consider negotiating, refinancing or downgrading.

Wants

These expenses may be harder to account for in a budget, as they don’t always come with a set monthly fee. If you use the 50/30/20 budget, wants can account for up to 30% of your spending.

Dining out, special meals in (steaks for the grill, etc.).

Movie, concert and event tickets.

Travel expenses (airline tickets, hotels, rental cars, etc.).

Cable or streaming packages.

Self-care treats like spa visits and pedicures.

🤓Nerdy Tip

Scan your spending for the past few months to get a sense of what your wants are and how much you tend to spend on them. Have each adult in your household do the same if you’re creating a family budget. This exercise gives you a realistic baseline. You can use what you’ve learned to make small changes in your spending over time.

Savings and debt repayment

This is the money you’re putting toward your retirement, emergency fund and other savings, and using to pay down high-interest credit card and other “toxic” debt like payday loans. It also includes anything over the minimum payment on your “good debts” such as your student loans and mortgage. In the 50/30/20 budget, this should account for 20% of your income.

Individual retirement account.

Credit card payments (see budget tip below).

Extra payments on mortgage.

Extra payments on student loans.

🤓Nerdy Tip

If you pay off your credit cards in full each month, classify the expenses according to what you buy — groceries under needs, for example. However, if you maintain a balance and are accruing interest and fees, list payments beyond the minimum under debt repayment.

Every few months, revisit your budget and adjust as necessary. Consider using a budget app to track your expenditures, saving time as you build momentum with your new budgeting habit. If you get stuck, try these budgeting tips.

The 50/30/20 budget calculator

4. Use budgeting or expense-tracking apps

Budgeting apps like You Need a Budget and Mint are designed for on-the-go money management, letting you allocate a certain amount of spendable income each month depending on what you’re taking in and what you’re paying out. These types of apps will work if you’re willing to log your purchases, put in the time and stick to your budget.

Depending on what you get out of it, a paid app may be worth the cost. You Need a Budget, for instance, is $99 a year or $14.99 a month (after a 34-day free trial), but it has appealing benefits, like its ability to sync transactions directly from your bank account and its option for live workshops with the company’s support team.

5. Explore other expense trackers

Not a fan of apps? A spreadsheet is another valuable money-tracking tool. You can find a variety of free budget templates online, and NerdWallet also offers an online budget worksheet.

Or, if you have a more complex financial situation, such as investments or a business, you might consider Quicken, which lets you import bank transactions and monitor your investments.

Quicken offers desktop software with extensive budgeting and tracking features and also has a mobile tool: the Simplifi budgeting app. Subscriptions are billed annually and average monthly costs for the desktop software range from $3.49 for the “starter” version to $8.99 for the home and business edition.

6. Identify room for change

As you track, be ready to make adjustments. Lowering the big fixed expenses in your life, like the cost of housing, vehicles and utilities, can make a significant impact on your budget. Beyond that, check out additional ways to save money that can give you some breathing room.