Budgeting

Beginner
10 min

What is Budgeting?

Budgeting creates a financial plan for future periods, estimating expected revenues and expenses to control spending and achieve goals.

Key Components:

  • Forecasts future performance
  • Sets spending limits
  • Provides benchmarks
  • Helps allocate resources

Why it matters

Financial Control

Prevents overspending

Goal Setting

Establishes targets

Performance

Measure actual vs budget

Allocation

Direct resources efficiently

Key Concepts

Revenue Budget

Income forecast

Example: ₹100k per month...

Expense Budget

Spending plan

Example: Salaries, rent, marketing...

Variance

Actual vs budget difference

Example: +₹10k favorable...

Rolling Forecast

Continuously updated

Example: Add quarter as each passes...

How to use

1

Review history

Past performance

2

Estimate revenue

Sales forecast

3

Estimate expenses

Cost projections

4

Build budget

Create spreadsheet

5

Get approval

Management sign-off

6

Track vs budget

Monitor monthly

Example

Goal: Create monthly budget
Revenue: ₹100k
Expenses: ₹95k
Profit: ₹5k
Track variances monthly
Result: Budget shows ₹5,000 monthly profit target

Pro Tips

  • Be realistic: Not overly optimistic
  • Include contingency: Buffer for unexpected
  • Review regularly: Update as needed

Practice

Create a quarterly budget for a small retail store with seasonal sales