Free Start Up Budget Guide for Living Together

My son and his significant other have decided to move in together.  Although I would have preferred for them to be engaged or married before they take this step they are adults and have chosen to do it the hard way.  Although they assure me that this is a prelude to marriage.  The hard way is when you have decided that although you have had input from many sources you have decided to ignore that input and take a different path.  The good news is that this is your decision and you are fully accountable.  The easy way is to learn from the experience of others and use that information in your decision making process.  To help ease them through this process (I can't help but meddle)  I developed the budget you see below.  It includes monthly bills and start up costs. The 70/30 distribution of expenses is based on their disparate income.  I felt it was important that they wrote down each others expectations. Money arguments occur more frequently in a marriage when expectations are not the same or the communication inadequate.  Hope this helps.

The dollar amounts are numbers that I placed in the excel cells to check my formulas.  I find doing excel worksheets very soothing.  That's right I'm crazy!

Column1	Column2	Column3	Column4	Column5
MONTHLY BUDGET
Item	Income HB	Estimated Cost	70% Paid by SDG	30% Paid by HB
Revenue
Monthly Income
Person 1	100.00
Person 2	100.00
Expenses
Monthly Bills
BGE		1.00	0.70	0.30
Cable		1.00	0.70	0.30
Car Insurance HB		1.00	0.70	0.30
Car Insurance SDG		1.00	0.70	0.30
Car Maintenance		1.00	0.70	0.30
Car Note HB		1.00	0.70	0.30
Car Note SDG		1.00	0.70	0.30
Car Wash		1.00	0.70	0.30
Cell Phone HB		1.00	0.70	0.30
Cell Phone SDG		1.00	0.70	0.30
Dining Out & Entertainment		1.00	0.70	0.30
Electronics		1.00	0.70	0.30
Gasoline		1.00	0.70	0.30
Internet		1.00	0.70	0.30
Rent		1.00	0.70	0.30
Student Loans		1.00	0.70	0.30
Monthly Savings		1.00	0.70	0.30
Start Up Costs
Furniture & Appliances
Toaster		1.00	0.70	0.30
Can Opener		1.00	0.70	0.30
Living, Dining & Bedroom Furniture		1.00	0.70	0.30
Microwave		1.00	0.70	0.30
Mixer		1.00	0.70	0.30
Vacuum Cleaner		1.00	0.70	0.30
Window Coverings		1.00	0.70	0.30
Groceries & Misc.
Bleach		1.00	0.70	0.30
Broom		1.00	0.70	0.30
Bucket		1.00	0.70	0.30
Cat Food		1.00	0.70	0.30
Cat Litter		1.00	0.70	0.30
Cold & Pain Meds		1.00	0.70	0.30
Counter Containers		1.00	0.70	0.30
Deodorant		1.00	0.70	0.30
Dish Towels		1.00	0.70	0.30
Dishes		1.00	0.70	0.30
Dishwashing Soap		1.00	0.70	0.30
Food		1.00	0.70	0.30
Houselhold Cleaners		1.00	0.70	0.30
Iron		1.00	0.70	0.30
Ironing Board		1.00	0.70	0.30
Laundry Detergent		1.00	0.70	0.30
Light Bulbs		1.00	0.70	0.30
Mop		1.00	0.70	0.30
Oven Mitts		1.00	0.70	0.30
Paper Towels		1.00	0.70	0.30
Pillows		1.00	0.70	0.30
Pots & Pans		1.00	0.70	0.30
Sheets & Comforter (2 sheet sets)		1.00	0.70	0.30
Spices		1.00	0.70	0.30
Toilet Paper		1.00	0.70	0.30
Toothpaste		2.00	1.40	0.60
Trash Bags		1.00	0.70	0.30
Trash Containers		1.00	0.70	0.30
		53.00	37.10	15.90
Total Income	200.00
Total Expenses	53.00
Net Disposable Income	147.00