Spending Plan Resources

Spending Plan Categories

This is an alphabetically-organized list of spending plan categories and subcategories. It is not an exhaustive list, but this should give you a good starting point. Feel free to rearrange, add, or remove categories to fit your specific needs and preferences.

Expense Categories

These are categories related to money leaving your financial accounts.

  • Clothing: Children's Clothing, His Clothing, Her Clothing, Laundry/Cleaning
  • Debts: Car Loans, Credit Cards, Mortgage Loan, Personal Loans, Student Loans
  • Donations: Charitable Donations, Tithes & Offerings, Other Donations
  • Emergency Preparedness: Emergency Fund, Emergency Supplies, Food Storage
  • Entertainment/Recreation: Movies, Streaming Subscriptions, Vacation/Trips, Sporting Events, Concerts, Other Entertainment, Other Subscriptions
  • Food: Groceries, Restaurants
  • Goals & Dreams: Home Remodel, New Car, Travel, Vacation
  • Housing: Cleaning Supplies, Furniture Replacement, Maintenance/Repairs, Mortgage Loan, Pest Control, Property Taxes, Rent, Yard Care/Landscaping
  • Insurance: Auto Insurance, Disability Insurance, Health Insurance, Homeowner's Insurance, Life Insurance, Renter's Insurance
  • Investments: Stocks, Bonds, Mutual Funds, 401k, Roth IRA, Traditional IRA, HSA
  • Medical/Health: Chiropractor, Dentist, Doctor, Medical Supplies, Medications/Prescriptions, Optometrist, Vitamins/Supplements
  • Money Transfers (Outgoing): Money Transferred To Another Financial Account
  • Other Obligations: Alimony, Child Support, Organization Fees/Dues
  • Personal: Cosmetics, Gifts, Hair Care, Her Fun Money, His Fun Money, School/Office Supplies, Subscriptions, Toiletries/Hygiene
  • Professional Services: Accountant, Attorney, Child Care/Babysitter, Estate Planner, Financial Advisor
  • School: Supplies, Tuition, Fees
  • Transportation: Car Replacement, Gasoline, Licenses & Fees, Maintenance/Repairs, Oil Change
  • Utilities: Cell Phones, Electricity, Gas, Internet, Trash, TV/Cable, Water

Income Categories

These are categories related to money coming into your financial accounts. Many budgeting tools (e.g. software, spreadsheet templates) do not have an option to categorize income sources. But if you can and would like to track more details about your income, then this list might be helpful.

  • Income: Paychecks/Salary, Reimbursements, Refunds/Adjustments, Deposits, Interest, Investment Income, Money Transfers (Incoming), Retirement Income, Gifts/Rewards, Sale of Personal Items, Services Offered, Other Income