good online UK budget calculator or google speadsheet based one - any reccommendations?

[happyAvocado]

any ideas welcomed
I worry that I would miss to add somE expense and am too tired most days to design my own from scratch

How about downloading Microsoft Money (it's free)... Does budgets, reports, and you can keep track of all your spending, direct debits, cashpoint withdrawals etc.

Do you want to make up a budget (as in allocate money to x, y z) or to keep track of your spending?

I like moneysavingexperts budget planner (www.moneysavingexpert.com/banking/Budget-planning)

As for keeping track of spending, does your phone have a memo section? Or just keep a small notepad and pan in your bag, and write down everything that you spend but dont get a receipt for - keep all receipts you do get and consolidate them at the end of the day / week / in the break of your favourite tv show. It will become habit pretty quickly.

Im a little obsessed over my money watching and forced myself to take a break (from Jan) but starting again on June 1st and Im actually looking forward to it and Im making my spreadsheet up tonight. (Would offer to send it, but it will be so highly personalised for me that the mse one above is what Id recommend for you )

I blush because I've never been doing budgeting.
I am hoping to understand wheather I can afford certain amount of mortgage - I am hoping to move on from this house to another place , ex is buying me off and I will have certain amount to put as a deposit, but will have to economise.
I am debt free othervise - no cards to pay, no loans etc.

So first of all I am hoping to look overr last 6 months of spending and go over them to extract where roughly money go - need to keep track of that to understand how big mortgage I can take without killing myself.

I am going to check both.

Good luck! It can feel very overwhelming at the start, but really its an empowering process!

Id say you prob should look at renting a cheaper property first before taking on a mortgage. This will give you time to adjust to the new living arrangements and see how the finances work. Usually contracts are 6 months or so, so if you have been finding it tough, you know you cant afford a mortgage at that price. HOwever, if you are finding it easy, then see how much you can comfortably save (while still considering yearly expenses like insurance, xmas, car tax etc) per month. At the end of the 6 months you will then have a nice top up to your deposit and be assured that the rent + amount saved is do-able for you.

Also bear in mind that when you start budgeting you will probably eaily cut back in the unnecessary spending quite quickly as you become more aware of the goals you have.

I really highly recommend a book called your money or your life by joe dominguez and vicki robin, if yu have time to read a book!

I think your suggestion to renting is a good one - I think ex should rent (he is staying rent free with OW) and we both should manage our finances as if we were paying mortgage - ie - put aside as much as we would had we had mortgages and within few months we will know if it is doable.

I'll look up that book - but on CD ;)

I do a lot of commuting in my car (up to 3 hours a day)

3 hours? You practically live in the car- perhaps you should consider an RV? ;)

The book has steps that you could skip the first time as the main goal is changing how you look at money and working out what you actually need vs want etc. the budgeting steps are excellent though and combined with the general ethos it's a real perspective changer (well, to me it was!)

I have finally found a job I like and they value me there too.
I was miserable in a job much closer - prefer my commuting :)

I's not so much about money, I could earn more elsewhere, but about the rest what job should give me.

I can work from home in emergencies any time and am home by 5:30 (as I set off at 6 am for 7 am start - the return journey is killing me ), it is on an average 2.5 hours :)