Hobby Budget Spreadsheet

Who this is for

A year of hobby spending against your own allowance. Each month splits what went out into items, supplies, events and subscriptions, and other, then shows the difference from the allowance and a running balance. A purchase log records each buy as it happens.

Hobbyists who want to enjoy spending on a pastime without it quietly eating into the household budget, and households agreeing an allowance for more than one hobby.

What this helps you track

• The monthly allowance you set for your hobbies
• What each month went on, split four ways
• Whether each month came in under or over
• The running balance carried through the year
• Every purchase, dated, with the hobby it was for

How to use it

1. Write the hobby or hobbies covered, the year and your own monthly allowance at the top.
2. Log each purchase as it happens in the purchase log with the date, the hobby, the item, the cost and its category.
3. At the end of each month, add up the log by category and enter the totals and the month's allowance on that month's line.
4. The monthly total, the difference and the running balance are worked out in the browser and the workbook; on paper, add across and carry the balance down.
5. Check the running balance before a big purchase to see whether it has been saved up for or would be borrowed from future months.

Formats

• Printable PDF (A4 and US Letter)
• Fillable PDF with form fields
• Fill in online, saved in your browser
• Excel / Google Sheets workbook

The printable is laid out inside a box that fits both A4 and US Letter, so the two files are identical and neither one is scaled. The fillable PDF has real form fields. The workbook uses plain formulas only — SUM, IF, COUNTIF and the like — so it opens in Excel, LibreOffice and Google Sheets without anything breaking, and every calculated cell is grey so you can see which figures it worked out.

How to print

Download the A4 or US Letter file to match the paper in your printer, open it in a PDF reader and print at 100% — not "fit to page", which shrinks the writing space. Both files leave a 14 mm margin, which clears the unprintable edge on home printers. To print the online version with your entries in it, use the Print this sheet button, which prints only the sheet and none of the page around it. More on printing.

Questions

How much should my hobby allowance be?

That is for you and your household budget to decide. The sheet supplies no figure; it measures spending against whatever amount you enter, and you can change the allowance on any month's line.

What is the running balance?

The difference between allowance and spending, added up month by month. A positive balance is money saved towards a bigger buy; a negative one means you have spent ahead of your allowance.

Can I budget several hobbies on one sheet?

Yes. Name them all at the top and use the hobby column in the purchase log to see which one the money went on. For separate allowances, keep one sheet per hobby.

What goes in events and subscriptions?

Club fees, entry to fairs and shows, magazines, online memberships and subscription boxes. The hobby subscription and membership cost tracker keeps renewal dates for those if you have several.