Moving Budget Spreadsheet

The move is the cost everyone plans for. The harder question is whether the new household works month after month — and that is easiest to answer before you sign, with the real utility and tax figures in front of you.

What This Workbook Does

• A Move Costs tab with estimate and actual columns for movers, supplies, cleaning, deposits, appliances and the rest, with the variance calculated.
• A First-Year Budget tab that runs housing, other expenses and savings against take-home pay, with each line as a share of income.
• A housing block that includes a maintenance reserve, not just the mortgage payment.
• The monthly surplus or shortfall, and the cash reserve left after the move is paid for.

Every line is measured against take-home pay rather than gross, so the housing guide-posts here are stricter than the gross-income ratios a lender uses.

How to Use It

1. On the Move Costs tab, fill in the Estimate column when you start planning.
2. Fill in the Actual column as the bills arrive; the variance shows where the estimate was off.
3. On the First-Year Budget tab, enter take-home pay, not gross salary.
4. Fill in the housing block, including the maintenance reserve.
5. Fill in the other expenses and the savings you intend to keep making.
6. Read the monthly surplus or shortfall, then check the reserve left after the move.

What It Will Not Do

The first-year budget is only as good as the utility and tax figures you enter. Ask the seller or the utility for the past twelve months rather than guessing, and use the new assessment rather than the seller’s old tax bill.