In this type of budget, the household is comparing what actually happened versus what they had planned. We will have three columns for this type of budget – ’Budget’, ‘Actual’ and ‘Difference’.
5 Type 3: Comparison Statement Budget – Actual = Difference
Example Let’s look at a budget comparison statement for the Ryan household: Ryan Household Income Budget
Jan–Dec €
Salaries and wages Child benefit Other
50,000 1,400 520
Actual
Jan–Dec €
30,000 1,400 240
Difference
Jan–Dec €
20,000 –
(280)
Note: €20,000 is a positive number, ‘–’ means no change (child benefit) and (€280) is a negative figure.
P. 23
Go to page 23 in the activity book to practise your budgeting skills.
Presenting Data Graphically
When analysing budgets, it can be helpful to present the data in a graph or a chart. You may decide to draw it yourself or use an app such as Excel or Google Sheets.
We can present the data in many different ways. We will study the bar chart, line graph and pie chart. Isla is a student who has an expected income of €180, planned fixed expenditure of €10, planned irregular expenditure of €100 and planned discretionary spending of €50.