I have been doing financial coaching for 15 years until ith approx 300 families. My experience suggests doing an average monthly budget, which is annual, divided by 12. Then for each month make an actual budget for anticipated income and expenses. The average monthly will tell you if your budget/plan is balanced and if you need to make adjustments. The actual monthly budget is for that month- it might be positive or negative depending on the month, but it should track closely to the annual so that at the end of the year you are balanced. For monthly budget establishment I suggest using Mint.com