10 Best Budget Planner Books for 2023

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Make 2023 the year that you really excel at budgeting with one of these fantastic budget planner books. If you’re looking for ways to track your finances more effectively each month, one of the best ways to do that is to invest in one of the best budget planner books to get all things money-related noted down in one place.

This post takes a look at some of the best budget planner books to start the year right in 2023, considering the top features, pros and cons, and price of each to help you find the best planner for your financial needs.

What is a budget planner book?

A budget planner book is a planner designed to specifically help you track your budget and finances each month. Often, a good budget planner will include sections for goal-setting, planning your financial strategy, calculating your overall income, tracking expenses, debt repayment plans, as well as seasonal planning pages.

In this post, I’ve sorted through the many (many!) planners, binders, and organizers online to compile this list of the best budget planner books online in 2023. If you’re looking for a way to really get on top of your finances this year, this is it.

Best Budget planners 2023:

What to look for in a budget planner book?

When finding the best items for this list, I looked for a few different key criteria:

• Room for customization (extra spaces, extra pages for note-taking etc). Not all the planners listed below are totally customizable, but they offer more room for adapting your book to suit you than many others on the market.
  
• User reviews: If something is worth buying, the proof is typically in the reviews. The below budget planners receive some of the best reviews online for a combination of price, usability, and features.
  
• Design: We want something that looks good, but also that is ordered in a way that makes sense. The majority of planners below are separated by month, week, and day for easy organization of your spending.

What MAKES A GOOD BUDGET PLANNER?

To find the best budget planners for 2023, we judged the products on the market by the following criteria.

• Options to track your income and expenses, and calculate your overall budget
• A savings record
• Debt repayment planning
• Aesthetically pleasing
• Good user reviews
• Undated
• Monthly and weekly/daily planning options

Read next:
15 Best Budgeting Apps for College Students | 25 Best Cash Envelope Wallets for Budgeting | 30 Free Budget Templates To Organize Your Finances

10 Best Budget Planner Books To Organize Your Finances:

1. Boxclever Press Budget Planner

We love this budget planner book from Boxclever. This is a proper, all-in-one budget planner that covers every base, from daily and weekly budget tracking, to larger sections for tackling debt, savings, and even seasonal (e.g. Christmas) savings goals.

Dimensions: 9.5″ x 8″
Price: $$
Customization:⭐⭐⭐

Key Features:

• Weekly planner sections
• Daily entry spaces
• 13 receipt organizer pockets
• Bill organizer pockets
• Debt tracking secitions
• Seasonal savings sections

Each month has a total of 6 dedicated pages: one for income and savings, one for your monthly budget, three pages for day-to-day expenditure, and one summary page for the month.

The regular bill tracker page has 7 rows where you can list categories like a cell phone bill, gas bill, electric bill etc. We really love the organizer pocket features on this budget planner, providing handy spaces for keeping hold of important receipts and bills.

2. Clever Fox Budget Planner

This is another excellent budget planner book from Clever Fox, and is actually our editor’s top pick for 2023! It includes a monthly financial goal-setting section, areas to put reminders for bills and payments due, a monthly spending plan, and pre-defined expense categories to help you plan your monthly budget better.

Dimensions: 5.8″ x 8.3″ (A5)
Price: $$
Customization: ⭐⭐⭐

Key features:

• Monthly goal-setting sections
• Reminder section for due bills and payments
• Monthly spending plan
• Expense categories
• Seasonal savings sections
• Annual summary section

This was voted as one of the best budget planner books because also includes added sections for Christmas and seasonal budgeting, as well as sections for calculating an annual summary to help you track your progress throughout the year.

The Clever Fox Budget Planner Book is A5 size, perfect for keeping in your handbag for easy access.

Again, this budget planner isn’t reusable or refillable, so you would need to buy an entirely new book after the first year. If you’re looking for a refillable budget planner, taking a look at some of the printable options below might be a better idea.

3. Clever fox budget planner book 2.0

The Clever Fox Budget Planner 2.0 is an updated (and slightly more expensive) version of the Clever Fox Planner listed above. Two of the biggest changes to the planner are the appealing colored inner pages, and the addition of monthly calendars for an instant look at your budget planning each month.

Dimensions: 5.8″ x 8.3″ (A5)
Price: $$
Customization: ⭐⭐⭐

Key features:

• Monthly spending plan for each expense category
• Smaller portable size
• Animal-friendly PU leather hardcover
• Free 2 pages of 146 stickers
• 12 months (10 pages per month) of planning
• Annual summary section

Again, the budget planner book still includes added sections for Christmas and seasonal budgeting, as well as goal setting, expenses trackers, debt repayment etc.

The Clever Fox Budget Planner Book 2.0 is slightly smaller than the original, making it easier to carry around with you. Overall, the reviews for the original planner are better – but this may just be because it’s had the chance to accumulate more reviews.

4. Sort Your $hit Out! (MONTHLY BUDGET PLANNER:)

The Sort Your $hit Out budget planner book has fewer details online about exactly what’s included but receives such great reviews from other customers that we had to add it in. It includes monthly budget pages, spending tracking, and progress checker questions (love this feature!).

Dimensions: 8″ x 10″
Price: $
Customization: ⭐⭐⭐

Key features:

• Monthly budget pages
• Spending tracking
• Progress tracker questions
• Daily spending sections (8 days over 2 pages)
• Reflections page

Despite the lack of detail compared to some of the other options in this list, the reviews provide a really great breakdown of exactly what’s included inside the book and also provide a good insight into the cool graphics the book features. The planner includes 12-month sections, but you can start at any month of the year.

One review does comment that the level of detail in the book is actually too much – rather than providing a more mathematical way of tracking your budget, the reflections page and progress questions are pretty time-consuming, so this may not be for everyone.

5. Erin Condren Financial Planner/Budget Planner Organizer Book

The Erin Condren Budget Planner Book has a beautiful design – it has a colorful background, and the quote “the best way to get things done is to begin” on the front, which we love.

Dimensions: 5.7″ x 8.25″
Price: $$
Customization: ⭐⭐

Key features:

• 80-pages for budgeting and goal setting
• 12-months of budget planning spreads
• Built-in pockets for receipt storage
• Bill-tracking spreads, spending logs, and budgeting checklists
• Sticker sheet for goal setting

The budget planner book contains 12 months of budget tracking spreads, including goal setting, spending logs, and budgeting checklists. This book also includes built-in receipt pockets for a handy place to store all things budget-related.

The planner is a useful size – not too big – and a fair price. Again, this book isn’t refillable, but it can be started any month of the year.

6. GoGirl Budget Planner

The GoGirl Budget Planner is a compact (smaller than A5) budget planner book designed to be easy to slip into your bag for on-the-go budget tracking. It’s available in a range of colours, from Hot Pink to a more understated Grey.

Dimensions: 5.3″ x 7.7″ x 0.6″
Price: $$
Customization: ⭐⭐ ⭐

Key features:

• 120-page budget planning and tracking book
• Pages for goals, expenses, Christmas budget, debt tracking
• Additional notes pages
• Bonus stickers

The book contains 120 pages dedicated to precise, efficient budget tracking including pages for expense tracking, budgeting, debt tracking, and goal setting, as well as a section specifically for Christmas budget planning.

The planner is a useful size (I like that it’s not too bulky), and a good price. The reviews are overwhelmingly positive, with many great comments on the layout, design, and price of the book overall.

7. Legend Deluxe budget Planner

Dimensions: 5.5 inches x 8.3 inches x 0.6 inches
Price: $$
Customization: ⭐⭐ ⭐⭐

Key features:

• Undated so you can start at anytime
• Life Financial Plan pages
• Pages for goals, mind mapping, savings, debt, expenses
• 12 months of budget & expense tracking
• Monthly review pages
• Christmas budgeting
• Yearly summary

The Legend Deluxe Budget Planner has a beautiful cover design, includes an elasticated pen loop, an inner pocket for loose bills and documents, and provides an overall great option for tracking your finances each month.

The book contains 112 pages including pages for expense tracking, budgeting, debt tracking, and goal setting, as well as a section specifically for Christmas budget planning. In addition, the budget planner book has two pages for a yearly summary, pages for creating your life financial plan, and additional pages for note-taking.

Additional features include the 100+ stickers that come with the book to help you track your money easier. I also like that this budget planner book is undated, so you can start tracking your money at any point in the year.

8. Budgeting Workbook: Finance Monthly & Weekly Budget Planner

This Budgeting Workbook is the most affordable option on this list. Rather than a sturdier, hardback design, this journal is very lightweight with a Matte Craft cover.

Dimensions: 8.5 x 11 inches
Price: $
Customization: ⭐⭐ ⭐

Key features:

• Super lightweight design
• Includes monthly budget worksheets
• Weekly and daily expense trackers
• 148 pages

Containing 148 pages for monthly budget tracking, with options for keeping tabs on your expenses on a daily and weekly basis, this is a basic but effective budget planner that has everything you need for keeping an eye on your spending.

The reviews for this affordable budgeting workbook are generally good: all the months are undated so you can start whenever you want, it has a simple and clear layout, and is good quality for the price.

9. Boxclever Portable Hardcover Budget Planner

This portable, hardcover Boxclever budget planner book has a very compact size designed for easy budget planning. We love the hardcover with a wraparound magnetic seal, which combined with the small size makes it perfect for taking out and about with you.

Dimensions: 7.05 x 1.38 x 4.53 inches
Price: $$
Customization: ⭐⭐ ⭐

Key features:

• Wrap-around magnetic closure
• New month-to-view calendars
• More space to record day-to-day expenditure
• Pages to summarise your progress and reflect on your success
• Small compact size

The budget planner includes monthly cash flow tracking, expense trackers, undated monthly calendars, goal setting, and more.

Other extras include 13 pockets for storing your loose documents and receipts. This budget planner book has lots of great reviews – it may not be ideal if you are looking for a larger budget planner, however.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best budget planner book overall?

Our overall top pick for the best budget planner in 2022 is the Clever Fox Planner. It’s compact, well-designed, affordable, and most importantly, has all the essential features one would need from a budget planner.

How Do I use a budget planner?

A budget planner book is a little different from your average planner because you only use it to track and plan your personal finances for each month, rather than using it for day-to-day organization. A budget planner will typically be used to keep track of your income (whether you have multiple income streams or are tracking your income as a two-person household), and your outgoings.

You can also use a budget planner to:

• Keep track of outstanding debts and repayments
• Make a note of savings goals
• Track your savings progress
• Allocate different categories within your budget
• Track your cash spending if you use a cash envelope wallet

What is the best way to budget my money?

The best way to budget your money is to calculate your monthly income, and your monthly expenses. Subtract your expenses from your income and see how much (if any) you have left over. If that number is worryingly low, see what expenses you can do without in order to free up more cash to save.

It’s simple but so effective. Check these most common wallet drains for some ideas on quick saves. You could also try an extreme savings challenge – like saving $5,000 in a year – to kickstart your budget journey.

Will a budget planner help me save money?

This list of the best budget planners for 2023 will give you the best shot of accurately tracking your spending and putting more money into your savings. However, a budget planner is useful if you’re not doing the work yourself! Make sure you actually stick to the goals you’ve written down in order to successfully save money.

FREE BUDGET PLANNER PRINTABLES:

If you don’t want to buy a book for all your budgeting activities, there are a number of excellent budget planner printables out there that are available to download for free.

You could pick your favorite, print it a couple of times, and make it into your own binder budget planner book! If you don’t mind a little more effort and getting a little crafty, this is a great way to get a free budget planner book together rather than ordering a complete book online.

Here are a few of our favorite budget planner printables – you can check my full round-up here.

THE WALLET MOTH FREE BUDGET TEMPLATE: That’s right – we have our own free monthly budget tracker, especially for you! This free budget planner contains sections for listing your expenses and calculating a budget for each, plus sections for marketing down your actual spending and the total difference. Download my monthly budget tracker and get access to my Freebie Library.

COLLEGE LIFE MADE EASY FREE BUDGET WORKSHEET: We love this attractive budget planner worksheet from Charlie over at College Life Made Easy – it includes sections for tracking your income, savings, debt, and goals every month. Charlie offers this worksheet as a free printable on her website, so definitely go check it out!

SAVOR AND SAVVY MONTHLY BUDGET PRINTABLE: Ginny from Savour & Savvy designed this simple monthly budget planner printable which is super easy to use and looks great too. It has a section to predict your income, write down your bills and the amounts, plus a section to calculate your total savings after expenses each month.

MY FRUGAL HOME PRINTABLE BILL CHECKLIST: This printable bill pay checklist from My Frugal Home is great because Erin has designed it to be fully editable, so you can customize all your bill info before printing the checklist out.

FRUGAL FANATIC BUDGET TEMPLATE: Frugal Fanatic has another Budget Template to choose from – this one has two different colour options, and different sections to track your income, expenses, and savings.

Final Thoughts

With one of the budget planner books listed above, you’ll be primed to have to most financially successful new year yet.

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