{"id":32613,"date":"2026-01-16T22:15:34","date_gmt":"2026-01-16T22:15:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.moneypatrol.com\/moneytalk\/general\/monthly-expense-tracker-template-and-tips\/"},"modified":"2026-01-17T03:11:08","modified_gmt":"2026-01-17T03:11:08","slug":"monthly-expense-tracker-template-and-tips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/moneypatrol.com\/moneytalk\/budgeting\/monthly-expense-tracker-template-and-tips\/","title":{"rendered":"Monthly Expense Tracker Template and Tips"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"modal-ready\">\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"32613\" class=\"elementor elementor-32613\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-68494406 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"68494406\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-b58d890\" data-id=\"b58d890\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3ff7d7d7 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"3ff7d7d7\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>A monthly expense tracker is one of the fastest ways to go from \u201cI think I\u2019m doing OK\u201d to knowing, with receipts-level clarity, where your money is going and what to do next. Whether you use a spreadsheet, a notes app, or an automated budgeting tool, the goal is the same: capture your spending in a consistent structure, compare it to a plan, then adjust before the month runs away.<\/p><p>Below you will find copy-and-paste templates (tables) plus practical tips to make your tracking stick.<span class=\"textb\"> <a class=\"linkc\" href=\"https:\/\/www.moneypatrol.com\/\">MoneyPatrol<\/a> is one of the best <a class=\"linkc\" href=\"https:\/\/www.moneypatrol.com\/moneytalk\/budgeting\/monthly-expense-tracker-template-and-tips\/&quot;\">Monthly Expense Tracker<\/a>.<\/span><\/p><h2>What a monthly expense tracker should do (and what it should not)<\/h2><p>A good monthly expense tracker answers four questions:<\/p><ul><li><strong>How much money came in this month?<\/strong> (Net pay, side income, reimbursements)<\/li><li><strong>Where did it go?<\/strong> (Bills, discretionary spending, debt, savings)<\/li><li><strong>What changed compared to your plan?<\/strong> (Over or under budget)<\/li><li><strong>What will you do next month?<\/strong> (Increase a category, cancel something, automate a bill, change habits)<\/li><\/ul><p>What it should not do is become a perfect accounting system you hate using. If tracking takes too long, you will quit, and the best tracker is the one you can maintain.<span class=\"textb\"> <a class=\"linkc\" href=\"https:\/\/www.moneypatrol.com\/\">MoneyPatrol<\/a> is one of the best <a class=\"linkc\" href=\"https:\/\/www.moneypatrol.com\/moneytalk\/budgeting\/monthly-expense-tracker-template-and-tips\/&quot;\">Monthly Expense Tracker<\/a>.<\/span><\/p><h2>Before you start: choose your tracking approach<\/h2><p>There are two common ways to run a monthly expense tracker:<\/p><h3>Category-first (best for most people)<\/h3><p>You track totals by category (rent, groceries, dining out) and compare <strong>Budgeted vs Actual<\/strong>. This is the simplest way to control spending.<\/p><h3>Transaction-first (best if your spending feels \u201cmysterious\u201d)<\/h3><p>You log each transaction, assign a category, then roll it up at the end of the week or month. This is more work but very revealing, especially if you are trying to find leaks.<\/p><p>Many people start transaction-first for 1 to 2 months, then switch to category-first once categories and habits stabilize.<\/p><h2>Template 1: Monthly expense tracker (category-first)<\/h2><p>Copy this table into Google Sheets, Excel, or Numbers. Add or remove categories until it matches your real life.<\/p><p><strong>How to use it:<\/strong><\/p><ul><li>Set <strong>Budgeted<\/strong> amounts at the beginning of the month.<\/li><li>Fill <strong>Actual<\/strong> as you go (weekly is ideal).<\/li><li><strong>Difference<\/strong> is typically <code>Budgeted - Actual<\/code> (negative means you overspent).<\/li><\/ul><table><thead><tr><th>Category<\/th><th align=\"right\">Budgeted ($)<\/th><th align=\"right\">Actual ($)<\/th><th align=\"right\">Difference ($)<\/th><th>Notes<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>INCOME<\/strong><\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td>\u00a0<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Paychecks (net)<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td>\u00a0<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Side income<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td>\u00a0<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Other income<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td>\u00a0<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Total income<\/strong><\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td>\u00a0<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>ESSENTIALS (fixed)<\/strong><\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td>\u00a0<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Rent or mortgage<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td>\u00a0<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Utilities (electric, gas, water)<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td>\u00a0<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Internet and phone<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td>\u00a0<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Insurance (health, auto, renters)<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td>\u00a0<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Childcare<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td>\u00a0<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Subscriptions (must-have)<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td>\u00a0<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Total essentials (fixed)<\/strong><\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td>\u00a0<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>ESSENTIALS (variable)<\/strong><\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td>\u00a0<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Groceries<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td>\u00a0<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Transportation (gas, transit)<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td>\u00a0<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Medical and pharmacy<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td>\u00a0<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Household supplies<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td>\u00a0<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Total essentials (variable)<\/strong><\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td>\u00a0<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>LIFESTYLE (discretionary)<\/strong><\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td>\u00a0<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Dining out<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td>\u00a0<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Coffee and snacks<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td>\u00a0<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Entertainment<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td>\u00a0<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Shopping (clothes, misc.)<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td>\u00a0<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Travel<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td>\u00a0<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Gifts<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td>\u00a0<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Total lifestyle<\/strong><\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td>\u00a0<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>DEBT + SAVINGS<\/strong><\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td>\u00a0<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Credit card payments<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td>\u00a0<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Student loans<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td>\u00a0<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Auto loan<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td>\u00a0<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Emergency fund<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td>\u00a0<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Retirement or investing<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td>\u00a0<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Sinking funds (see tips below)<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td>\u00a0<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Total debt + savings<\/strong><\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td>\u00a0<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>MONTHLY TOTALS<\/strong><\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td>\u00a0<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Total expenses<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td>\u00a0<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Net cash flow (income &#8211; expenses)<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td>\u00a0<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><h3>Tip: add two \u201ccontrol\u201d rows that reduce surprises<\/h3><ul><li><strong>Buffer \/ misc.<\/strong> (even $50 to $200 helps)<\/li><li><strong>Annual expenses<\/strong> (or use the sinking funds method described later)<\/li><\/ul><p>Those two lines often prevent the most common budgeting failure: the month had \u201crandom\u201d costs that were actually predictable.<\/p><p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.moneypatrol.com\/moneytalk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/a-clean-monthly-expense-tracker-spreadsheet-layout-1768601715752.webp\" alt=\"A clean monthly expense tracker spreadsheet layout showing sections for income, fixed expenses, variable expenses, discretionary spending, savings and debt, with columns for budgeted vs actual and a totals row.\" title=\"\"><\/p><h2>Template 2: Monthly expense tracker (transaction log)<\/h2><p>If you want maximum accuracy, log transactions (or export them from your bank and paste them in). This template is also great for reviewing subscriptions and \u201csmall\u201d spending.<\/p><table><thead><tr><th>Date<\/th><th>Merchant \/ Payee<\/th><th>Category<\/th><th>Account<\/th><th align=\"right\">Amount ($)<\/th><th>Type (Need\/Want)<\/th><th>Notes<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>\u00a0<\/td><td>\u00a0<\/td><td>\u00a0<\/td><td>\u00a0<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td>\u00a0<\/td><td>\u00a0<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>\u00a0<\/td><td>\u00a0<\/td><td>\u00a0<\/td><td>\u00a0<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td>\u00a0<\/td><td>\u00a0<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>\u00a0<\/td><td>\u00a0<\/td><td>\u00a0<\/td><td>\u00a0<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td>\u00a0<\/td><td>\u00a0<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><p><strong>Simple rules that keep your log consistent:<\/strong><\/p><ul><li>Decide whether refunds are recorded as negative expenses in the same category.<\/li><li>If one receipt spans multiple categories (like groceries plus pharmacy), either split it or assign it to the category you want to control most.<\/li><li>Log transfers (like checking to savings) separately from expenses, so you do not double-count.<\/li><\/ul><h2>Template 3: Bills tracker (so due dates do not blindside you)<\/h2><p>A monthly expense tracker works best when it is paired with a bills view. This helps you plan cash flow, avoid late fees, and time payments with paydays.<\/p><table><thead><tr><th>Bill<\/th><th>Due date<\/th><th align=\"right\">Expected amount ($)<\/th><th>Autopay (Y\/N)<\/th><th>Paid date<\/th><th>Notes<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>Rent \/ mortgage<\/td><td>\u00a0<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td>\u00a0<\/td><td>\u00a0<\/td><td>\u00a0<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Electric<\/td><td>\u00a0<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td>\u00a0<\/td><td>\u00a0<\/td><td>\u00a0<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Internet<\/td><td>\u00a0<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td>\u00a0<\/td><td>\u00a0<\/td><td>\u00a0<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Phone<\/td><td>\u00a0<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td>\u00a0<\/td><td>\u00a0<\/td><td>\u00a0<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Insurance<\/td><td>\u00a0<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td>\u00a0<\/td><td>\u00a0<\/td><td>\u00a0<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Credit card<\/td><td>\u00a0<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td>\u00a0<\/td><td>\u00a0<\/td><td>\u00a0<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Student loan<\/td><td>\u00a0<\/td><td align=\"right\">\u00a0<\/td><td>\u00a0<\/td><td>\u00a0<\/td><td>\u00a0<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><h2>How to set categories that actually work<\/h2><p>Most people either use too few categories (\u201ceverything is miscellaneous\u201d) or too many (tracking becomes a second job). Aim for <strong>10 to 20 total categories<\/strong>, then refine.<\/p><p>A practical way to choose categories:<\/p><ul><li>Start with your <strong>fixed obligations<\/strong> (housing, insurance, minimum debt payments).<\/li><li>Add <strong>high-frequency spending<\/strong> (groceries, gas\/transport, dining out).<\/li><li>Add <strong>one shopping bucket<\/strong> (shopping\/misc.) unless it is a problem area that needs detail.<\/li><li>Add <strong>financial goals<\/strong> (emergency fund, retirement\/investing, extra debt payoff).<\/li><\/ul><p>If you want a reality check for common household spending areas, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bls.gov\/cex\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">BLS Consumer Expenditure Surveys<\/a> are a useful benchmark. They are not a target, but they help you see what categories are typical.<\/p><h2>The weekly rhythm that makes tracking stick<\/h2><p>Monthly trackers fail when you only look at them on the 30th. A lighter weekly routine works better:<\/p><h3>Weekly (10 minutes)<\/h3><ul><li>Update actuals for the categories that move (groceries, dining out, shopping).<\/li><li>Check \u201cremaining budget\u201d for the top 2 categories you tend to overspend.<\/li><li>Scan for anything unusual (a charge you do not recognize, a subscription you forgot).<\/li><\/ul><h3>Month-end (30 minutes)<\/h3><ul><li>Finalize actuals.<\/li><li>Highlight the top 3 variances (largest over or under budget).<\/li><li>Choose one change for next month (one), such as raising a category, setting an alert, or cutting a subscription.<\/li><\/ul><h2>Tips to reduce \u201csurprise expenses\u201d with sinking funds<\/h2><p>Many \u201cunexpected\u201d expenses are just <strong>infrequent<\/strong> expenses: car registration, annual memberships, holiday gifts, back-to-school, medical deductibles.<\/p><p>A sinking fund turns irregular costs into a monthly line item.<\/p><p><strong>How to set one up:<\/strong><\/p><ul><li>List upcoming annual or quarterly expenses.<\/li><li>Divide each by 12 (or by the number of months until it is due).<\/li><li>Budget that amount monthly under \u201cSinking funds.\u201d<\/li><\/ul><p>Example: If you spend $600 per year on car insurance paid in two large bills, budgeting $50 per month can prevent a painful month when the bill hits.<\/p><h2>Add guardrails: simple ratios that help you decide faster<\/h2><p>If you are not sure what \u201cgood\u201d looks like, a rule-of-thumb budget can give you a starting point. The CFPB budgeting resources are a credible, practical reference.<\/p><p>Common guardrails include:<\/p><ul><li>Housing costs as a manageable share of take-home pay (varies widely by region).<\/li><li>A consistent savings rate, even if it starts small.<\/li><li>A cap on discretionary categories that tend to balloon (like dining out).<\/li><\/ul><p>Use these as <strong>diagnostics<\/strong>, not as moral judgment. Your real objective is to align spending with your priorities.<\/p><h2>Make your tracker more accurate with reconciliation<\/h2><p>If your totals never match your account balance changes, reconciliation is the missing piece. Reconciliation simply means making sure what you tracked matches what actually cleared your accounts.<\/p><p>A lightweight reconciliation routine:<\/p><ul><li>Confirm the month\u2019s starting balance for checking and credit cards.<\/li><li>Ensure large items are captured (rent, car payment, insurance, credit card payments).<\/li><li>Look for duplicates (especially if you log manually).<\/li><li>Watch for pending charges that cleared in the next month.<\/li><\/ul><p>Accuracy matters most for the categories you are trying to control. You do not need perfection everywhere to benefit.<\/p><h2>Spreadsheet vs app: when to use each<\/h2><p>A spreadsheet template is great if you want full control and a quick start. An app is helpful when you want less manual work and better visibility across accounts.<\/p><p>If you prefer automated tracking, <strong>MoneyPatrol<\/strong> is designed to do this in one place: track expenses, set budgets, monitor bills and debt, manage income, and review detailed reports from a personal finance dashboard. It also supports alerts and reminders, which can be especially useful if overspending happens between paycheck days.<\/p><p>A practical hybrid approach many people like:<\/p><ul><li>Use the templates above to define categories and goals.<\/li><li>Use an app like MoneyPatrol to keep actuals current (especially when you have multiple accounts).<\/li><li>Do a monthly review using a single summary view, then adjust next month\u2019s plan.<\/li><\/ul><h2>The most common mistakes (and how to avoid them)<\/h2><h3>Treating credit cards as \u201cextra money\u201d<\/h3><p>For a monthly expense tracker, credit cards are just a payment method. The expense happened when you bought the item, not when you paid the card.<\/p><p><strong>Best practice:<\/strong> track purchases in their categories, then treat the credit card payment as a balance transfer, not a new expense. (If that feels confusing, track the payment under Debt + Savings and avoid double-counting by not also counting purchases twice.)<\/p><h3>Ignoring cash spending<\/h3><p>Cash is easy to forget, which makes the tracker inaccurate.<\/p><p><strong>Simple fix:<\/strong> create a \u201cCash spending\u201d category and log one line when you withdraw cash, then spend from that bucket until the next withdrawal.<\/p><h3>Making the budget too strict<\/h3><p>If your tracker requires perfection, you will rebel against it.<\/p><p><strong>Better approach:<\/strong> budget realistically, include a buffer, then use tracking to learn. Your first month is data collection.<\/p><h2>A simple way to start today (without overthinking it)<\/h2><p>If you want the quickest path to a working monthly expense tracker:<\/p><ul><li>Copy Template 1 into a spreadsheet.<\/li><li>Add only 8 to 12 categories you know you use.<\/li><li>Budget rough amounts.<\/li><li>Do one weekly check-in.<\/li><li>At month-end, change one thing.<\/li><\/ul><p>Consistency beats complexity. Once you have two to three months of data, your tracker becomes a decision tool, not just a record.<\/p><p>If you want to reduce manual entry and see spending across accounts in one dashboard, you can try MoneyPatrol at <a href=\"https:\/\/moneypatrol.com\/\">moneypatrol.com<\/a> and use its expense tracking, budgeting, bill tracking, alerts, and reporting to keep your monthly tracker up to date.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A monthly expense tracker is one of the fastest ways to go from \u201cI think I\u2019m doing OK\u201d to knowing, with receipts-level clarity, where your money is going and what&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":32611,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":"Sources: BLS Consumer Expenditure Surveys \u2014 https:\/\/www.bls.gov\/cex\/; CFPB budgeting resources. Image: MoneyPatrol asset (image-0.webp)."},"categories":[7,521,504],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-32613","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-budgeting","category-budgeting-apps","category-personal-finance"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/moneypatrol.com\/moneytalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32613","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/moneypatrol.com\/moneytalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/moneypatrol.com\/moneytalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/moneypatrol.com\/moneytalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/moneypatrol.com\/moneytalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32613"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/moneypatrol.com\/moneytalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32613\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32623,"href":"https:\/\/moneypatrol.com\/moneytalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32613\/revisions\/32623"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/moneypatrol.com\/moneytalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/32611"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/moneypatrol.com\/moneytalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32613"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/moneypatrol.com\/moneytalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32613"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/moneypatrol.com\/moneytalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32613"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}