15 of the Best Budget Planners to Help You Run Your Financial Empire in 2022

The insider’s guide to picking the best budgeting planner in the bunch!

Directions and roadmaps are great! I love to see something laid out, step by step. All you need to do is fill in the blanks! So you know that you’re on the right path, that you didn’t miss anything important, and you’ll end up reaching your destination.

Budget planners are the perfect example of using the tools & directions to guide you to exactly where you want to be. But you don’t just want any budget planner; you want the best budget planner!  

Today, we’re going to find just that; the perfect budget planner for you so you don’t get tripped up or focused on the wrong things. The best budgeting planners keep you on track and up to speed!

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#1 Best Budgeting Planner

Our pick for the best overall budget planner is the Clever Fox Budget Planner Pro, it’s #09 on our list.

Everything you need to get a handle on your finances, all in one easy place, without being overwhelming or too time-consuming.

See it on Amazon

But… there are 14 other GREAT planners out there so be sure to check the list for all your options!

What are Budgeting Planners?

A budget planner book takes many forms; it can be…

• Budget planner notebook (spiral bound)
• Budget planner book (hardbound)
• Budget binder (3 or 6 ring binder)

It’s a planner with budget component, basically, it’s a place (a tool, so to say) where you keep all your financial information in one tidy, neat package! (Some people call the finance planners.) Usually, it has all things money-related in it. Like your monthly budget template (of course), savings trackers, expense tracker, monthly bills, debt payoff trackers, bank account statements, financial goal tracking, credit card statements, a daily/weekly/monthly calendar, etc.

Now, many people like to use a budgeting app, and they’re great. But there’s something special (tactile) about putting pen to paper and writing things out. If you rack your brain and think back to HS, you’ll remember the learning pyramid. It covers the different ways we learn and how each additional “level” of learning helps us retain more information.

So if you’re looking to make lasting change, pass by any budgeting software or a budget app and go old fashioned pen & paper, (at least to begin with).

Writing down your budget & expenses (in a budget planner just like these) is Tip #5 in my Top Tips for Successful Budgeting. If you don’t write it down, you’ll 100% forget! So if you’re even 1/2 considering getting a budget planner… DO IT!

The 15 best budget planners

I will go through the planners and suggest what “type” of a person it may be best for. YET, please don’t think that you can’t get it if you have a different focus than what I am suggesting. It’s only to give you a rough idea and be able to narrow down your choices quickly. These are in no particular order (but #9 is our pick for the best budget planner notebook).

01. Clever Fox Budget Planner – Expense Tracker Notebook – $$

Best budget planner for those who like things organized & straightforward

The Clever Fox Budget Planner snags Amazon’s Best Seller distinction with 4.6 stars and 8,000+ ratings! The Clever Fox brand has several different budget planners, but this one is an excellent middle of the road option, perfect for those just starting!

Pros:

Comes with 86 budgeting stickers

Pocket for bills & receipts

Quick start instructions

Undated – start anytime

No questions asked return policy

Cons:

Hard bound (pages don’t lay flat)

Single pocket for reciepts doesn’t offer a lot of room

Not refillable

Small print can be hard to read

Small size = not a lot of space for notes

There are lots of great accessories that are a part of the Clever Fox planner! Lots of fun budgeting stickers and cash envelopes that you can add on to your purchase!

02. Clever Fox Budget Planner & Monthly Bill Organizer with Pockets – $$$

Best budget planner for those who have a lot of receipts & paper bills

The Budget Planner & Monthly Bill Organizer with Pockets is the next level up budget planner notebook from Clever Fox, yet this one focuses on budgeting & bills. If you liked the one above but wished it was a little “more,” then look no further! This one has 4.7 stars with 1,000+ ratings!

Pros:

Receipt pockets for each month

Spiral coil = pages lay flat

Monthly color scheme to quickly open to the right month

Undated – start anytime

Keepsake box (perfect as a gift!)

No questions asked return policy

192 stickers

Holiday budgeting section

Cons:

Spiral binding means some pages may come unfastened

Heavier than other budget planners

If fill all the receipt pockets = bulky

03. Life & Apples Budget Planner – Monthly Budgeting Notebook for Family and Personal Finance – $$

Best budget planner for those who need some extra motivation!

The Life & Apples Budget Planner doesn’t have as many reviews as bigger companies, but I don’t want you to look past it just on that. The company has a wide variety of planners, but its main focus is to motivate you! We could all use a little motivation, and if that is your Achilles heel with budgeting, then be sure to check this option out!

Pros:

87 stickers

Has a mini vision board & goal setting section

Undated – start at any time

Motivationally focused!

Inner pocket for receipts

Cons:

Limited return policy

A5 size can be considered small – hard to read

Not a lot of room for notes

Hardcover – pages don’t lay flat

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04. Erin Condren Designer Petite Planner – Financial Planner/Budget Planner Organizer Book: $$ – $$$$

Best budget planner for those who want budgeting to be a part of a whole planning program

Everyone raves about Erin Condron Planners (there are many Facebook groups dedicated to this line of planners)! The Petite Financial Planner Book lives up to the hype with 4.5 stars with 1,000 ratings!

So what makes it a petite planner? I mean, it’s small, but there’s more than just that. The petite planning line is where you can mix & match 4 of any petite planners to go into a folio system. So if you want budgeting to be part of a larger “planning” goal that you have, then be sure to check out this line! Other petite planners include – wellness, meal planning, weekly planning, daily planning, self-care journal, weekly intention setting, and more! You can check out the full line of petite planners here.

Pros:

Has a whole suite of accompanying accessories

Portable size

Mix & match with 3 other planners to fit into the EC folio system

Lots of colors & designs to match your style!

Cons:

It can be very expensive – depending on accessories

Basic sections, not as detailed as other planners

Limited return policy

Prefilled out budget categories may not suit your needs

“I have always thought that I kept decent track of my finances but at the end of the month I wondered why I always had debt leftover on my credit cards and not enough money to save in my personal accounts. This book has laid out ways for me to keep organized sections of my budget so I am more mindful of how much per month I am able to spend based of my salary. I am the type of person I like to see an overall view of papers laid out in front of me instead of on a computer or iPad. There are a few section areas I wish I were able to manually add that they don’t offer other then that my personal finances have improved. I am finally saving, student loan debt free and stress free purchasing “treat myself” items. For anyone who is trying to find a start of getting a better hold on their personal finances, this book is a great place to start.”

Amazon reviewer

05. Legend Budget Planner – Deluxe Financial Planner Organizer & Budget Book – $$

Best budget planner for those who want quality

Legend Planners have a variety of planners, not just budgeting. They market themselves as our planners “will help you to figure out what you really want in life, create your personal vision, define and breakdown your short and long-term goals, and incorporate them into each area of your daily life.” Looking through the features and benefits of their Deluxe Budget Book, it sounds like it’s almost guaranteed to deliver! In fact, they do guarantee it with hassle-free returns for any reason!

Pros:

No questions asked return policy

9 color choices

109 stickers

Pride themselves on quality!

Cons:

A5 sizing can be considered small

Not a lot of room given to debt payoff

Not a lot of free writing space

06. Budgeting Workbook – $

Best budget planner for the no-nonsense kinda girl

Now don’t let the low price of this budgeting workbook fool you; it has almost everything you NEED to budget effectively. That being said, it’s not a traditional “planner,” as there are no cute stickers or bells & whistles, but it gets the job done (and you can’t beat the price)!

Pros:

Undated – start anytime

Simple & clear layout

Lots of room to write

Cheapest option of the planners!

Cons:

No “extras” (i.e. colors, stickers, fancy formatting, etc.)

Paper is thin, ink can bleed through

Not as portable as some planners

07. Budget Planner – Monthly Budget Book and Expense Tracker – $

Best budget planner for the basic forms

Even though this entry on the best budget planner list doesn’t have a lot of ratings (338), they are really good, average to be 4.7 stars!

Pros:

Portable

Simple & clear layout

Pretty watercolor design

Sturdy, can handle tumbling in purse

Cons:

Small!

Simple layout might be “too” simple

08. Smart Planner Bill Organizer – $$

Best budget planner for someone who is doing the debt snowball 

Smart Planners are for those that “have a million tabs open in their minds.”  Yup, I’m raising my hand right here!  They focus on scientific approaches with productivity in mind, perfect for busy moms!  Smart Planner Budget Planner has 4.6 stars with 250+ reviews!

Pros:

This is the only planner I’ve seen that focuses on debt payoff

Undated – start anytime

Lots of pages for note taking

Cons:

Limited return policy

Not as flashy as other planners

No extra add-on accessories

09. ✅ Clever Fox Budget Planner Pro – Financial Organizer – $$$

Best budgeting planner for the seriously committed!

If you’re looking for a budgeting planner that will focus in on the most important factor for success, then the Budget Planner Pro is it! This is one of the only budget books that give space to your big goals and dreams, and the strategies (action steps) that will get you there. There’s also space for spending reflections, which can help you pinpoint stumbling blocks and help you plan better in the future. Remember your mindset is your most powerful asset in helping you reach your financial goals!

This is our pick for the BEST budget planner!

Pros:

Lots of color choices

Space to plan out your strategy and tactics for the month

Focus on motivating & inspiring long-lasting change with your finances

Larger size than most planners makes it easy to write in.

Space for financial goal setting and last month reflections

Comes with cash envelopes for budgeting or saving

Cons:

One of the more expensive planners (but not too bad)

Some of the charts and graph options may be confusing in the beginning

“I finally found the perfect planner, especially for our finances! I tried using my phone to do finances but I just never got used to it. I love writing things down so this was very helpful to have. I’m able to visualize my spendings as opposed to always looking at my phone and changing apps to check. I can finally see where my finances are going instead of always thinking about them. My husband and I are on the route to being debt-free and ready for the next step in life, which is purchasing a home. We are both able to look at our finances together and be able to work on what steps we need to take to get there. Every month this has financial goals, percentages in terms of what you’ve spent and how you’ve budgeted things. I honestly think physically seeing it in a planner makes you want to spend less on things you don’t need and focus on the things you truly want.”

Amazon reviewer

10. The Total Money Makeover Workbook: $ – $$$

Best budget planner for someone who wants to learn a lot about money & behavior

The Total Money Makeover Workbook is more of a whole picture perspective than the planners above. It combines education (from the most famous money guru in America) and a financial workbook. This book goes along with the book The Total Money Makeover.

Pros:

Tens of thousands of people has proven that his methods work!

Accompanying book to expand on topics

Comes in Spanish and in Kindle edition

Cons:

Some consider this info repetative of his others, not a lot “new” here.

Dave Ramsey can be blunt and sometimes hard to hear from (yet it’s almost always truthful). Facing these truths can be challenging and uncomfortable, but it may be necessary to work through these things to come out stronger & smarter!

11. Simplified Monthly Budget Planner – $$

Best budget planner to carry on the go

This Simplified Budget Planner from ZICOTO has 4.6 stars with 800+ ratings! It markets itself as, “This 12-Month budget book is your chance to develop monthly habits, monetary strategies & action plans”, which sounds like a great budgeting beginning!

Pros:

Sturdy hardback

6 colors to choose from

Comes with stickers

Easy to use while still being detailed

Cons:

Small size

No calendar layout

12. GoGirl Budget Planner – $$

Best for those that want simple & stylish

GoGirls’ mission is to help you have a more inspired and happier everyday life! Now that sounds like something I can get behind! This GoGirl Budget Planner has 4.5 stars with over 4,500 ratings!

Pros:

12 color options

2 size options

Thick paper (ink won’t bleed through)

No questions asked return policy

Cons:

Small size is very small!

Not as detailed as other planners

Could use extra pages for notes or more sections

13. GoGirl Budget Book – $$

Best for those that use the cash envelope system

For just a few dollars more, you can grab the GoGirl Budget Book, which appears to be brand new as it only has a handful of ratings. This is similar to the budget planner, but it follows the cash envelope system.

Pros:

Undated – start any time

9 color choices

Thick paper (ink won’t bleed through)

No questions asked return policy

Comes with 3 sturdy cash envelopes

Cons:

Small size is very small!

Not as detailed as other planners

Probably need more cash envelopes

If you love the cash envelope method be sure that you keep everything organized with a cash envelope wallet. It makes it so much easier and cleaner than having random envelopes in your purse!

14. Cultivate What Matters Financial Goal Guide – $$

Best Budget Planner for Financial Goal Setting

I am deeply in love with all things Lara Casey, and her Cultivate What Matters products. Her products are beautiful, meaningful, and focus on inner change & development. Her Financial Goal Guide is a digital download (so you can start right now)!

“From resetting your money mindset to discovering healthy financial practices, budgeting, paying off debt, saving, investing, and giving, this guide covers it all and is designed to get you started on a solid financial path.”

Pros:

Huge inventory of accompanying items

Inspiration is the name of the game!

Be sure to check out her podcast and books!

Digital download = start right now!

Cons:

Cultivate What Matters items can be expensive, depending on how much you add on

Nothing substantial to hold in your hand, just printable pages

15. Money for the Mamas instant download printable budget planner – $$

Best budget planner when you want to start right this second

Okay, so 99% of these are all physical products that need to be shipped to you. Yes, Amazon has 2-day shipping, but sometimes you need to start RIGHT NOW while your motivation is sky high!

The good news is that there are lots of printable budget planners available, which can be downloaded immediately! I have created 6 different printable budget planners (one for each of the main budgeting methods). So be sure to check those out if you are ready to roll RIGHT NOW!

Pros:

You can start right now! It’s an instant download!

Pick a budget method specific to your needs

Lots of room to write

Review & recap to see what went great and not so great, and plan for next quarter

Cons:

No accessories (but you can buy any on Amazon and use them)!

Not as hefty as a traditional planner

16. Best budget planner for skeptics – Money for the Mamas free templates – $0

I get it, budgeting isn’t for everyone, and it’s traditionally considered not a lot of fun. But, there are many nerds (just like me) who love it! Maybe you just need an easy path to the heavenly side of budgeting nirvana 🙂

If so, then grab my set of free budgeting templates; it will take you $0 and just two minutes of your time to get and print these handy budgeting sheets! Try them out and get a feel for what kind of info is in the physical planners, and maybe you’ll want to upgrade later.

If you’re a bullet journal fanatic, then no, you don’t need another planner. You can easily incorporate some financial spreads into your current dot journal! Using a BuJo is a great way to keep your finances front & center as you use your journal multiple times a day!

How to pick the best budget planner for you

The good news is that there are lots of options for you! The bad news is that it can make it a bit overwhelming to pick one. No worries, by the end of this post, you will know which is the best budget planner for you!

Things to consider when picking out the best budget planner book

Features:

You’ll want to look at a variety of planners, so you know what’s available and the features that appeal to you. Pay attention to…

• How big/small it is: portability, will it fit in your favorite bag?
• Binder & paper size: listed in inches
  • A4 8-1/4 x 11-3/4
  • A5 5-7/8 x 8-1/4
  • A6 4-1/8 x 5-7/8
• Dated or undated: i.e., can you start at any time?
• Format and layout: horizontal, vertical, grid, lined, sectioned
• The level of detail: do you want general instructions and guiding or very specific?
• Available accessories: stickers, decorative tape, add in pages for budget planner notebooks, etc

Format:

What do I want to track & plan? Many planners have the same kind of informational planning & tracking sheets. Which could include…

• monthly calendar
• spending tracker
• bill tracker
• monthly budget template
• weekly budget template
• financial goal planner
• cash envelopes
• debt payoff tracker
• sinking fund tracker
• monthly review worksheet
• budgeting tool guide
• savings goal tracking
• credit score tracker
• net worth tracker
• financial accounts log
• budgeting method used (i.e. envelope budgeting, zero-based budget, budget by paycheck, 50/30/20 method, etc.

Usage:

Think about…

• How will I use it? (at home, to plan big picture stuff or plan EVERYTHING)
• How often do I want to use it?
• One year or multi-year use
• Return policy
• Any social media groups that use this book (community can be great for learning tricks and new ideas)

Maybe you’re worried about choosing the wrong one? Here’s a tip, pretend you’re a physic! Physics notice details about you, and they know something about human nature. A physic would look at your outward appearance, notice your word choices, they would play into common fears and desires.

So if you’re super stylish but conservative, they would pick out a simple but elegant planner. Or, if you talk about loving the new kitchen gadgets that you just got, they would pick out a planner with accessories.

They would pick a planner that plays up your strengths and is something that you’re already drawn to. That’s how a physic would pick the best budget planner for you!

How much do budget planners cost?

I will give a general cost range for each item, yet prices change, so I will give a range.

• $ = $10 and under
• $$ = $20 and under
• $$$ = $35 and under
• $$$$ = $50 or more

With a few planners, you can easily drop $100 or more if you decided to go hog wild with all the accessories. A cautionary tale (of course), DON’T go too crazy!

A great idea is to add these items to your Amazon gift wishlist! Be it for your birthday, Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Arbor Day (just kidding) 🙂 This way, you can snag the fun, cute extras but not put yourself over budget.

I went through all the 1 & 2-star ratings to find common dissatisfiers and laid it out for you. So you don’t have to go digging for any real-life info; I’ve done it all for you!

Best budget planner accessories

Cash envelopes

• GoGirl makes these very sturdy multi-use cash envelopes. These are a pack of 12 and a zip bag to hold them all.
• Cute color-coordinating laminated cash envelopes, set of 12
• Clever Fox sturdy cash envelopes with pouch
• Binder with clear cash envelopes

Reusable trackers & add-in sheets

• Wet-erase marker set
• Erin Condron monthly bill tracking snap-in sheet
• Erin Condron to-do list checklist
• Extra expense tracker sheets for Happy Planner
• Happy Planner spend well extension pack (big size) from me & my big ideas

Stickers, tape & pens

• 48 roll washi tape for decorating
• 36 color journal pens – fine point tip, 4.5 stars with over 2,800 ratings!
• Clever Fox budgeting stickers – 1,000+ on 14 sheets
• Me & my big idea budgeting sticker set – set of 682
• Happy Planner Get Paid sticker set – set of 365

Misc accessories

• 6 hole puncher for planners
• Filler paper for planners
• Planner tabs
• Happy Planner expander discs
• Happy Planner storage case

At the end of the day

I used a budget planner for quite a few years, and then I switched over to my own printable budget planner and a budget spreadsheet. Yet, I can’t deny the allure of using a fun & cute planner! Getting that planner in the mail was always a highlight, and I loved putting it together.

I was literally so excited to put the stickers in, date it all, and write out my goals! And I think that is what most of us don’t like about the stereotypical budgeting process; it’s not fun, it’s not motivating. And if you’re not motivated to use it, then you won’t use it, and you quit. So if lack of motivation is a typical roadblock for you, then give a budget planner a try!

Articles relating to Best Budget Planners:

• 5 Printable Budget Planners to Organize Your Finances (for reals)!
• Budgeting 101: The Straight & Simple Guide to Getting Started
• Your Ultimate Guide on How to Budget Series

Which is the best budget planner for you? Remember, the best one is the one that you’ll actually use!